Collected Item: “Tatiyanna Shirley Oral History, 2022/01/29”
Title
Interview with Tatiyanna Shirley of Ardentley
Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.
Kit Heintzman
Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.
Tatiyanna Shirley
Email Address(es) for all interviewers. Separated by comma.
kheintzman@gmail.com
Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your oral history. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?
#alcohol, #billionaires, #Black, #BLM, #bodypositive, #businessowner, #capitalism, #career, #climatechange, #educator, #family, #Florida, #GeorgeFloyd, #Georgia,#gratitude, #joy, #lifecoach, #masking, #masturbation, #NewYears, #NewYork, #nurishment, #partnership, #Pfizer, #race, #racism, #RickDeSantis, #selfcare,#selflove, #sex, #sextoys, #sexuaity, #smallbusiness, #testing, #vaccination, #whiteness
What is the format of your recording?
Audio
In what ZIP code is the primary residence of the interviewee? (enter 5-digit ZIP code; for example, 00544 or 94305)? In what city/town/village does the interviewee live? In what country does the interviewee live? All comma-separated.
Coral Springs, Florida
What is the gender of the interviewee? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their gender in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a gender identity to interviewees.*
Female she/her
What is the age of the interviewee?
18 to 24
How does the interviewee describe their race or ethnicity? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their race/ethnicity in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a racial or ethnic identity to interviewees.*
Black non-hispanic
Describe the oral history.
“My name is Tatiyanna I’m a born and raised Floridian. I started a brand [Ardently] about two years ago. January actually, so the 2 year mark is right around the corner actually. January 2020, that was a few months before the pandemic hit, so I was very excited to start a business. I went in with no idea what I was really doing. I did some research, but overall it was my first time starting a business. And then 2 months later a pandemic hit and everything started to get really really weird for me. Especially as I was starting to navigate new territory as a business owner. And then what that looked like for a business owner during a pandemic. So, that’s a little bit about me… It’s an online business for adult toys, adult novelties, which is a really interesting field to get into especially…, actually something funny is that when the pandemic hit it was very frightening, and at the time I realized, eventually I came to realize that adult toys was a great industry to go into because no one had anything to do really except masturbate because no one was seeing each other, everyone was social distancing, and everyone was home bored, and so a lot of people ended up getting into their sexuality and exploring sexually. And there is research that shows the spike that the pandemic caused for sexual exploration. So that was honestly a pleasant surprise when I got into this industry; because trust me, that’s not what I was thinking. And I wanted everyone to masturbate more. I also talk about sexual wellness and I give sex advice and self-love advice and tips like that. So, you know, as I’m trying to understand how will I get people to be more comfortable in their skin, to want to explore their sexuality, their identities, their pleasure, and low and behold: everyone is at home and they’re touching themselves.”
Some of the things we discussed included:
The inadequacies of sex-ed in the USA, and a culture of shame and fear mongering about sexuality
FDA not regulating sex toys
How the sex shop industry is dominated by white women and non-binary people
The pandemic as a humanizing experience where people can display care for one another through their actions
Police brutality against Black people
The large presence of solidarity with BLM after George Floyd’s death
Comparing white responses to BLM calls to action pre- and mid- pandemic
Seeing a commitment from white people to standing back and listening, having a real desire to change
Increased recognition from America settlers about the land stolen from Indigenous people
The loneliness of doing one’s part by isolating
Being in an on-off relationship during the pandemic
Pandemic drinking culture
Caring for ourselves as a way of caring for healthcare workers
Rick DeSantis’s slow roll out in Florida; comparisons to New York
Reclaiming normalcy post-vaccination
Testing before socializing
Vaccination and testing access
Growing up in a holistically centered household; living in a small town
Overcoming vaccine hesitancy through compassionate dialogue
Reevaluating social circles and prioritizing relationships
The harms associated with the USA’s politicization of the pandemic
Working an office job in January 2020 and hearing colleagues make jokes about the pandemic in other parts of the world; ego
Depression among a generation in the 20s about what the future holds; being in a state of career limbo
The importance of being comfortable in our bodies, rejoicing in our bodies
Gratitude and joy
Nurturing one’s inner child
Cultural references: Instagram, Walgreens
See also: https://www.ardentley.com/
https://sistersofsexuality.com/tatiyanna-shirley
Some of the things we discussed included:
The inadequacies of sex-ed in the USA, and a culture of shame and fear mongering about sexuality
FDA not regulating sex toys
How the sex shop industry is dominated by white women and non-binary people
The pandemic as a humanizing experience where people can display care for one another through their actions
Police brutality against Black people
The large presence of solidarity with BLM after George Floyd’s death
Comparing white responses to BLM calls to action pre- and mid- pandemic
Seeing a commitment from white people to standing back and listening, having a real desire to change
Increased recognition from America settlers about the land stolen from Indigenous people
The loneliness of doing one’s part by isolating
Being in an on-off relationship during the pandemic
Pandemic drinking culture
Caring for ourselves as a way of caring for healthcare workers
Rick DeSantis’s slow roll out in Florida; comparisons to New York
Reclaiming normalcy post-vaccination
Testing before socializing
Vaccination and testing access
Growing up in a holistically centered household; living in a small town
Overcoming vaccine hesitancy through compassionate dialogue
Reevaluating social circles and prioritizing relationships
The harms associated with the USA’s politicization of the pandemic
Working an office job in January 2020 and hearing colleagues make jokes about the pandemic in other parts of the world; ego
Depression among a generation in the 20s about what the future holds; being in a state of career limbo
The importance of being comfortable in our bodies, rejoicing in our bodies
Gratitude and joy
Nurturing one’s inner child
Cultural references: Instagram, Walgreens
See also: https://www.ardentley.com/
https://sistersofsexuality.com/tatiyanna-shirley
On what date did you record this oral history?
2022-01-19T13:02