HOW TO BECOME A PLUS SIZE MODEL | CURVE MODEL STORY TIME | OYAMA BOTHA |...

FAT GIRL ON A RUNWAY

Hey my YAMMIES!

YES! that is what I will call you now...firstly, let us  get the formalities out of the way:
YESSS I was gone for a full year to work on myself so I can bring you exciting and fresh things..I have to say that A LOT has happened since I left...LET US START WITH THIS PICTURE;

YES! that is ME! 

It was everything and more! 

So essentially, this started as competition on Instagram and I got worked real hard and luckily got announced the winner and naturally I was super excited but so nervous as well because I was naturally going to get eyes considering that I was the only curvy girl on the runway throughout the AFI Cape Town Fashion Week.

Anyway...on the day, I was asked to come for rehearsals were I got to meet the designers and fit on my dress...I have to say that Khosi Nkosi is BOSS because the dress fitted me like it was made for me and the shocking part is that no measurements were taken! SICK right? 

Anyway what was really interesting later that day was the moment I had to do my make up and hair...

I literally had more than 5 people inquiring who I was...obviously the first perception was that I couldn’t have been one of the models as there wasn’t anyone like me...but knowing me, I said with confidence “I AM A MODEL!” 

This moment literally meant everything to me because it meant I was able to affirm my space in spaces where I am not represented. It also meant that I am destroying the norm and changing the narrative.

In South Africa being a plus size model isn’t as “famous” as it is in places like the United States...the South African market is slowly getting on with the programme and being part of this is really amazing! 

We ran a bit late and it gave me some time to breathe and meet all my friends before the show..

SHOW TIME hit and I was like "ooh my word! This is happening!!!”

I went on with it and took charge! I was the last girl to walk down in my group and boooooy! Did the crowd scream! 

After the show, Khanya Mkangisa and myself were directed by Khosi to go outside for the interview and I was so humbled by the number of journalists who wanted to have a word with me.

I must say; being given the platform and having my voice heard meant a lot to me because I was not alone, I was representing every girl who has never thought of seeing herself on the runway!

"Show Stopper" was my name for the rest of the evening!

THANK YOU KHOSI NKOSI and to everyone who voted for me.

In case you are wondering: YES I got to keep the dress!


Check it all out on my Youtube Channel: RIGHT HERE!

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Zidle Zithande Zihloniphe

Don't forget to follow Yammie Hearts and Curves on Facebook

Instagram: @oyamabotha 

Twitter: @OyamaBotha

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Yammie CURVY Style Tips

Dress: Woolworths

Shoes and bag: Mr Price 

I am also a curvy plus-size model and a blogger for Yammie Hearts and Curves (www.yammieheartsandcurves.blogspot.co.za).

This is a platform I use to write about #RadicalSelfLove and the amazing things you reach when you are able to radically love yourself. This is also where I empower women, first and then men to love themselves radically, whether big or small. Furthermore, advocating that societal opinions about yourself should never hinder your progress in life, towards achieving the BEST YOU. I am often known for breaking society's "rules" on what should be perceived as the normative yardstick of how a beautiful woman should be like.

As a fully figured woman, I am aware of the struggle of finding the perfectly fitting pieces of clothing. As a result, the fashionista in me is always looking for amazing items to wear, then sharing outfit details with the world, so that we can all SLAY together!

Top 6 tips for dressing for your body

I have received acknowledgements regarding my dress sense and how I am able to incorporate the latest trends and make them to fit my personality, style and body. What I have found very alarming is that people normally look at an item of clothing from someone and immediately, ask where it is purchased, without considering how it would fit their body type.

Therefore, these are the top size tips you should always consider when dressing yourself:

1.      Body type awareness is a THING:

Knowing what your body type is allows you to easily look up for clothing items that will best suit your body type. My body, for example is an hour glass figure, which implies my top and bottom are proportionately heavy. Therefore, when I look for clothing items, I know I will not look for items that will not be flattering to an hour glass body type. For example, tulle/tutu skirts, for me, are usually very unflattering, while they always look great on pear shaped body types, who are heavy either on top or on the bottom parts of their bodies.

