Salutations, reparations, hugs, hello, and welcome my SASSY women! I’m Leah aka the “Bougie Baller” aka “Dr. Wright in Training” aka “SASSY Lifestyle Op-Ed Columnist” aka quirky girl extraordinaire. Call me what you like – I won’t mind as long as you play nice, I promise.

So a little about me – by day, I’m a PhD candidate at a sufficiently hoity-toity Ivy League University in New Jersey (narrow enough for you?). I’m a graduate of Dartmouth College, which clearly means I have a secret love of nature, despite my city-girl tendencies. I dibble and dabble in a number of nerdy intellectual hustles, so don’t be surprised if you see me lecturing at a podium near you (Clark Kent glasses and all). I probably should mention that I love parentheses… and ellipses…(way more than I should). And lots of other un-cool things. Nice.

What else? Well as I said before, I’m also the Bougie Baller – I run a blog/forum called “Bougie Ballin’ on a Budget” that shares tips & tricks/deals & steals for leading a luxury lifestyle on a bargain budget. It’s simple – I do all the hard work for you, and you reap the financial and material benefits. I’m a firm believer that it’s possible to have the things you need, want, and desire… as long as you are smart and savvy about your purchases, and you recognize that everything is best when done in moderation!

And yet… I digress. The real question should be, “Why are you at SASSY?” and “What the heck is a Life Style Op-Ed Columnist?” Great questions ladies (and male lurkers). The first one is easy – I work/write for SASSY because I’m Smart, Ambitious, Sexy, Sophisticated, and Young (hides grey hairs)! Writing for SASSY is a great opportunity – a chance to share, support, and nurture future female rockstars. Very cool.

The second question… well that’s a little bit harder, and something I’m still trying to figure out. Lifestyle – a broad, all encompassing term that essentially means, “How you live your life” … yes? Well in that sense, this column is meant to be just that… with a little bit of ambition and abstractness thrown in for flavor. You’ll find me here from time to time reflecting on the various things I come across in my day-to-day activities. Professionalization & career, financial shrewdness, pop culture/fashion, beauty & health, higher education… I’m like Essence Magazine…only in human form!

But in order to write – I need a muse… or rather, I need quite a few muses. So that’s where you come in – tell me what you want! What you want to read, what you want to discuss, what you want to attempt. Let’s talk about what scares you, what enthralls you, what makes you tick! We can talk about solutions for credit card debt, the hottest networking and socializing sites for young singles, or we can talk about the scholarly significance (or lack thereof) of Beyoncè’s blonde lace-front wig.

It’s all good; I’m an information nut-case, so I’m up for the challenge. I’m here to help you, so let’s get it cracking folks. So until the next episode… I bid you cheers…and good day!

~Leah

“When You See [Us] Passing… It Ought to Make You Proud” ~ Maya Angelou

A few months ago I was looking for a site. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but for something that spoke to me – the recent grad school grad who is on her way to success but needs a little help getting there. I found sites for women that were already established, sites for mothers, sites for wives and sites for teens. Nothing just for me. I wanted to find something that would take my gender, race and age into consideration when it doled out advice. I wanted to find a space for women like me to work it out, share advice, sob stories, success stories, laughs and dreams.

I couldn’t find it, so I made it. So without further ado, I present SASSY.

So what is SASSY?

I’m glad you asked. This is a site for SASSY women. SASSY means smart, ambitious, sex, sophisticated and young. I want to create a community of like-minded women and help each other by providing advice on networking, finance, fashion, dating and all that is SASSY. I wanted to let other SASSY women shine – either by offering them a platform to showcase their writing ability or promoting their businesses and other endeavors. I wanted to inspire other SASSY women to take their dreams to the next level. And I wanted to create a space for us to come together. I wanted all these things and I knew I wasn’t alone. So I reached out to the many SASSY women in my life, and created this very special site.

Here, you will get dating advice and find steals and deals. Tips on how to handle personal crises and how to take your relationship to the next level. We have book reviews, music reviews, and restaurant reviews. Looking for a break down on current events and political happenings ? Look no further, we’ve got it. Need some help keeping it all together, we’ve got you. Wondering if it’s time to quit your job or are you looking for a mentor? We’ve got you. We will inspire you and teach you how to be (more) SASSY. In addition to the site, please join our facebook community. Here you can share your thoughts on our articles, interact with us, and join our book club. (This month’s book is Get Yours!: How to Have Everything You Ever Dreamed of and More by Amy Dubois Barnett).

Some people have begun to call SASSY a movement – I have to admit it wasn’t originally my intention. But when I think about, women support other women, instead of tearing them down, is something. Women of color supporting and promoting other women of color – now that is a movement! I just never understood why there was so much hate, when we are suppose to love each other. We are in the process of creating a new section called “Shining Stars,” which will profile SASSY women (read: you). As Kanye West said, “I’m a star, how could I not shine?” We agree, and are so excited to let you shine.

To the writers, thank you for sharing your creativity, knowledge and SASSY-ness. To the readers, thank you for coming and sharing this with us. Please get comfortable, mingle and have a good time with us. We’re glad you’re here.

peace,
e.