The UN-TRAD RISE of NARA AZIZA SMITH

Her FROM-SCRATCH COOKING VIDEOS regularly go VIRAL to the tune of 20 MILLION VIEWS, inspiring AWE, RAGE, and MEMES galore. But if you ask Smith about it, “It isn’t that DEEP.”

Story by BIANCA BETANCOURT

It’s 10:30 a.m. in Beverly Hills, and Nara Aziza Smith wants truffle fries. “Is that crazy?” she asks me, flipping her freshly done box braids behind her shoulder and adjusting the straps of her white lace midi dress. We both stick out a bit. On the patio of the Terrace café at the Maybourne hotel on North Canon Drive, the crowd is mostly older, mostly male, mostly white Hollywood-exec types. We are noticeably younger and even more noticeably the only two biracial Black girls sitting for brunch. The patio looks over a pristinely manicured garden. Everything is so perfect, it almost looks AI-generated. Smith seems to be searching for some assurance that I won’t judge her for indulging in a bowl of fried potatoes before noon. “Will you share some with me?” she…

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Harper's Bazaar (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2024

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