Mommas get ready for a new you

A Zimbali home turned into a television set on Monday for the filming of the pilot show of ‘Make Over Momma’, a proudly Ballito initiative for and by the mommas.

‘Make Over Momma’ is a reality show – the brainchild of Viv Venter, a stylish, young and fresh looking lady, who you would never say is carrying her fifth child.

“I realised how difficult it was to take care of my appearance while being a mother of four, so I did an image consultant course and started doing makeovers for moms,” said Venter.

Her idea became a hit and so she networked her way to meet Ailsa Kaminski from DT Broadcast and together they started work on making the dream a reality.

“I love Ballito and therefore I want to try and keep everything as local as possible, using professionals from the area to bring more business to the town and to put Ballito on the map,” she said.

Venter managed to find financial backing from Zimbali resident AJ Mthembu, who said he valued his mother and the role mothers played and therefore was happy to open his Zimbali home for the pilot shoot.

“Moms spend all their time on everyone else and forget about themselves, but with this show, we want to give them their energy back, reshape them physically, emotionally and socially,” said Mthembu.

“We teach mother’s how to cook the right food for their families, which will reduce the problem of obesity in children and adults,” he said.

“If we can change one mother at a time, we can change the community and the nation, because mothers are central to everyone’s lives and influence their whole family.”

The concept is to recruit contestants – the ‘mommas’ – from the general public, if the show gets the go-ahead.

For this reason the mommas get the full package on the show, from the personal trainer to the chef, to equip them with all the skills they need to make their lives easier and healthier.

“We want to focus on the inside and the outside of the mommas, get professionals to teach them how to cook a quick and healthy meal, how to exercise on their own and what to wear that will be practical and stylish,” said Venter.

After the mommas go through plastic surgery, dental reconstruction, get a R25 000 wardrobe, a nutritionist and so much more on the show, they will be ready to face the world with new found confidence and a new look.

“We want to give women on the show and the viewers at home the opportunity to understand who they are and find their identity,” she said.

According to Venter, if all goes as planned, filming for Make Over Momma will start in August. It is their hope that it will air on Discovery channel.