Pretty Woman
- Mikaela Oosthuizen
- Mar 11, 2017
- 2 min read
"I am a model." Said no woman ever without having a fear of judgement. This statement is often received with a startled smile, a raised eye brow, or a supposedly knowing nod. “I heard about you types,” said I rather old ‘Oom’ to me the other day, “beauty from within – within creams and powders and lipsticks that is.” So let’s get down to it. Yes modelling is a superficial industry, and yes our calls for the appreciation of inner beauty is sometimes undermined by the value placed on the outer. But - and this is a very big butt – one you could argue I, along with other models am not allowed to have – this is a small component to the industry at large. Modelling as an umbrella body includes some runway models who eat cotton-wool to feel full but not gain weight, and some “toddlers and tiaras” element to it. But then there are competitions where the aim is not to just value beauty, but to teach women to value the beauty in themselves. No matter what form it manifests itself in.
I tend to agree with the statement by Tess Munster, one of Vogue Italia’s top plus-size models and the largest plus-size model to be signed to a mainstream modelling agency, that “life is much more beautiful and complex than a number on a scale.”
The most controversial section of the pageant industry is arguably the swimwear round. I simply approach this activity as me “walking the talk.” I cannot claim to love my body, even the imperfections which you may not see but I do, without being willing to put myself in a vulnerable position and show that no matter your judgement – I believe that I am beautiful – now that takes guts.
I’d like to end off with a statement by Crystal Renn, author of the book Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves: “modelling is about beauty, but it’s also an energy that’s not limited to a size.”
bye for now
xx
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