The tiki scene isn’t just a boys club …
It’s filled with many talented women who are artists, bartenders, bar owners, tiki event organizers and so much more. Michelle Perez Hawkins (center) wanted to show the world these special ladies and created Ladies Who Tiki! Michelle is going to tell you all about it …
What is Ladies Who Tiki all about?
Michelle- Ladies Who Tiki is a place where women of the Tiki community can be featured enjoying their Tiki adventures as well as networking amongst themselves.
I get great joy when I see women making plans or complimenting each other in the comments section of the featured photos.
How did you come up with the idea to start Ladies Who Tiki?
Michelle- I started using the hash tag #ladieswhotiki back in 2017 and noticed there wasn’t anything like it out there. This was something no one else had tapped into. Friends liked the hash tag and gave me the idea of starting a group where we could meet up once a month locally.
After sitting on the idea for a year I finally created the Instagram account. I wanted something more than just a local group. I had a vision of bringing women together from all over.
I didn’t want the Instagram account to be just photos of myself sipping tropical cocktails with colorful umbrellas. I started doing some homework and dove into adding as many women from the Tiki community as I could find. Any spare time I had, it was devoted to adding for followers.
Then the day came when Hades Hula House (a tiki bar) in South Australia tagged me in a video of theirs featuring a woman bartender. That was the moment I knew I had succeeded in what I had set out to accomplish.
I’m also digging that men are fans. Just because only women are featured doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the account.
Is Ladies Who Tiki a nationwide thing or is local to a specific area?
Michelle- Ladies Who Tiki is a worldwide thing. I welcome anyone from anywhere who is a fan of Tiki. It just happened to start here in California, the birthplace of Tiki. It’s much larger than just myself.
Tiki brings in all walks of life. That’s what I love about this community.
What does the future hold for Ladies Who Tiki?
Michelle- Right now, the possibilities are endless. I see great things on the horizon. I’m hosting my first Ladies Who Tiki meet-up at The Polynesian in NYC this July. I just happened to be in the city during that month and thought why not host something. I’m super excited to see what the East Coast Tiki scene is all about!
Anything else you would like to add?
Michelle- I just wanted to thank you for your time! The Instagram, FB site, etc. is all me. I have a full-time job, a side ceramics business and I’m almost done building the website for this group.
All the hard work pays off when people tell me they are fans. So again, thank you!
You can follow Ladies Who Tiki at …
Website: www.ladieswhotiki.com
Instagram: @ladieswhotiki
Facebook: Ladies Who Tiki
Email: ladieswhotiki@gmail.com