Surra-De-Bunda: The Hot Girl Haven
Surra-De-Bunda is a digital shrine to the urban glamour girl. As founder Selina quotes in her bio, her collection memorializes the “type of girl giving out the fake cell phone & name”- iced out female rappers, ferocious vogue ballroom icons, and BAPs primped to perfection, as well as the men who love them.
Describe your account in three words
Provocative, Nostalgic & Glamorous.
What inspired you to create your account?
I first created my Tumblr back in 2008. I was convinced by @evilrashida who was my good friend. I was really young too but the dynamic was completely different from now. Rashida was popular on here even back then because she has a universal appeal which the white kids have always gone up for but all I posted were video vixens, trans women in the ballroom scene and female rappers. Also nail art and weaves/wigs, which resulted in me and Rashida collabing on a blog called Manicuresetsandsilkyweaves. It was hard work for me to get notes and for me to get people to even like these things back then. I was criticized for being too flamboyant and 'nasty' with my taste. This is back when Tumblr was openly transphobic and gangs of people would roast trans folks and get away with leaving hatemail with no outrage. There were no other Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim tumblrs. There was only dabaddestbitch (a Trina blog) and femalerappers which was a decent blog but lacked the insight. I created Hiphopsnaomicampbell and dedicated it to Foxy.
I posted rare scans from my middle school and high school days, songs and videos I saved that were unreleased or hard to find which I got from Foxden (a Foxy Brown fan forum). Most of the scans of Foxy you see today showing up on Instagram were scans I had on my binders and on my bedroom door as a youth.
You mention on your Tumblr that femcees, fem queens, and video vixens are how you made your mark but “now it’s a thing”. What do you mean by that?
Video vixens, Femcees and Fem Queens are elements that I naturally feel drawn to. These women make Black women feel empowered. We love seeing a sexy, sexually-expressive, strong, feminine representation of us. Those women are the epitome of femininity but they dominate and bring in a lot of controversy as well. Now all you see on Tumblr and Instagram are ballroom accounts, female rap worship and video vixen screenshots recycled and scans that I've posted 10 plus years back.
If you had to choose one favorite femcee, fem queen, and video vixen who would they be?
Foxy Brown is easily the femcee I'd pick. She sparks some serious memories for me as a kid and seeing her for the first time in my dad's The Source magazines. Then her Broken Silence album got me through middle school. She broke barriers but she's still somehow hated and an outcast in the industry. I feel like folks won't appreciate her until she's gone; then everyone will hop on the "I was a huge Foxy Brown fan" train.
My favorite fem queen is probably Tamiyah Miyake Mugler. She brings it! She's always on point and her signature style is imprinted in ballroom now. You will see so many girls copying her exact vogue.
Gloria Velez was the shit! As hard as it is for me choose a video vixen, I feel like I can't go wrong picking her. She stood out because she was tall as fuck, usually taller than the male rappers and had body! Plus, she was wearing the skimpiest shit and commanding all eyes and not afraid to be raunchy. She really just owned it.
What archive fashion moment do you think is played out? What archive fashion moment do you think is slept on?
I never liked heel shoes. I don't care if they're Jordan heels, I'm not just buying anything because it has a name brand attached. They're ugly. I've always felt those were tacky, and not necessarily in a good way. It's ok to be a little tacky and fun but I don't find them visually appealing.
However, a slept on fashion moment for me is jewelry. I miss jewelry and how rich it came across. When I think of it in its peak, I think of like urban fashion in the 80s. It was all about big, beautiful gold chains, earrings and bracelets. You could wear a regular white t shirt and some jeans but if you throw on some jewelry, it's a done deal.
Any future plans for Surra-de-bunda?
I plan on sharing more things I have and never posted. I still have a lot of magazines and songs that nobody else has uploaded online. Hopefully I can also help someone's self esteem. I never realized how much impact you can have on others even if it's just online. It has made me more self aware and careful.
What are your favorite social media accounts to follow?
Rashida (@evilrashida) is a must follow on all social media. So is my sister Bri (@brimalandro) and the doll @afirahs. I feel like I can get everything I need from just following those three.