At AEO, we celebrate the diversity of one through the inclusion of many. Throughout the month of June, we will be celebrating associates who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community – highlighting their accomplishments, learning about their unique roles and hearing about their experience at AEO!
Say hello to Trenita (she/her), Digital Designer for the American Eagle brand and an avid doodler. Trenita colors her own rainbow by fully expressing who she is, from her hair, to the clothes and colors she chooses to wear, she’s all about being herself and inspiring those around her to be themselves too!
Tell us about yourself and your role at AEO. We’d love to hear what it’s like to be a Digital Designer!
Being a Digital Designer is pretty cool! I create email design for American Eagle. I get to work with a lot of our campaign photography and occasionally create shoots for product emails. It’s a role where you are always learning something new, from animation to collaborating with our marketing team. I also work on our AE blog in collaboration with the social team. I try to squeeze in a doodle or two where I can!
How exciting to be featured in AE’s Pride campaign! What was that experience like?
It IS exciting! This was my first time being in our photo studio, which was truly a new experience for me. I enjoyed meeting Joshua, Caitlyn and Kieran so much! We had a lot of fun during our shoot, and I even made an honorary doodle to celebrate it. I enjoyed talking with the stylists and makeup artists that we had the pleasure of working with.
I felt comfortable being myself, and it was encouraged to come as you are. I think the funniest part was when we started filming our dancing scenes, and the best part was the four of us celebrating and hyping each other up in our solo shoots. It really helped me show up proudly!
At AEO, we love celebrating what makes us real. How do you get to be your real, authentic self everyday?
I get to be my real authentic self everyday by accepting all of me, 100%. I have so much freedom because of it, which extends out to my friends too! We are very much a village, and we look out for each other and celebrate ourselves. I’m happy that I found my people and that they found me.
And the fact that it carries over into my design team is awesome! Knowing that I don’t need to diminish myself in order to fit in or be seen a certain way is a huge relief.
What does Pride mean to you?
Pride means many things to me! It means being rooted in who you are. It means recognizing the contributions of black and brown queer folks that initated the movement. It means taking action creatively to help my communities outside of Pride month. And it means it’s okay for me to be exactly who I am, have been and will be.
Our history contains so many queer folks who were previously erased and giving them their credit, their flowers is important to me. As someone who is full of intersections herself, having this knowledge is everything. Which has led me to black queer magic!
Any words of advice to share?
The best advice I can give is through affirmations: You are the only you out there. No one can do things quite like you can. And you being here allows someone else to show up and be themselves too.
Trenita shares her thoughts on creating a community, coloring her own rainbow and how AEO puts inclusion and diversity at the forefront of our culture. Check out Trenita in her own words in the video below!
