Regardless of your busy schedule, whether it's filled with romantic date night dinners, indulgent bottomless brunches, or sunny beach trips, a well-chosen - BellaNaija Style. September 1, 2023
When was the last time someone made a comment about your body that made you feel uncomfortable or unhappy about the way it looks? Or you made a crude comment about your body to yourself?
“My total body positivity blossomed in 2011 when I came into the entertainment industry through acting. At the time body image was key in the media. I felt that you had to be a certain body shape to be an actress, news anchor or model,” the actress tells The Standard.
She speaks about her subsequent self-growth, which saw her take up roles as a plus-sized actress.
“I realised I have a huge role ahead of me, to lead and empower women who were hiding, filled with insecurities, and facing depression,” says Neomi.
The actress celebrates her mother as a source of support during her period of growth, saying that the matriarch would remind her how beautiful she was.
Enough With The Shame
When she was 10, Shelmith Mukami wanted to be a flight attendant, wear fancy suits, and travel all around the world. When she said this out loud, she was told that she couldn’t. Maybe if she lost a few kilograms. She gave this dream up.
“It was tough being a bigger child. I remember being made fun of in primary school, being the butt of those mchongoano jokes,” the now 23-year-old Shelmith recalls.
This taunting, bullying, and the resulting self-doubt went on through high school. Then she joined the university to study journalism.
“In uni, I was tired of hiding and trying to fit in. I woke up one morning and decided to be myself. I realized that no one was going to do this for me,” she says.
TRENDSETTERS
She is beautiful, she is curvy, and she is sexy. Nyawira Mumenya, a Kenyan plus-size model and digital content creator, inspires plus-size women to embrace and have confidence in their bodies.
Miss Nyawi, as she is commonly known, gained popularity on social media through her love for fashion and the urge to inspire plus-size women to build their confidence and self-love.
Her passion for fashion began back in 2011 when she was in campus and noticed most plus size ladies were not visibly expressing their style, with that her blog
Curves With Style was born.
Although Miss Nyawi never intended to be a fashion influencer, she has since become an internet sensation inspiring women of all shapes and sizes to dress in whatever outfits that suit them.