Meet Graceful Grady | Founder and Chief Dimples Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Graceful Grady and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Graceful, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?

The social impact of National Dimples Day can be viewed twofold: Celebratory and Supportive.

On National Dimples Day everyone with dimples can now celebrate, we advise everyone to do something that brings them joy. If you are doing something that brings you joy, in most cases you are going to be flexing your dimples, including those with Dimples of Venus and Dimples of Apollo (ex. going to the beach, exposing your dimples). If that doesn’t work, one day you can plan on attending our Dimples Festival. Yes, I did say a Dimples Festival (TBD)!

The social impact of National Dimples Day can be seen everywhere after just one year. Reference to National Dimples Day was used on birthday cards, advertisements for dentistry and dimpleplasty, articles in Asia displaying Asian celebrities with dimples, and for our very own 2023 Dimpled Emmy® Awards Giveaway! But the biggest social impact is without a doubt, seeing postings on every social media outlet of people (of all ages and races) being proud of their dimple(s) and showing them. Our mission is being met.

On the supportive side, acknowledgement by celebrities will always be a big help for us when it comes to encouraging individual to be proud of their dimples. Take for example, when Jennifer Garner acknowledged National Dimples Day on her Instagram account with a photo of her as a little girl flexing her dimples, the social media world went crazy. Kids seeing postings like that can be very helpful and it lets them know there is nothing to be ashamed of anymore.

We continue to strive to show support by collaborating with anyone or any company that can help to show the positivity of having dimples. For example, a lot of people don’t know what it’s like to be a female teenager growing up with a cleft chin. As I continue to engage with females with a cleft chin, I was stunned to hear what some will do just so their cleft chin is not showing (like turning a certain angle in photos so their cleft chin is not seen). I decided to reach out to counseling companies and now I’m proud to say we have teamed up 7 Cups, which provides anonymous emotional counseling for free. Our website and social media reflect dimples on young and old and of all types of dimples (ex. cheek dimples, chin dimple, back dimples, and Indian dimples).

We will continue to do our best on getting the word out, may it be on social media, sale of our apparel, or collaborating with celebrities to put the word out. Maybe one day I will run into Usher or Julia Roberts around town.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

What started out as an inquiry immediately became a passion. I felt for those of us with dimples deserved a day of acknowledgment and what became of that…National Dimples Day on July 9th.

According to a 2019 meta-analysis in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, around 1 in 5 people have dimples. Yes, it’s a small community but a community with global presence. I wanted to represent that global presence on our website, so I made sure to show “Dimples Nation” for all to see. In addition, I welcome everyone to send their photo displaying their dimples and we will post it (along with name and the flag of their country). Visit www.nationaldimplesday.com

There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain where he said, “Find a job you enjoy doing and you will never have to work a day in your life.” As I continue to work on National Dimples Day, I have to agree. After graduating from Demple University (Dimpledelphia, PA) and majoring in Dimpleology, I’m glad I can finally put my PhD as a Dimpleologist to work. I have so much fun when I meet people and let them know we now have our own holiday. You can’t believe the smile and laughter when I hand people information about the holiday. FYI, actually Georgia Tech/B.B.A. at Georgia State University.

I have and still run into some non-believers but that’s okay. For example, before I even built a website, I reached out to a certain profession for collaboration, I was laughed at by the gatekeepers and assistants. Funny, now that same profession is referencing National Dimples Day in advertisements.

We have great things in the works. Currently, we are working on our Inaugural Dimpled Emmy® Awards Giveaway. We were able to get permission for trademark use of Emmy® Awards by the association. I reached out to the Emmy® Awards to get permission on their trademark and after reviewing our information they granted us use. This will be the first time ever that Primetime Emmy® Awards nominees with dimples will be a subject of discussion. You can visit the website at www.nationaldimplesday.com to see the 2023 dimpled nominees.

As stated, we also plan on having a Dimples Festival. The goal for the festival is 2 years. I’ve narrowed the choice of location down to 3. I’m personally working on the names for the drinks (Shirley Dimple, Charlie Chin, and Dirty Dimple as examples).

Since we started an online store selling apparel and accessories (www.thedimplestore.com), we have been compared to another company with somewhat of a similar logo. That will be a dream come true, they do extremely well globally. The craziest thing I’ve heard was that there was something on social media going around about voting on which logo was the sexiest…Dimpuls (our logo/mascot) or Smiley. If this is true, I think you know my answer. What do you think?

Lastly, because of rapid acceptance and acknowledgment of National Dimples Day, there is a possibility of looking into raising capital for future endeavors.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I like sports, so when I do get a chance to get away from my 15 jobs (joking), you might find me and my friends at a game (Falcons, Braves, and Hawks). If they are playing any teams from Baltimore, I’m definitely there (go Ravens/Orioles).

If I get visitors who have a taste for pizza, I have to go to Blue Moon Pizza and order the Meateor. If they have a taste for something else, I might show slight favoritism with Baltimore representation and suggest the Slutty Vegan or KING CRAB ATL.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I will always dedicate my shoutout to my family and friends for always being supportive in many ways. If there is a need for support of any kind, they are there. Out of my 15 jobs (joking), National Dimples Day seems to be met with positive support.

Website: https://nationaldimplesday.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nationaldimplesday

Twitter: https://twitter.com/natdimplesday

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationaldimplesday

Other: support@nationaldimplesday.com