'You're too pretty to be Aboriginal' is a shocking statement Sasha Kutabah Sarago experienced at a young age. In her 2020 TEDx talk, 'The (de)colonising of beauty', Sasha shares how she reclaimed her femininity by redefining beauty. In challenging our modern-day concepts of beauty from a First Nations woman's perspective, she asks, does beauty liberate you, or is it time to rethink beauty?
Gigorou, meaning 'beautiful' in Jirrbal her grandmother's language is an extension of this conversation. In this intimately fierce, funny and reflective memoir, Sasha retraces her footsteps as a beauty assistant, model and magazine editor to where beauty began over 60,000 years ago. It is through the voices of her matriarchs, the creation stories of Oolana, The First Rainbow and Majal, and the spirit of Barangaroo, Truganini and Patyegarang that her healing begins and authenticity arrives.
In a time when the patriarchy obstructs women from the divine feminine, and sexism, racism and ageism violate our sovereignty, Gigorou invites us to explore the interconnectedness of Aboriginal culture to resolve our relationship with beauty. Gigorou is a coming of age for us all. What lessons can we learn from the oldest living culture in the world? Are you ready to embrace your gigorou?
About the Author
Sasha Kutabah Sarago is a Wadjanbarra Yidinji, Jirrbal and African-American woman. A former model, Sasha grew frustrated by the invisibility of multicultural women in fashion and media. In 2011, she founded Ascension, Australia's first digital lifestyle platform for women of colour.
As a speaker, Sasha raises awareness around culture, diversity and equity in the business, media and lifestyle sectors. Sasha's TEDx talk, 'The (de)colonising of beauty', was selected as TED.com 2021 Editor's Choice and has fuelled her passion for redefining beauty and sparking conversations around femininity and womanhood from a First Nations woman's perspective.
As well as appearances on NITV Awaken 'Black Is Beautiful', SBS Insight 'Growing Up Mixed Race', and ABC TV's The School That Tried to End Racism, Sasha has featured in BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, 10 Daily, Sydney Morning Herald, Frankie and Fashion Journal magazines and her writing has been published in the Guardian and SBS Voices. Sasha has also written and directed the documentaries Too Pretty to Be Aboriginal and InsideOUT, which premiered at the Melbourne Women's Film Festival 2020.
