A Do-or-Die Artist, Exaggerating Her Blackness: Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball

Musician, poet, and frontwoman for Tank and the Bangas, Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball’s outsized hair matches her huge personality. But the New Orleans native wasn’t always so expressive. Her life changed dramatically when she fled to Indianapolis during Hurricane Katrina, where her life became both the best and the worst of her life. Though desperately missing the rich culture of her hometown, she was ecstatic with suddenly no longer being required to wear school uniforms. This, combined with the hoards of donated clothing that she was being offered, helped Tank to find her style mojo. As Tank says in her interview, “I was able to literally redefine who I wanted to be.” While she still battles with the unspoken rules of being a ‘Big Girl,’ (and recoils at being in a separate category from regular ‘girls’) she feels the most beautiful when she is using her style to exaggerate and celebrate her black features. As she puts it, “To have so much melanin is so special. I have to make it count.”

Thank you to Ace Hotel New Orleans for providing us with a location to film Tank’s episode!

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StyleLikeU is led by mother-daughter duo Elisa Goodkind and Lily Mandelbaum, who are bound by the desire to uncover what’s underneath personal style. Through candid, docu-style interviews with empowered individuals, StyleLikeU is building a world where getting dressed each morning is an act of self-love.

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Edited by Kirsten Johnson