12 GILLESPIE / DE BEAUVOIR

 it off but after got home I said to myself, I guess if was them looking in
 at the whole thing... I did a lot of raunchy stuff at first. We have children
 coming in and everything and I toned it right down. A lot of people
 thought that we were selling our bodies and I thought-"Oh my God."
 CG- Is your family accepting of who you are?
 DA- My family loves me. They think that lam the best, the bomb everything.
 They know me from small. It's something that they tried to fight, but
 then they say hey, I'm a person. I have something to do. I'm not robbing,
 killing stealing I'm just doing my thing. If we were to come together
 and pool our resources, Iam sure that we could do something fabulous.
 We have a lot of talent in Barbados, but a lot of people who are here
 are not given the chances. People that should have explored and
 expanded their talents.
 CG- Do you use the name Diva exclusively now?
 DA- Everybody knows me as Diva. And frankly, that name was pinned on
 me twelve years ago. Idid not like it. Before, everybody was "Diva this
 Diva that. These girls from the Bahamas-I used to do a lot of shows
 at the campus [University of the West Indies, Cave Hill] here. I used to
 do a lot of queen shows here and the kids would see me coming and
 call out "Diva!" and I hated it because I thought it was an old washed
 up singer. But afterI won this queen show, I had no name and I thought,
 "what am I going to call myself?" Then we met this guy called Alex and
 we were very good friends and up to the night of the show I had no
 name. I need a name so I said my name was Diva Gabriella ... I had
 this long name that I could not remember when Igot on stage and I was
 in my national costume and thinking what am I going to say?So I said,
 "my name is Diva Alexander," and it went from there. Hence Diva was
 born. l added the de Beauvoir, to see beauty or of seeing beauty, because
 I like French. I studied French and I like the tongue and the language.
 This African friend of mine gave me another name, Mundia.
 CG- Do you find that women are jealous of you?
 DA- Girl! Why did you have to go there? Women here are so insecure. Like
 on a fine day where I will be walking and looking foxy, when I wear
 wigs and the men were checking you. And the women will say, "what
 are you looking at that for?" She has a man. I don't. What's the big
 thing?
 CG- Are you dating anyone now?
 DA- Sorta kinda. Sorta kinda. I like strong men. Not physically strong. Strong
 here [indicates heart]. A man who will get me to do what they want in
 a smart way. Not physical strength. Itmustbe up here [indicates head].