22-year-old Kimberlee Joi is a North Carolina native, Gemini, and content creator on TikTok. Kimberlee first began her journey on TikTok in October 2020 when one of her videos gained traction. This video would later go on to become the first part of one of her many series that she holds on her page, called ‘WOW.’ Through her TikTok series Kimberlee speaks on a variety of material that intersects with the identities she holds as an individual. From acknowledging moments in her life that delighted her in ‘WOW,’ exploring topics around intimacy and sexual health in ‘Pussy Talks,’ to feelings of gratitude for herself and others in her life in ‘A Moment of Praise,’ Joi creates a healing and playful space for her audience to engage and ground themselves in.
SHEESH! had the great joy of interviewing Kimberlee about the potential of Wednesdays, the inspirations behind her exquisite styleserves on TikTok, and the moments of content and uncertainty she had experienced this past week. Discover more about Kimberlee Joi by reading our interview below.
On Narratives
Kimberlee discusses and explores the layers of her identity, how they interact with one another, and how they have impacted her in her TikTok videos. “My Blackness, my womaness, my fatness, they all share things in common. I want to touch on those layers because they are layers of my identity, and people’s identities, that I have come to be more aware of in my life.” Through ‘WOW’ she hopes to provide a broader understanding of events many of us will encounter in life. In ‘Phat Talks’ Kimberlee wants to talk about body neutrality, self-acceptance, and self-love. “I have struggled throughout the years to appreciate my body, to love my body. Our bodies spend every waking moment loving us and the least we can do is love it back. For ‘Melanin Moments’ she aims to tell the story of being yourself unapologetically. “As a Black person or Black woman I feel that I have to prove myself or that I have to protest in order to push waves. But as long as I stay true to myself I will get to where I want to be and that’s enough activism in itself. Look no further than her ‘Pussy Talks’ series for a raunchier, intimate, and more honest sex-ed. “I want to push the narrative on how we perceive sex and talk about intimacy and realtionhips. Every relationship in my life is valuable. Friendships are just as valuable as partnerships, sibling-ships, and parent-ships. Sex is a part of life, some of us like it and some of us don’t, we all just want to have fun.”
On Community
Prior to embarking on her creative endeavours, Kimberlee used to be fearful of sharing her opinion or her voice. “I didn’t think people wanted to hear it. My audience has helped me understand how to stay with people who value me and appreciate me for what I have to say. They are teaching me the importance of having a really good community. They have helped me drive myself to be my authentic self.” By sharing her experiences and realizations on TikTok Kimberlee has created a sense of community which allows herself, and her audience members, to communicate their feelings in a way that is beneficial. “I am a very layered person, there are multitudes to my personality and who I am. I would like to give people a chance to be introduced to that because I think, a lot of times, people see me and come up with their own conclusions about who I am and how I present myself.”
On Beauty
The emotional intelligence and grace conveyed through Kimberlee’s creative ventures is augmented by the luscious makeup and fashion looks accompanying her videos. “I enjoy decorating my body. I express myself through my style and I want to show that. I dabble in a variety of fashion esthetics and through my makeup I want to show this versatility, the different people that I can be, and who I am. I think for plus size people you don’t get to see a lot of fashion-esque or beauty-esque content with us and that is one thing that I actively want to do. I want to inspire you to just wear what you want while being cute.”
On Who She Is
“I am very playful. I am witty and organic, yet humble. I work hard, try my best, and know when to give up. [Laughs] I am very sensitive and delicate, but also very strong and resilient which is something I have had to learn in this process and I am still struggling with how to be both at the same time.”
On Moments
When did you recently feel grateful or self-assured?
“Right now, right here. I honestly never expected to be interviewed. It blew my mind [when I saw your DMs] and I am grateful to have this opportunity to see and talk to you.”
When was a moment that made you feel uncertain?
“This morning. I was trying to unfreeze a breakfast burrito and I wanted to try to air fry it. I ended up burning it. [Laughs] I still haven’t figured out how to use an airfryer.”
Can you describe a moment that made you recently feel content?
“This morning I didn’t want to journal so I laid in bed and meditated. I pulled some tarot cards and wrote down what I got from them instead and I felt cool with what I did at that moment.”
A moment that made you cry, recently?
“I was watching the series finale of Modern Family and I was crying because the whole theme of the last episode was moving on and having to leave things you were once dealing with. That’s what I’m dealing with now. The grief of my old life and it made me cry because I’m going to miss who I once was, but I know I’m coming into something better.”
And finally, why is Wednesday your favorite day of the week?
“It’s the middle of the week and anything can happen. You can shift the whole rest of your week on this one day.”
Discover Kimberlee’s series on TikTok and keep up with the latest from her on Instagram.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
