Paradox is a brand about empowerment:we aim to use our skincare products and beauty knowledge to help elevate and empower our community to feel confident and strong. To take this one step further, we’ve started a series on our blog meant to hand the spotlight to the empowering women that inspire us every day. Get to know the #paradoxmafia through our exclusive Paradox Q&A series, where we highlight the incredible, bad*ss women that support our female-founded brand. Spread the love and keep reading to learn more!
(all photos from @mayisha.nyc on Instagram)
“My name is Mayisha and I am a Bengali-Chinese digital creator based in New York. I’ve always taken an interest in fashion and styling, and I grew up dressing my sister up 一 when there were special occasions, she turned to me. I never thought I would get into the ‘world of fashion’ per say, because to me, fashion is just a part of everyone's life, some people just notice it more. But this year I had more time to explore my lifestyle and aesthetic (due to quarantine), and wanted to compile my aesthetic exploration and learning of fashion into one platform, that's why I started my current IG account @mayisha.nyc. I capture my daily outfits, talk about the history of fashion items, share my findings of sustainable brands, and much more. I'm lucky to have found a small community that likes my content and holds the same values as I do.”
"This year I had more time to explore my lifestyle and aesthetic (due to quarantine), and wanted to compile my aesthetic exploration and learning of fashion into one platform."
“Inclusive and golden.”
“Minimal and versatile.”
“Meeting a lot of virtual friends that have common interests and vibes, all with a heart of gold. And getting inspired by a wide range of creatives!”
“When I started Instagram, I wanted to focus on the quality of fashion and styling and on the aesthetic of a minimal lifestyle, but to show less of my face. I believe that ‘beautiful faces’ in the content creation world were saturated and should never determine the success of a ‘fashion blogger.’ This outlook sort of changed when a follower messaged me saying how her confidence has boosted after seeing a fellow Brown girl like me being so comfortable in her skin: she felt inspired by me because she used to believe only white creators can rule this type of minimalist, moody aesthetic. That's when I realized women of color are under-represented to mislead young girls like her. I realized that occasionally showing my face can help some women break the stereotype, and also encourage them by showing that there shouldn't be racial or cultural limitations during aesthetic explorations. It's not about being beautiful or not, but more because representation of my race in the content creation world or the world of design is lacking, so it means something when Brown girls or Asian girls see the face behind this account, and find somebody who looks like them.”
"I realized women of color are under-represented to mislead young girls like her. I realized that occasionally showing my face can help some women break the stereotype, and also encourage them by showing that there shouldn't be racial or cultural limitations during aesthetic explorations."
(all photos from @mayisha.nyc on Instagram)
“The fact that it's full of people with inspiring ideas and you're able to find any entertainment you want. The energy is also so dynamic depending on the areas or time of the day, it's a great balance of calmness, ambition and hype.”
“I had considered: a philosopher, a doctor, a finance guru, a dancer, a fashion designer, a business woman. I feel lucky I am finally learning to be a business owner while learning about designing, who would have thought!? But the ultimate goal is definitely just to do anything that makes me happy and brings joy to myself and others.”
“I have a very international audience base, so all my communication is just in English. But since I grew up in southern China and was partially raised in Bangladesh, my mother tongue is Chinese and I speak Bengali fluently. On my page I also never mentioned my day job so a lot of people think I just do this full time, but I work as a director of marketing operations for a tech startup.”
“This year I made the effort to work on things that would bring me joy (becoming a fashion creator, starting a small business, designing jewelry). So I'd say that if you know doing certain work will make you happy, just take action to focus on that first and you'll figure out the next steps.”
"If you know doing certain work will make you happy, just take action to focus on that first and you'll figure out the next steps.”
(photos from @mayisha.nyc and @paradox on Instagram)
“Definitely the combination of its healing power and the aesthetic of it. I break out pretty often around my forehead and temple area, then I would put calamine lotion on it and forget how crazy the white powder makes me look. One time I accidentally went grocery shopping wearing it (LOL). I think the Lucky Star Patches eliminate that issue for me and honestly look like a face decoration with some personality!”
“Honestly all the skin care products from your line are a MUST to me: Vitamin C in the morning and Retinol at night are both essentials. I'd also be excited to try the Liquid Gold! I love that it creates a dewy look, and glowy skin always makes me look healthy and radiant.”