If you’ve spent some time exploring the About Me page on the Lazy Girl Lingerie website, you may have noticed that I share that I am of Aboriginal descent. It’s something that often sparks curiosity within our Lazy Girl community, so I wanted to take the opportunity to share more about my heritage, my family, and the journey that has shaped who I am today.
I am a proud Waanyi woman, with mother’s side of the family descending from the Waanyi people of the Gulf of Carpentaria. For me, speaking about my First Nations heritage is inseparable from speaking about my family - our stories, our resilience, and our strength. To honour that properly, I felt it was important to share experiences not just from my own perspective, but from the woman who came before me.
My mum also shared parts of her life and experiences as an Aboriginal woman. Her story bridges generations and highlights both the progress that has been made and the challenges that still exist today for First Nations people in Australia.
My Mum's Journey
Growing up, my Aboriginality meant Connection — even though it wasn’t fully explained.
It was felt through family, relatives, food, community. Even when culture wasn’t openly taught or talked about much, it often lived by values like kinship. Cabbage stew and rib-bones were always on the menu as well as stringy mangoes and mulberries. As cousins we would play the blanket game, play with rocks to build houses, play darliks on mounds of dirt which the Mount Isa Mines were using to develop house and land, play elastic, climb hills, ride bikes and swim in rivers. We would always want to sleep over each other's place. When we were sick, we would just get thrown into the one bedroom - I had mumps, they had measles - we survived. My upbringing and connection to culture have deeply influenced the person I am today. Growing up surrounded by family, community, and the simple joys of life has likely instilled in me a strong sense of humility and groundedness. These shared experiences have taught me the value of relationships, resilience, and appreciating the little things in life.
Growing up in Mount Isa, our Aboriginality was accepted and simply part of who we were as a community. As I entered my teenage years, however, I began to understand more deeply my Aboriginality meant in the wider world. At times, shame imposed on me by others through stereotyping. One experience that stayed with me was when my teenage boyfriend’s mother looked at a photograph of us and ridiculed me publicly by saying that we would have children with runny noses. Moments like this made me feel different and aware that the world treated me differently because of the colour of my skin. This awareness has been part of an ongoing journey—one that continues to unfold as I learn to be confident in my heritage and reflect upon the importance of my self-value. When I travelled to Victoria, two women stared at my legs. When I asked what they were looking at, they replied, “your brown skin.” Friends I grew up with often joked about my Aboriginality. Some of them were indigenous as well.
However, I did not let these experiences define my strength and character but let them contribute to my growth and understanding of the world, shaping me into someone who values inclusivity and respect for all.
My Journey
Growing up, I always knew I was Aboriginal - and it is something I amdeeply proud of. I am proud of my family, our heritage, and the culture that has been carried through generations. My mum and my nanna are two of my biggest inspirations and greatest cheerleaders, and I would not be where I am today without their strength and guidance.
Like many Aboriginal people, my upbringing also exposed me to experiences that I now understand clearly as racism. Throughout my life, I have heard comments such as “But you don’t look Aboriginal”. Statements like these, though often said casually, can be deeply hurtful leaving me feeling as though I didn’t fit into other people’s narrow expectations of what Aboriginal identity should look like.
I have also experienced discrimination both socially and in the workplace. Over time, the accumulation of off-hand remarks and prejudiced attitudes led me to become quieter about my heritage, choosing to share it only with people I trusted and knew shared similar values. While I was always proud of who I am, staying silent felt like a form of self-protection.
In 2020, during the global Black Lives Matter movement, I had a moment of realisation. I understood that staying quiet, even for self-preservation, was not helping to challenge racism or amplify the voices and stories of First Nations people. While I was already doing a great job of diversity and inclusion within my brand I knew then that I needed to be more open about my own heritage and not allow racism to silence me. Our culture is rich, powerful and deserves to be celebrated and heard. I am so blessed to have been met with so much love and support from those around me as I share more of my heritage, who I cherish so much and who have helped me to share my story in a way that feels true to me.
Finding Community Through Fashion
A pivotal moment in my journey came when I began working with business mentor Bianca Park (now Director of Investment at Trade & Investment Queensland). From our very first meeting, she recognised that there was a deeper story behind my heritage and identity. Bianca supported me with compassion and strength as I shared my experiences of prejudice, and she encouraged me to rise above the biases placed upon me.
Through her encouragement, I began reconnecting more deeply with my community. This led me to Indigenous Fashion Projects, a two-year mentoring program that connected me with the First Nations fashion community. Through this program, I was honoured to commission First Nations artist Caleb Nicholls-Mansell to create artwork that was printed onto fabric and transformed into two gowns for Australian Fashion Week in Sydney.
Since then, I have had the privilege of showcasing my work at Australian Fashion Week twice, Melbourne Fashion Week, and the upcoming Melbourne Fashion Festival, produced by Mob in Fashion. While these milestones are incredibly meaningful, the true highlight has always been the sense of belonging and connection that comes from working with mob. There is an immediate feeling of family, shared understanding and cultural pride that is truly special.
Moving Forward With Pride
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about my heritage and my family. This is something I am incredibly passionate about, and I believe that sharing stories is one of the most powerful ways to foster understanding, respect and change.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please feel free to get in touch. I am always grateful for the opportunity to celebrate and honour First Nations culture and community.