How to Have a Hot Vamp Summer
Make it stand out
Samirah Raheem is a legend, and not just in the internet sense of the word. You may recognise Samirah from her viral Slut Walk interview from 2017, in which a younger Samirah calmly tore down one right winger’s attempted attack on the protest. Since then, she has continued to challenge patriarchal ideas about sexuality, power and women’s bodies. Everyone and their nan has seen the video between Samirah and conservative pundit Jesse Peterson. Still, the declarations made by Samirah then still ring true and should be reiterated by everyone, everywhere forever: “I own my body. My body is not a political playground. It’s not a place for legislation. It’s mine, and it’s my future.”
Men have feared the sentiments raised by Samirah for centuries. This fear of female agency can be seen as far back as Bram Stoker’s Gothic horror novel Dracula. The 1897 vampire tale directly reflected male anxiety about the emerging figure of the New Woman in 1890s London: By 1870, Parliament passed the Forster’s Education Act which ensured that Great Britain provided education to all children age five to twelve. This led to the rapid development of more public schools and mass education.
White women of all classes around this period were becoming educated. Some women were finally seeing a future in which marriage and children were not their only option. This made the New Woman extremely threatening to the conventional ideas of Victorian womanhood and the patriarchy. The three vampiresses in Dracula oozed an animalistic sexuality and independence seen as both attractive and frightening. In this period, the vampire represented female autonomy both socially and sexually and were manifestations of men’s anxieties about losing control over women. Samirah’s interaction with Jesse shows that men still want to control women, their bodies, and their sexuality.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Samirah to discuss all things, vamp, sex and summer. We all deserve to have a hot vamp summer, and this essential guide will show you how to achieve it.
Push Yourself to Think Outside The Patriarchy
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” exclaimed Samirah when discussing how difficult it is for women to feel in control of their bodies under the patriarchy. Realising that your body is your own is extremely difficult for a lot of people. Samirah explains that she was “lucky enough and blessed enough to be able to curate my sexual identity - absent of the male gaze. I was lucky enough to have amazing Black women around me. I was in musical theatre plays taught by Black aunties. We learned all about performing arts through the Black lens. We did Amazing Grace, Sarafina! and The Wiz. I was in a place where Josephine Baker and Dorothy Dandridge were taught to me, and I just wanted to be them. I’ve always wanted to be that vampire, that feminist girl, because I identified with that archetype.”
Samirah credits higher education for further expanding her mind on sexuality: “then, I went to university and was able to ask myself these challenging questions about the patriarchy in a safe space with people who were smarter than me. It is hard, but when you find those moments, it’s liberating.” Higher education isn’t the only place where we can reexamine our beliefs around our bodies and sex in general. We can learn to think beyond the patriarchy by engaging with different feminist and queer media, reading feminist texts and challenging our everyday beliefs.
Do Whatever the Fuck You Want *a specific note to Black girls and women*
Sexuality is restrictive for all women, but sexuality and race go hand in hand for Black women. From the Jezebel stereotype developed during chattel slavery that painted Black women as hyper-sexual, to the Mammy caricature that deemed Black women to be asexual caregivers.
Sexuality is complex and painful for a lot of Black women and girls. Samirah wants Black girls to remember: “You are not a monolith. As the song says, you are allowed to be every woman - they are all within you” (we love you, Chaka Khan!). “If one day you want to be in camo pants, a hoodie and some timbs, and the next day you’re in Miami in a swimsuit, that’s fine! Do whatever the fuck you want. That’s my fucking advice. Do what you want, examine your choices, and make sure they are not linked to any dark places.”
Though Samirah is impassioned, I can see her smiling on the other side of my screen. She continues, “If someone has an issue with what you’re wearing, that’s on them. That is not on you. However you feel the most powerful, you have a right to express that. This world is always telling us to be smaller, to minimise. If you know that you are in check and comfortable with yourself, do whatever the fuck you want. Personally, I wanna shake my ass! On a yacht! in Dubai!... In all seriousness, people always want to control us. I was sexually assaulted in one of the most tom-boyiest outfits you can imagine. It does not matter what you are wearing. It is all about power. The way we dress does NOT mean yes. “
Do Not Neglect Your Self Care
“Self-care is so important, but not on a selfish capitalistic level”, explains Samirah. “Get quiet, have a moment of silence, meditate, go for walks, take a bath with some nice rose petals, light some candles. Once you relax, you will truly become that vamp because you are pouring into yourself. This could also mean pouring into books, feeding your brain. Doing this has also allowed me to develop my confidence.”
Samirah confesses that she wasn’t always confident: “I was a nervous kid, but I had a crazy-ass mum who would push me to do things out of my comfort zone; I don’t know how she afforded it, but I learned how to hone my gifts through all that I learned. So the sheet masks are cute but developing confidence, truly sustainable confidence is through internal work.” Remember that internal work reflects externally. Once you learn what self-care means to you (and put it into practice), you’ll be able to do something positive for not only your body but your mind and spirit. This will radically improve your confidence.
Set Boundaries and Support Your Boundaries
Samirah is particularly passionate about fostering community and setting boundaries. This is a crucial step to achieving a hot vamp summer: “A hot vamp summer is all about being shameless with your needs. It might mean I need to leave this party or this festival because I feel unsafe. It might mean I need a night on the town. This might mean I need a lover or three; it also might mean I don’t need nobody. Stand up for yourself and what you truly want. Vamps don’t take no shit, so don’t take no shit this summer.”
Samirah finishes, “And it definitely means being an empowered bystander, if you see some shit going on with another woman, do something. Be a fucking superhero. Centre the people in your community, centre the people that you are allying for. That right there is some fucking hot vamp shit.”
Words: Halima Jibril | Artwork: Rhianna Ellington
Reserve your free print copy of the Hot Vamp Summer zine here.
