At The Table With: Candace Reels
3 questions for the self-love advocate, intersectional feminist, and founder of Female Collective
You know those people that you’ve followed on Instagram for so long that they start to feel like celebrities to you? Like, if you ran into them in real life, you’d feel a little starstruck? That’s Candace Reels for me. Candace, an LA native, has the best personal style out there and is my go-to for bar and restaurant recs in the city — I reference her Instagram guides often (including one dedicated solely to espresso martinis.) I’m predicting that when I finally cross paths with Candace in person it’ll be at a wine shop.
Candace is the founder of Female Collective, a global community that empowers, uplifts, and celebrates women and non-binary people. Through daily affirmations, cultural conversations, merchandise, and community events, Candace reminds the Female Collective community that they are loved, they matter, and they are worthy. “Female Collective’s mission is to create positive energy and space to develop new social constructs that can change the female and gender non-conforming narrative and give voice to women and non-binary people of all races, sexualities, ages, and classes,” Candace wrote to me.
I asked Candace 3 questions:
Ali LaBelle: Imagine perfect happiness. What does it smell, taste, feel and sound like?
Candace Reels: So, this year I decided that I really needed to take care of myself mentally and physically, something I haven’t done in over 5 years. I called it “Finding My Joy Again” as I truly didn’t know what made me happy anymore — I was struggling mentally and physically. I must say, I feel like I accomplished my goal of finding my joy again. I have never felt happier in my life. Of course there are still many days that I struggle, but most of the time I just feel really good. So I feel like I'm actually living my perfect happiness which is weird and great to say.
— Smell: The perfect smell to me is sage, bergamot, and sandalwood on a crisp cold day in LA. I’m a big fan of the holidays so my favorite months are October (my birthday month), November, and December. These are the smells of those months to me in Los Angeles. With the holidays everyone is throwing a dinner party or event and these are the smells that are within everyone’s homes.
— Feel: I absolutely love the feeling of clean sheets. After a long busy work day, a nice shower, and my 20-step skincare routine I love jumping into bed and just feeling the coziness of clean sheets. I also love the feeling of putting on a nice jacket on a cold day in Los Angeles. I love jackets. It truly just brings your outfit to another level and when I'm able to wear one in LA, it’s the best feeling!
— Taste: Pizza right out of the oven or grill. My boyfriend got really into pizza making during the pandemic and a lot of our friends did too. They all have perfected their dough recipes, sauce flavors, and topping ratios. It’s all been absolutely delicious. Not only is pizza absolutely one of the best foods to eat, it really does bring people together. Eating pizza, chatting about life with friends and family, and drinking natural wine is one of my favorite things to do.
— Sound: Honestly, silence is my favorite. It could be a mix of living in a busy city like Los Angeles, the constant content that i’m consuming on a daily for work, and the conversations I have with myself in my head on a daily about the past, present, and future; when I’m able to be in complete silence, there is nothing that makes me happier.
AL: Give us a rec!
CR: The documentary Summer Of Soul is a film that examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which included performers like Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight. I loved it because not only is it a mix of footage from these absolutely legendary artists but also dives into Black culture during the 60s and everything Black people were fighting for during that time. This film is a great combination of culture, fashion, and politics and I think everyone should watch it!
[Tangentially related editor’s note: my friend Kadrian worked on this doc and he has a great new newsletter about record collecting called
— highly recommend it if you’re into music history!]AL: It’s a table for two and your dinner date can be anyone. Who do you invite?
CR: My first answer would be Angela Davis, one of the most inspiring people that continues to teach society on the importance of intersectionality and how joining forces together as women is how we can truly smash the patriarchy. This woman inspires my everyday life and to be able to learn from her and hear about all of her incredible accomplishments would truly be the absolute best dinner of my life!
My second answer would be Taylor Swift and I think that’s because I went to the Eras Tour and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The energy that was at So-Fi Stadium was something I've never felt before. Someone that is constantly reinventing themselves and being at the top of their game is absolutely inspiring. It's just like, how does she do it?! Taylor is also a big lover of wine and so am I, so I just know we’ll have a great time.
Candace, I so appreciate your time and thoughtful answers, thank you for being here! Keep an eye on @candacereels and @femalecollective for Candace’s future projects — I hear that she’s been working on some exciting things and I can’t wait to see.
x
Ali
In case you missed it:
September’s Side Order went out on Friday and it was back to school themed (basically Rory Gilmore at Yale x the 1970 film Love Story vibes.)
Color paletting — it’s a thing.
My favorite meal is breakfast and I made a whole mood board about it.
I loved this. Can’t wait to see more of this series! 🤩🤩
Humbled and blessed for the shout-out amidst a great interview with Candace! Def giving her a follow. Thank you!!!