Fresh Take

A little over six years ago, Adwoa Aboah couldn’t have predicted that she was about to become a household name. Though she had been rising through the ranks as a model, her focus had been on building her non-profit mental-health organization, Gurls Talk. But she was about to be catapulted to the stratosphere of the fashion world. “Of course I knew, base level, what having a Vogue cover meant,” she remembers of gracing Edward Enninful’s first issue of British Vogue in October 2017. “I just didn't realize what it was going to do. That everyone, whether they were interested in fashion or not, was going to be looking at that cover.”

Aboah and I first met in the fledgling days of Gurls Talk, when it was a team of only two. There is a symbiosis between our work. We both founded organizations around the same time: hers, Gurls Talk; mine, gal-dem. We were both in our early twenties, and although we had no idea then, the two organizations would end up disrupting the landscape of traditional British media. The beginning of it was a very exciting time. It was the genesis of many cultural platforms and burgeoning communities that would redefine how mental health, race and gender were discussed. Our first meeting was at an east London club, brought together for a panel on building community – we were hopeful, albeit unsure of where the next chapters of our careers would take us.

“I look at the trajectory and those first events we did. It [was] like, ‘I love what you’re doing. Let me bring you in and share you with the larger community.’ That’s how I [have] met all the best people, through doing Gurls Talk,” says Aboah, in a contemplative mood. “This is the first time I’ve sat [and thought about] it in ages. I wish I’d documented it a bit more.”

Her first experiences in that arena highlighted just how lonely the world of modeling had become for her. “You get to a stage in your career where you no longer do group shoots or covers. You do campaigns and editorial by yourself,” she reflects. Her tone is matter of fact, rather than mournful. “It becomes a very solitary kind of job and experience. And so [on set], I loved that I was getting to be with people all the time.”

Just like the early days of Aboah’s modeling career, the early days of acting aren’t all plain sailing. Rejection is part of the job. The internal battles she faced in her youth have primed her for the intensity of this line of work. “I think I have about 10 million layers of skin, because of having to do a lot of self-work very early in my twenties. Don’t get me wrong; there were a few parts this year that I got close to that I really wanted. But I tend to sit in it quickly, feel the feelings, and get on with it. I feel like I’m quite good at turning it on its head and seeing it as a positive in some way.”

It was in 2022, after taking acting classes, that Aboah made her debut in the much-loved east London-based drama Top Boy. For the upcoming final season, her character, Bex – the slightly posh and out-of-place partner to Jaq (played by Jasmine Jobson) – comes more into focus. The storylines are intricate and penetrating; the empathy and compassion in Aboah’s performance is promising and it’s guaranteed to be a climatic ending to a series many have grown up watching.

It’s clear that Aboah has done a lot of learning since those early days of modeling and Gurls Talk. But she remains just as tenacious. “I’ve got to be challenged at all times. Otherwise, I get bored. [Acting] feels like a whole new challenge,” she says. However, this is a venture that she’s entering with softness and care for her wellbeing. Aboah is at a point in her life where she’s prioritizing the things that matter most. She asks if I have a personal life now, to which I emphatically respond yes, and she tells me that she does, too.

“There’s a shift in my own life that works next to this new branch of my career. I think it all feels more enjoyable,” she says. “I’m in it for different reasons [now]. It’s not a want for more bold and materialistic things.”

Family is a focus for her, and hanging out with them is how she chooses to spend most of her downtime. The fashion industry is certainly not alien to them: her mother, Camilla Lowther, is the founder of leading talent agency CLM. Her father, Charles Aboah, owns a location-scouting company and is a software developer, and her sister, Kesewa, is an artist. “I think we all feel so incredibly comfortable with each other that who knows what we’re going to get up to?” she smiles. “And [when] I hang out with my boyfriend, we eat nice food, read our books, and go on walks. I think I crave stillness because my life feels quite hectic sometimes.”

With a career pivot to acting and a perspective shift to prioritize her personal life, Aboah’s excited about it all. “I believe my thirties will bring me [more experiences] and I’ll be ready for them. I wouldn’t have been ready [before].” And she’s considering adding a few more strings to her bow. “I would love to do a TED Talk. I think that’s the top priority for me.” Is she interested in the other side of the acting industry, too? “Writing? Yes. Directing? I’ve never even thought about it, you know. But wouldn’t that be cool?

“I feel like I’m just [getting] started,” she says. “Really, I feel like this is just the beginning.” And I think she might be right.

The Gurls Talk podcast will return this fall, with all previous episodes available on gurlstalk.com