Wumi Tuase is a Nigerian actor, fashion, and lifestyle content creator that has paved a way for herself using social media.
She started her career as an intern at a newspaper and continued to create content now on social media. This has stemmed from her love to tell stories in a compelling and engaging manner without shying away from difficult topics.
Hi Wumi, How are you doing today?
I am a bit exhausted from a 3-hour journey back home from a film set. I am currently relaxing in a cute playsuit, sensitizing people online about the coming elections before I head to the salon to wash my hair.
You started off as a journalist, how did you become one and did you get tired of it? Is it just as important to you now as it was before or have you moved on completely to creating social media content?
Journalism is something I’d never get tired of. I still see myself as one. I write occasionally and even when all I do is pass across a message on social media, I still follow the due process of journalism from research to reportage. Even now as an actor and a content creator, it’ll always be a part of me.
How long have you been doing this and what will you say has been your biggest challenge yet?
I have been a digital content creator for about 7 years and till today, my biggest challenge is earning my worth in the industry. Also, sometimes I struggle with balancing it with every other thing in my life because I am quite ambitious.
Do you think there’s a shelf life for being a social media creator? I mean, how long can the creator keep doing it and how long can the audience stay interested?
I do not think there’s a shelf life for being a creator. It’ll always be something you do unconsciously even when you decide to focus on other things.
Have you ever had an experience that made you feel like you were getting a different treatment simply because you’re a woman? Care to share?
Oh definitely. I’ve had quite a number of situations where I faced discrimination as a woman, especially in the workplace. Which, to be honest, is one of the things that discouraged me from working a regular 9-5 corporate job. In one instance, my salary increase was stalled for a bit because they felt I was a young woman with no responsibilities despite the fact that I was in fact doing my job excellently. Then younger men in the office earned more than me with even fewer qualifications and job responsibilities.
Everyone around me knows I absolutely abhor gender-based discrimination especially because society expects so much from us & gives us nothing. We have to work twice as hard to get half of what’s given to men freely in certain situations.
How has it been being a woman on the internet? The standards and all of that. How has technology impacted your life, both negatively and positively? And how do you keep your life private while sharing enough with your audience?
I think I speak for a high number of women when I say being a woman on the Internet means you have to fight daily especially when you’re expressive about your lack of accommodation for discrimination, slut shaming & disrespect. Although the internet has also brought a lot of opportunities for women to level up and gain more in their careers, it’s a fight we’d always have to continue pushing for the progression of women in society.
Technology has done well to give me a space to express my creativity and opportunities to reach the world in better ways. When it comes to keeping my privacy, I think I have hacked how to share without sharing. My audience get a glimpse into my life daily but what they see about me on social media is what I let them see. And it is very important to note that as much as we push for acceptance & progress, we have to leave room for self-preservation to avoid invasion of your person.
What do you think will be revolutionary for women like you working in your industry right now?
What I think will be revolutionary right now is more women taking charge of the media startup space, using the platforms to push for more inclusion and higher earnings while being sensitive about the realities of being a woman living & working in Africa without the pressure of societal & patriarchal pressures or/and oppression.
On a scale of 1-10, how accommodating has the content creation industry been to the growth of women in it?
I would say 6. And this is because the women themselves have created such a space where we cannot be overlooked. There’s a need for more inclusion away from just the “societal approved beauty standards” that give aesthetically appealing people more opportunities than their counterparts who are just as talented. It can definitely be better and we’ll keep pushing till we get there.
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