Who is The Slumflower? Everything you need to know about author Chidera Eggerue

Chidera Eggerue, professionally known as The Slumflower, is an author and social media influencer.

The writer is best known for penning the bestselling book, What a time to be alone, which is a guidebook for young women focusing on the topic of self-love.

Eggerue is also famed for founding several social media movements, including #SaggyBoobsMatter and #BlockHimParty.

The 24-year-old recently came under fire for responding to a tweet that highlighted the importance of high male suicide rates by writing in a now-deleted post: “Men are murdering us and abusing children and you think I have time to theorise on why they can’t cry? Lmao not me hun [sic]”.

The author's comments prompted a furore on the social media platform, with many accusing her of making light of a serious issue.

Read on for everything you need to know about Chidera Eggerue.

Who is Chidera Eggerue?

Eggerue was born and raised in Peckham, south London. Her family is from Nigeria and she often references her Igbo heritage via proverbs in her book.

After attending the Brit School for Performing Arts and Technology, where alumni include Adele and Amy Winehouse, Eggerue started a fashion blog at the age of 18. She then went on to study fashion design at University of the Arts London, but "failed" in her final year due to an ongoing battle with depression.

Recalling the experience on Twitter in 2018, she wrote: "It was too late for me to quit the course and too late for me to extend my deadline. I did my best but I’m glad it happened."

In a subsequent tweet, Eggerue explained she wanted to share the story to show her followers that "failure isn't a dead end".

The writer has been blogging and gaining social media prominence ever since and now has more than 220,000 followers on Instagram and 73,000 on Twitter.

In 2018, the BBC named her as one of their 100 women of 2018.

How did she acquire the name The Slumflower?

The Slumflower is the name Eggerue chose for her blog, which she launched as a platform to discuss affordable and trend-driven fashion with a focus on championing diversity.

The writer also used her blog to discuss topics including sexism, friendship, feminism and racism.

The blog's name is in reference to a short film created by creative agency Street Etiquette and revolves around the concept of a rose growing out of concrete. Eggerue now uses the name professionally across her social media profiles.

What is #SaggyBoobsMatter?

Eggerue started the #SaggyBoobsMatter movement in 2017 in a bid to challenge societal expectations surrounding breasts.

The hashtag surged in popularity and soon became viral, propelling Eggerue into the heart of the body positivity movement, making her a key spokesperson.

The social media influencer has since launched several other viral social media campaigns, such as #BlockHimParty, which Eggerue started to celebrate women who have recently left toxic relationships with men.

What is What a time to be alone about?

The title of Eggerue’s book, which was published in 2018, is a play on words of the mantra “what a time to be alive”. The writer previously explained that she wants the book to empower young women and encourage them to celebrate their individuality.

“I wanted to use this book to make solitude great again,” she told British Vogue when it was released.

“There is a massive world full of people and it’s really easy to get caught up in feeling like you’re not an individual, but it’s vital to recognise that you have so much to contribute without even realising. You have a story to tell and the journey that you’ve been on. Every single person on this planet has something to contribute to the larger conversation.”

Controversies

In March, Eggerue was widely criticised for remarks she made on Twitter with regards to feminism and high male suicide rates.

The writer explained how "a white woman" recently approached her after a talk she'd given on feminism in tears and said she agreed with her views "but some young men have it so hard".

Eggerue disputed the claim, writing in a tweet that has since been deleted: "Until young men are being married off at the age of six and having acid thrown in their faces for declining sexual advances, you can't change my mind."

One person responded by suggesting that the woman in question might've been referring to high male suicide rates, to which Eggerue wrote: "Men are murdering us and abusing children and you think I have time to theorise on why they can’t cry? Lmao not me hun [sic].”

Eggerue added: "I don't have time to think about the reasons why the system you created at my expense to benefit you is now choking you. If men are committing s*icide because they can't cry, how's it my concern?"

Some Twitter users describe her remarks as “abhorrent” while fans expressed disappointment at what she'd written. Writer Reni-Eddo Lodge said she found the writer's comments “disturbing”.

Eggerue has since responded to the criticisms, telling The Independent: “Feminism has so many branches and values to different people and I am one woman’s voice.

“If you have been affected by the tragedy of male suicide, this isn’t directed at you. There are some wonderful mental health support groups and charities for those that need, but this conversation isn’t about male depression – my points run deeper and I’m requesting that we create a dialogue about the bigger issue of patriarchy.”