Image consultant and professional makeup artist, Léa Djadja is a hit on social networks. More than 420 subscribers follow her on Instagram, where she provides lots of advice on fashion, makeup and the art of living. Another particularity of Léa Djadja is that of being married for 000 years to one of the most popular rappers in France, Black M, whom she met on the set of Sexion d'Assaut. Mother of two children, Léa Djadja balances life as a mother and her various activities brilliantly, although everything has not always been simple for her. In an interview she gave to Interviews, in our special issue dedicated to women, she gives other women the keys to success and self-confidence… Watch the full interview now.
Interview: Léa, tell us about the woman you are. Tell us who Léa Djadja is!
Léa Djadja: Well, my name is Léa Djadja, I am 34 years old. I'm an entrepreneur, content creator, TV presenter, image consultant, makeup artist, art director, mother of two incredible children and married to an equally fabulous man (Alpha Diallo, aka Black M, Editor’s note.)
Have you always been surrounded by the media?
Yes, I come from a Parisian family that worked in the audiovisual sector. My mother was a producer and my father a director. I have always been immersed in control rooms and I quickly realized that I wanted to explore lots of things. This is how I started with makeup, clearly the place where I felt most comfortable.
And why makeup?
When I was young, I didn't really have confidence in myself. Coquetry, I didn't dare it all the time, at least timidly. I loved the idea of makeup being a place that cultivated that, I loved that it was a space meant to help other people feel strong. So I went there and trained until I became a makeup artist. I have a fairly unusual background, I didn't have a normal education and I wasn't necessarily proud of it. But now, I am proud of everything I have experienced and learned, proud of where I have arrived. I sincerely think that everyone must follow the path intended for them even if it seems to go off the common path.
You released a book “Learn to love yourself in 365 days”, published by Marabout. What motivated you to write it?
At 22, I gave birth to my first child, Isaac, prematurely at six months pregnant. He remained in the hospital for four months. At that point, I had given up on everything. My life consisted of going back and forth between the hospital and home. Coming out of those four months, one day I looked in the mirror and said to myself: “Go ahead, get a grip on yourself. You don't see your boyfriend anymore, you're limp, wake up! » I then asked myself what I could do to feel better and personal development allowed me to awaken. I realized that I could become what I deserved to be. It's difficult to understand when you're so young, I was barely out of adolescence and I was entering an adult world with all kinds of preconceived ideas in my head.
You make touching confessions in your book. You share your intimate family there as well as your path as a woman. It's quite rare to hear you talk about all this...
Yes, even though I am very present on the networks, these are things that I had never really talked about. In life, I like lightness, I like to make people laugh, but it's true that I went through a lot of things, and it seemed important to me to share them in order to help others to cherish self-love. Basically, I made this diary for myself at a time when I could no longer regain my strength. I told myself that I needed to impose rules on myself in order to find a balance. And it worked. My experience in Incredible Transformations on M6 also allowed me to meet many people who had abandoned themselves.
You started working very young, at 19. Tell us how you became the working girl we know…
I am a very emotional person, and throughout my career, this part of me has been a real driving force. I have also always challenged myself to become a better person every day. Everything I experienced allowed me to learn what I wanted and what I didn't want, so I never had any regrets. Life is made up of positive things and others that are less so. You know, I did some filming, it was tunnels where I couldn't see the daylight, neither my children, nor my husband. But I had to live them fully to come out of them grown. What's good about my husband, where we meet, is that when we have to experience moments like this, we live them to the fullest and we encourage each other.
What were the most notable moments of your career?
The first was signing with my agent, a very dear friend who was not in the business at all before that. When I signed with M6, I had no aspirations of becoming a TV presenter. I had, by choice, started my job as a makeup artist, a job where you are asked to be discreet, in the shadows, not to speak loudly. There, suddenly, I was asked the complete opposite. I was completely lost, and this friend who I trust completely took me in hand. That year, she helped me with a first contract then with a first meeting, etc. The following summer, we were on vacation, I asked her officially if she wanted to be my agent. Each end of filming also left its mark on my heart and my mind. Beautiful speeches, a lot of love, a lot of tears too, strong emotional moments which were more than precious. While I had always been led to hide what I felt, now, suddenly, I was asked to cry because it's a place where you can allow yourself to do so. I really flourished there.
