I think about the first time I met Erica Watson at a consignment store called Re/Dress in Brooklyn over 15 years ago.
My friend Mia Amber introduced us right there at the store and little did I know so much of my journey would be touched by her grace and generosity.
The world lost a kind, funny and passionate soul on February 27, 2021. Erica has been featured in the pages of PLUS Model Magazine over many years and she even co-produced a cover shoot that was wildly popular with our readers.
One of my last in-person memories with her was on the set for an Avenue campaign in 2018. We were so giddy we ran to each other and could not believe the opportunity presented to us. We knew how hard we had worked for that moment and still were so incredibly grateful. Erica danced in front of the camera and we had a magical experience. Her joy came through in every photo and I was so proud to be able to share that moment with her.
One of the things I loved about her is that she made everyone feel special. She was a true cheerleader for others no matter what industry you were in. I reached out to two of her friends to share one of their special memory with us.
Teslyn Shares…
Erica was a brilliant, funny, talented, and creative woman. You could meet Erica for the first time… tell her what you did for a living and she could tell you exactly what to do to elevate your career. Erica helped me with so much from personal to professional.
I have shared so many amazing memories with Erica but I think one of the memories that I will never forget was the first time we met each other. It was like we had known each other for years and we clicked right away. I also thought she was truly one of the funniest people that I had ever met in my life. She became my big sister and a mentor.
When I think about Erica, I think about the laughter we shared while hanging out and chatting over the phone. I think about her strong entrepreneurial spirit and business mindset. I also think about the times we motivated each other to continue following our dreams. I remember her pushing me to keep striving to become the best in all areas of my life. She was amazing at connecting me to the right people and loved connecting me with her guy friends as well. She would say, “I am going to get you married by next year”. We enjoyed going out and eating together and trying different cuisines and she loved vegan food. Erica was a blast…
Not only did she have an impact on my life but I soon found out that Erica impacted the lives of so many other people. I truly believe that her ability to reach and inspire so many people was a gift from God. She was selfless and cared so much about her community. She was a giver and if you had a chance to be her friend you were extremely blessed.
Erica was an extraordinary woman and though my words can’t even begin to sum up everything that she embodied as a human being, I hope that we could carry on her legacy to living every day to the fullest and most importantly loving ourselves unconditionally.
Teslyn Butler
Lynx shares…
This is my favorite picture of us and it is also one of my favorite memories. You see Erica entered us in Catherine’s Denim Delight contest and she wanted to win it so bad because the prize was an entire day at a spa and anyone who knew Erica knew that she loved going to the spa.
On this day we were like two young schoolgirls we woke up early in the morning and had breakfast and coffee and talked and laughed and shared and cried and we were so excited about our photoshoot together she actually said to me, “I never had a photoshoot with a best friend… this is going to be epic, the shots are going to be amazing they are going to go viral watch what I tell you Lynx.”
We hit the streets of Brooklyn to find the perfect spot to have our pictures taken and as soon as Beatrice started shooting the people started tripping …cars started beeping their horns at us and people were stopping to stare and pointing and at that moment she whispered to me, “Look at them they are straight tripping they can’t believe two fat bitches are having their pictures taken like they are superstars. Look at them they don’t understand what’s going on and they don’t know that after this is over we are going to eat.”
That’s how this picture came to be, and I even printed it out and put it in a frame that sits on my bedroom dresser. We actually did win that contest with another picture from this photoshoot. It did go viral and we did go to the spa and I was tripping because we had to get naked. Meanwhile, Erica flung off her robe and said, “Girl stop tripping… you better lift that tummy and get ready for some coochie steaming!” lol
Now, when I look at this picture I have all kinds of meltdowns and breakdowns… I go from laughing to crying because I still can’t believe that she’s gone.
Erica had a way of making everyone she spoke to feel valuable, loved, cherished, heard, respected, and supported because that’s the kind of person she was. She inspired us by the way she lived her life, unapologetically…. with Erica Faye Watson, what you saw was what you got. Sometimes she was brash sometimes she was crude but she was always funny and always real. The realest!
Rest in Fluffy paradise my beautiful Queen sister
Lynx Garcia
Photos by Beatrice LeBarge