Curvy Pta women vow to fight body-shaming
One finalist said she wanted people to learn to stop body-shaming one another. It did not matter if it was full-bodied or skinny women.
Four Pretoria curvy women have met the United States supermodel Tricia Campbell as part of the Ms Curvy Body SA finals.
Campbell was in South Africa to support the Ms Curvy Body SA initiative, #NoToBodyShaming which aims to stop body-shaming.
She said she saw the Ms Curvy Body SA initiative on Instagram and immediately made contact.
“Body-shaming and bullying are real and on several occasions, I have been told or given bad names especially when I was growing up as a teenager,” she said.
Campbell said it was time for funders to spend money in motivating and lifting people especially curvy women who have always been left behind.
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“If the doors for sponsorship are not opening, we will push and force them to open. It is time for curvy women to be celebrated and appreciated,” she said.
Tshegofatso Yalezo (22) of Sunnyside, said the Ms Curvy Body competition had been an eye-opener for her.
“I’ve discovered a new me that I am proud to show off to the world. I’ve gained so much confidence in myself it’s so amazing and it has taught me to come out of my shell.”
Yalezo said when she entered the competition, she wanted to do something that was out of her comfort zone and would challenge and change her.
She said she had always wanted to try modelling out but never really got the right platform to do so.
“There aren’t that many platforms for plus-size women.”
She said when she found out about the curvy body pageant, auditions had already been closed.
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“I gave up on that dream but somehow they organised last minute auditions in Pretoria and I just thought to myself ‘it’s a sign, girl you better enter’.”
Yalezo said she was grateful for the opportunity.
Another Pretoria finalist Ndihone Ndzinisa said she wanted people to learn to stop body-shaming one another.
Ndzinisa said it did not matter if it was full-bodied women or skinny women.
She said she could use the platform to convey a message of anti-bullying “be it at schools for our children or social media especially since most of this happens between women. If you have nothing good to say to the next person rather keep quiet”.
She said by joining the competition she was trying to motivate people to be confident in their own bodies and embrace themselves.
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Ms Curvy Body SA marketing director Naniwe Maqetuka said it was a great honour for the international celebrity to motivate and train the top 15 finalists in the local pageant on how to pose and walk the runway.
Ms Curvy Body SA CEO Mapule Mphaki said the pageant has been taking a leading role in encouraging people to live a healthy lifestyle.
“The organisation does not promote obesity, rather a healthy lifestyle.”
The competition is still ongoing until the 2nd of March 2019.
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
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