Comfortable clothing is BOMB!

There is nothing more painful than watching someone being very uncomfortable in the clothes that they are wearing. The right fit and cut is always essential, not only will comfortable clothing stop people from starring and feeling sorry for you, but it will make a huge difference in your self-confidence because when something fits right, you automatically feel good and it will definitely show.

Jumpsuit: Ruff Tung

Shoes: The Fix

3.       Recreating and challenging trends is NECESSARY:

    

     This point should have probably been number one, simply because the act of following trends is always easily done, however, most of the times people are not mindful that trends not only come and go, but not every trend is aimed at every body type. This means some body types would need to recreate and challenge trends to suit their body types. For example, being the fully figured woman that I am, with an hour glass body type; wearing bold stripes as a trend is totally acceptable, but in order to ensure the stripes look flattering on my body, I normally go for vertical stripes, as they blend in nicely with my body type. Whereas, a pear shaped body type, that is heavy only on the bottom can simply get away with wearing horizontal stripes tops, as this will stretch out the top area to give the body an equally proportionate look. Not only will this be flattering because you would have recreated a trend that accentuates the best parts of your specific body type but you would have also made sure that it will never go out of style!

4.       Undergarment matters, A LOT:

Wearing the right undergarments can do so much for your self-confidence, comfortability and change the entire look to an outfit. For example, wearing an embroidered bra on a tight cotton t-shirt, is not a great idea, as the bra can show through the t-shirt, in a not so flattering way. Always find tricks to work with your undergarments. For example, I have found some tricks on turning a normal bra to be able to be wearable with my strapless clothing items, without the bra showing. Lastly, always be mindful of how a simple thing like the colour of the bra you wear can make a drastic change to your outfit.  

                                                              Swimsuit: DavidJones

5.       Don’t be afraid to mix and match, PLEASE:

Get into shops that you would not normally purchase from, whether it be shops that have cheap items, second hand clothing or shops that you think would not normally have your size. You would be surprised at the versatile items you will find and be able to mix and match to complete your outfits.

 Confidence, Confidence, Confidence…like I MEAN!

My confidence is my driving force for every outfit I wear. I have found that there would be days where I would wear the exact same outfit thinking it would look exactly like the previous time I have worn it and for some odd reason, I would not like how it sits and I have found that in most cases, it was because I wasn’t feeling so confident wearing it the second time around. When you’re confident when putting your clothes on, you automatically feel good and your outfit will totally vibe with you!

                                                                 Dress: Khosi Nkosi

Don't forget to stay tuned on the blog's updates on Facebook by liking the page

Zidle Zithande Zihloniphe

Don't forget to follow Yammie Hearts and Curves on Facebook

Instagram: @oyamabotha 

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Snapchat: @oyama5

Donna Girl!

I remember hitting puberty VERY hard that my first bra wasn’t one of those cotton sports bras but a proper wired nude bra....my boobs had grew so quickly that I got to a point where buying bras was such a hassle and struggle because at that young age the only thing I was concerned about was to still feel pretty in pretty bras...unfortunately even if I found pretty bras they came with huge tags! 

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BUT OF COURSE I jumped for joy when @donnagirlsa announced their new lingerie line that has literally almost every sizes up to 48E AND the best part of that the bras are soooo pretty and sexy, they feel so amazing, sexy and they have the most comfortable straps and while you expect them to be ridiculously priced...my heart jumped for joy knowing how affordable they are too! 

I was fortunate enough to having been one of the models to model as a live mannequin at one of their lingerie launches in Cape Town...the event was a show stopper, where else have you ever seen fabulous big girls as mannequins? 

