A WHOLE ENERGY: FRIENDSGIVING + SOUL VIBES
Editorial by Briget Heidmous
Photographs by Kate K. Pannozzo
Early in December, Femme Fatale DC took over Selina DC. First, with our give-back event, Friendsgiving, followed by Soul Vibes, a dance party co-created with Sisters In Sound.
FRIENDS GIVING
The end of the calendar year tends to call us together in spite of the cold - and maybe that call is just what we need. We need that extra push to convene in fun and friendship, encouraging us to venture into the cold when the days are short and the nights are long.
Our Friendsgiving was an intentional spin on giving with gratitude. Instead of a traditional comfort food meal with friends, we brought our creative and wildly thoughtful community together for Treasure Box decorating and gift-giving. Our many thoughtfully decorated gift boxes included bright colors, winter scenes, textures, narratives, and tender notes encouraging self-love in young people and families.
We personalized the gifts we gave and carefully poured our love into the details - in true Femme Fatale DC fashion!
We danced while DJ M$NP set the vibes. Pulled our supplies from handcrafted centerpieces by She Made That while we learned from each other, caught up, and made new friends.
As a group, we adorned and filled Treasure Boxes for 22+ kids and families supported by DC KinCare Alliance. An organization working to support caregivers who raise DC’s most vulnerable and at-risk children (usually grandparents or other relatives) whose parents are not able to care for them. Parents may have died, be incarcerated or homeless, have a substance use or mental health disorder, abuse or neglect their children, have been detained or deported, or are sick from COVID-19.
Khadija Jahmila was our MC for the night, and the entire Team at Femme Fatale DC brought the night together in the months leading up to the day and on-site. Entrepreneurs, whose products you can find inside the store, were at Selina to greet you, meet you and build something special together.
Every-single-time we come together we create a special glow that is rare to feel.
SOUL VIBES
In partnership with Sisters In Sound, we took over the Selina Rooftop with a live performance from Joy Jewell and sets from local, predominantly womxn-identifying, DJs: Fátima, M$NP and 9B49. Their gifts, the music and the energy of being together — it was a whole energy.
We danced, showed off, and hyped each other’s movements well into the early morning hours.
Many of us took this opportunity to adorn our bodies with piercings by Molly, owner of Creative Chaos Body Care, Flash Tattoos by Sheila and Henna by Blu. We enjoyed the good stuff and elevated with Flowergirls Flower Shop.
SCENES FROM SOUL VIBES
Feel empowered to share these images - tag @femmefataledc and be sure to credit @heyitskatep
SCENES FROM FRIENDSGIVING
Feel empowered to share these images - tag @femmefataledc and be sure to credit @heyitskatep
Get to know the photographer:
Kate K. Pannozzo
Kate has a bachelor’s of individualized study in cultural photography from george mason university (concentrating on anthropology and photography).kate hopes to continue to break social norms, as well as explore gender and cultural identities through her photography. She currently reside in northern Virginia, with her cats Weems & Remi, with hopes to one day work in editorial photography.
