Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)

Jernad Martin: Personal time is a priority

- SAMEER NAIK sameer.naik@inl.co.za

THE 24-year-old has become a hit on social media in the past few months, with several of her videos going viral. Aside from being a social media sensation, Martin is also a law graduate, a model and a gamer.

You are able to shop at only one clothing store for the rest of your life. Which store do you choose?

I would undeniably choose Shelflife. It includes a plethora of accessorie­s, clothing and sneakers from premium lifestyle brands that have influenced me since I was a teenager.

The best meal to have after a hangover?

It depends on the liquor that was consumed the night before (lol). Dark liquor requires a Grand Chicken Spicy from McDonald's, with extra spicy sauce on the burger and a Watermelon McFizz. Light liquor may just need a Princess Wrap and a berry smoothie from Kauai.

Joburg or Cape Town? Which has the better people and is the better city?

I love both cities but my opinion as a Johannesbu­rg native will be subjective and biased.

I love Cape Town for how vibrationa­lly attuned I feel to nature, the sea and the crisp air. Cape Town provides a sense of rejuvenati­on and, as a Pisces, I can be consumed by the weightless­ness of the experience because it is liberating to live near a body of water, but not for too long.

On the surface, Cape Town appears to be superior but it is grossly homogenise­d and gentrified.

Johannesbu­rg boasts a higher standard of living and Cape Town accommodat­es tourism, but in Johannesbu­rg people are more enmeshed and inclusive. The answer is not clearcut, but I love the social culture in Johannesbu­rg more.

Your favourite social media platform? Why?

It would have to be TikTok. I feel so free and unapologet­ic. Granted, its anonymous users are toxic, energy vampires who project their insecuriti­es and inadequaci­es, but the SEO of this platform is like something I have never seen before. I love connecting with people from all walks of life and all around the world because I love to expose myself to different thought processes and ways of being. TikTok is the perfect platform to just be.

The meal that most reminds you of your childhood?

Lentils, otherwise known as dahl. I grew up in a small house with a large group of people and I was the biggest snob, according to my family members. I would investigat­e food by its appearance rather than its taste and, later in my life, I had realised the food I so sternly rejected was what I was missing out on this entire time. Oh, how wrong I was to hate one of the hardest meals to ever exist!

The biggest misconcept­ion people have of you?

People think I am classist and elitist. I come from humble beginnings where I promised to take care of my family and take my education seriously. I have family members double my age who have been unemployed for years and if that's not telling enough of my upbringing, I am not sure what is.

You are given one free day to do anything you like. How do you choose to spend the day?

Easy. Read, journal, meditate, pray and play video games, in that order. Personal time in solace is a priority for me.

 ?? ?? TIKTOK sensation Jernad Martin.
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Supplied
TIKTOK sensation Jernad Martin. | Supplied

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