These Sorority Sisters Did a ‘Melanin Illustrated’ Photo Shoot

A tight-knit group of 56 sorority sisters is poised to go viral with a beach photo shoot dubbed “Melanin Illustrated,” honoring black beauty.

“Melanin Illustrated” is creating buzz online. (Photo: @javmereb)
“Melanin Illustrated” is creating buzz online. (Photo: @javmereb)

Recently the women took a three-day trip to Costa Rica, where they celebrated the Beta Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta a decade after they joined it, in spring 2007, at Florida A&M University.

The sisters are professional women, ages 29 to 35, who continue to be involved in each other’s lives.

“Being in a sisterhood means having a support system and someone always there to count on,” LaToya Owens tells Yahoo Style. Owens is one of the firts of the sorority’s chapter at A&M. She also organized the sisters’ recent trip.

With the hashtags #MelaninIllustrated and #TITEtakescostarica, the women have shared photos of their stunning fun-filled trip to the Central American country on Instagram.

#titetakescostarica #titeturns10 photo credit @jacqhay

A post shared by Monisha (@moecaramel) on Jul 23, 2017 at 1:19pm PDT

More Life. #TITEtakescostarica #10yearsinthegame #TITEturns10 cred @moecaramel

A post shared by Shamika Shaw (@sham_wowwww) on Jul 22, 2017 at 8:10am PDT

“We spent three days bonding and doing fun activities, and then we rented out a catamaran that took us to a private beach where we took the photos,” she adds.

Owens says they coordinated their look by wearing nude-colored bathing suits for the photo shoot, and that their aim was to empower one another and celebrate black beauty.

✨#titeturns10 #TITEtakescostarica

A post shared by Mel (@madenkali) on Jul 23, 2017 at 8:16am PDT

“Black women are often overlooked in beauty,” she says. “This was our way to shine a light on all types of black beauty.”

V I E W S #thisistite #titetakescostarica . . . Hair by @raediantlyhair @raediantlyrare

A post shared by Jacque (@jacqhay) on Jul 23, 2017 at 7:36am PDT

“Our sorority is all about black excellence, ” she says. “We want to serve as an example and [show] appreciation of black women. Our commitment is to scholarship and service, and this was to honor the sisterhood.”

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