I'm a diva. Image: Jade Beall.
Do you refuse to acknowledge haters and those who like to surreptitiously throw shade? If so, you might be a diva!
I have been referred to as a “diva” for as long as I can remember.
People mispronounce my name when I introduce myself and call me “Adiva.” My mother-in-law thought that was my name for the longest time. My best friend’s cell phone autocorrects my name to “my diva” whenever she speaks my name into her phone.
So yes. The universe has spoken its piece.
I am a diva. And I am more than okay with it.
Some people like to associate the word “diva” with negativity. They’ll say they don’t want their daughters to grow up and be divas, or snidely remark that their friend is being “such a diva” when she sends her drink back for a second time (dammit, if I’m paying for it, it should be made correctly).
Honestly, I’d be proud if my kid grew up to be a diva. (Actually, who am I kidding— she already is. This girl came out of the womb with her diva ways locked down.)
But who wouldn’t want a kid who knew exactly what she wanted, and was hellbent on making sure you knew it too? That is a telltale sign of a girl who will grow into a woman that will make people say “she is a force to be reckoned with.” I’ll take that any day. Also, she is my kid, so could I expect anything less?
Truthfully speaking, if the world wants to label me a diva, I am 100% OK with that.
I am not a diva because, as someone woefully pointed out recently, I’ve had a hard life. I’m not a diva because I have some grandiose sense of entitlement.
If I had to pinpoint it, I’d say I am a diva because I had a mom who demanded nothing but the very best from me, from how I sat in a chair, to how I entered a room, to what grades I brought home. She demanded the best from me — and now, finally, I am at a point where I demand the very best from myself, and those I surround myself with.
Did your mama raise you to be a diva or are you an I’m done playin’ with y’all, let me happen to life diva? Take this little test to find out!
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Do you expect to be treated in a respectful manner? Will you accept nothing less from the people you interact with, whether they be friends, family, or colleagues?
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Do you refuse to acknowledge haters and those who like to surreptitiously throw shade?
Bye, haters!
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Are you the type of person who has zero issue making your expectations known in the boardroom — and in the bedroom? My mama always used to tell me closed mouths don’t get fed.
Well…
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Do you go after exactly what you want, taking roads and avenues less traveled, never accepting “no” for an answer?
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Do you sometimes create your own path until you get a “yes”?
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Have you been described as strong-willed, fierce, commanding, strong, opinionated, or been told you “give major face”? (My best friend always tells me I can tear someone down with just one glance; Joni calls me the “sassy, opinionated one.”)
If you can relate to any of those things, well, sugar, you might just be a diva.
And you know what, girl?
That is just fine.
Love,
Adiba, Your Resident Diva
