Arsema Thomas Instagram – Meet our bold and beautiful cover queen @arsemathomas for our Rebel Beauty issue in partnership with our girl’s over at @sheamoisture and @beautycon @arsemathomas the breakout star of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is the one to watch Being of Nigerian and Ethiopian descent, what are your favorite things about the culture of those countries? Wow what a question. I wouldn’t consider myself being of descent from these two countries, it feels so distant and they live quite close to my heart. I used to drive through Lagos with my family when we were living in Benin, and there was just this unison heartbeat throughout the city, like it was a throbbing wound. It felt exciting and electric. You feel it in the music and you can taste it in the food, this rush. I don’t know how to explain it, but that is one of my favorite parts of existing in Nigeria (because that is how I would describe it). That, and Naija slang, it is unparalleled and melodic. Whenever I read or hear Pidgin I feel that same heartbeat. It is also slowly making its way into international vernacular, something both thrilling and frightening. The history of Ethiopia for me is just mesmerizing, how in depth and far back it goes, the traditions and rituals and the meaning infused into everything makes living this value-laden experience. The food is magical and the jazz is unmatched. But the coffee and the ceremony around it is my favorite, partly because of the nostalgia of being in Addis at home and smelling the beans roasting in the living room. One of those olfactory memories that is logged in my brain forever. Team Photography @bonnienichoalds Styling @cara_gordon Makeup @kymberberry Hair @alexander_armand Editor-in-chief @princechenoastudio Art Director /Cover @editsbyperry