With Alpha, aka Black M, you met very young, married immediately, became parents right away... Your journey is a testimony full of hope for all women who seek to flourish...
As I told you earlier, at 22 years old, I was barely out of adolescence, and it is certain that, given our somewhat unusual family life, it was not easy to manage all of this. I am glad that I took the time to find out who I was and who I wanted to become. This is what I wish for all women, and this is among other things why this book was born. I have always wanted to do many things and I am constantly looking to explore my plurality. I think this is one of the keys that allows us to go further every day; not worrying about the judgment of others to seek to become what we must become.
In one of the confessions in your book, you talk about your work as an influencer and the demands you place on it. Is it important for you to raise awareness about this subject?
I don't really like the term "influencer" and prefer to call myself "content creator" or at best, "inspirer". I like to make people laugh and entertain, however, it is important for me to present quality content. It is true that I have high standards and I try to stick to them, especially for the people who follow me and who expect accuracy, sincerity and professionalism from me. A few weeks ago, I shot a video aimed at colleges and associations. The idea of this project is precisely to raise awareness among young people about the profession of “influence”. It deals with harassment, the work of an influencer itself and the safety around it. This job has many advantages, but also many disadvantages. We have a real responsibility towards young people and we must warn them of the reality of this work. It's a full-time job that requires a lot of demands and we have to make sure we don't let it invade our private lives, especially when everything is done at home.
You and Black M have been married for 16 years, with a sapphire wedding anniversary in sight. It’s rare, such longevity, for a rap star like him…
Wow, sapphire, it’s chic! You know, with Alpha, we don't count the years. One thing is certain, it is that every year, we look at the time that has passed and we say to ourselves that we did well to listen to our instinct and believe in it from day one. We've had plenty of "downs" and plenty of "ups", and we know there will be more. We are a team, with eternal love. We have always adapted for each other and we will continue to do so. This last year of marriage has been one of the most beautiful for us and the one that follows will certainly be even more so.
Léa Djadja, what mother are you?
I am the mother of two beautiful children aged 11 and 3. When my son arrived, I had to take responsibility for a whole bunch of things very quickly and very young. It was a fairly brutal and difficult confrontation with motherhood, but one that strengthened me and made me stronger than ever. Becoming a mother allowed me to understand even more who I was and what I was capable of becoming.
Makeup is your primary art. What is your relationship with him today?
I have a very educational relationship with makeup. When I was young, I was a self-conscious girl who realized that when she put on a little more eyeliner, her eyes were a little more piercing, more charming and that this would allow her, thanks to some something as simple as that, to dare to move forward. Makeup embraces the esteem we can have of ourselves, once again, one of the simplest keys to being able to move forward and feel better. It may seem like a somewhat superficial subject, but it allowed me to push levers that led me to move forward in my life. This educational way of approaching makeup, now, I transmit it with simplicity. Recently, this is a new thing for me and that I do for charity, I go to associations and EHPADs, where I have created self-makeup courses.
EHPADs?
Yes ! The goal is to allow slightly more mature women to feel revalued. For associations, it helps teach other much younger and more vulnerable women that makeup is not a “whore” thing, but a tool to feel stronger. It is important for me to put my know-how at the service of those who need it most. In its own way, makeup can save human beings and women who are struggling to live.
Finally, what are your plans?
Right now, I'm supporting my husband's projects. On April 19, there is the tenth anniversary of On My Road, then there is his participation in Dancing with the Stars. Also, I continue to create content under the name @lianeanea, where I professionally share my daily life. I share a lot of things, advice, humor, while constantly seeking to collaborate with ethical and responsible brands. Also, the profession of animator revealed me and I aspire to develop this, as Karine Le Marchand or Faustine Bollaert were able to do, who are proof that we can mix entertainment, emotions, empathy and compassion. They both inspire me enormously and I hope to be able to lead a show one of these days that combines all of that. Whoever lives will see and I intend to live!
Comments collected by Gabriel Dallen