The most humbling experience was when I was walking around the shop and having people admire the same boobs I was once teased about in my younger years...this has taught me that when you finally learn to love the parts that some may find not appealing..that this is when the magic happens. Two lovely ladies came into the shop and straight to pointing at my boobs and the first thing they said was "ooh my word! it fits so perfectly" and before you know it, we were having fat chats(pun intended ;) ) about the struggles of finding the perfect bras and I was so happy to have been the one to show them the amazing bras Donna Fashion had in stores and how their faces lit up from the experience of finding bright colourful bras that are sexy, comfy and could fit perectly! 

Thank you DONNA FASHION for making me part of your lingerie launch it was everything AND MORE! Who knew being a live mannequin would be such a show stopping experience! I look forward to more GREAT THINGS together 

Ps; they also have theee best denim jeans in ALLLL sizes!!

Thank you Donna Fashion for backing the big girls!

#donnagirl #donnagirls #bodlyyou #trulyuou #donnasa #donnafashion#boldanscurvy #plussize #boldandcurvy #fullofcurves #curvyfashion#trulyplus #beauty 

Check out Donna Fashion on Facebook at Donna Fashion

Outfit Details

Bra: Donna Fashion

High Waist Panty: Donna Fashion

Denim Jeans: Donna Fashion

Earings: Lovisa

Shoes: Luella 

Don't forget to stay tuned on the blog's updates on Facebook by liking the page

Zidle Zithande Zihloniphe

Don't forget to follow Yammie Hearts and Curves on Facebook

Instagram: @oyamabotha 

Twitter: @OyamaBotha

Snapchat: @oyama5

A FAT GIRL IN SHORTS

Age 12 puberty hits, thighs get bigger but the mind is still tiny. You start feeling embarrassed about wearing anything short because "fat people don't wear short things" while you walk around with skinny friends rocking the same shorts.

At age 15 you're degraded and your body is constantly sexualised because when the norm has always been "skinny girls in shorts" when you see a fat girl wearing shorts it becomes a shock as people's thinking is still very narrow and enforces societal's "ideal standards"

This very age was an age I remember being at Foschini picking out two pairs of shorts and going to to till point in excitement, that I finally found shorts that fitted me perfectly....and I was sadly confronted with the disappointment from my father who said "No Oyama can't be wearing such short things" luckily my mother took my side and explained I was merely a kid and this is the exact stuff I should have been wearing....
My goodness wearing shorts after that debate had never been the same.
So I'd constantly wear them when I'm at home and take them off when I needed to be somewhere.
I even remember wearing them in boarding school and taking pictures on the hallway and running back to my room every time I heard someone coming (Poor thing!)

Even at the age 17, I was called into the office by the hostel's superintendent's husband who literally told me I can't be wearing short things...based on a cute skirt I had just bought from legit to go play with(Picture Below) What is shocking to know is the exact skirt I had wasn't even as short as the every skinny girl in hostel who literally lived in booty shorts and never received these comments

Growing up you don't realize what their socialization does.However, I've always had a fighting spirit within me and always fought the "normative yardstick" 

I remember my mother bought me a shorts jumpsuit(pictures below)and I had never gained the confidence to wear it until a time I was away at a friend's for a weekend and I wore it and asked the friend to take pictures of me...I couldn't believe how beautiful they looked and how good they made me felt to a point that I decided to go back to hotel wearing the jumpsuit and goodness me! The stares I received 😂

Anyway....this "fat girls cant wear shorts" situation became so lit that I was called again to the office based on a dress I wore for grade 11 dance(picture below)🙄😱 to a point that the teachers even called my parents to have a talk with me hehhe just imagine!

It's been real hard growing up constantly being told what you should and shouldn't wear because of people's own judgments and inability to change their mindsets and stop sexualising fat girls.

The shorts I wear are really NOT for your pleasure and fat girls rising and being in bikinis is not in anyway trying to prove a point....we have reached a point of celebrating ourselves and being comfortable enough to come at all the things they said we wouldn't do so STOP dictating our stories...you'll get uncomfortable until you're used to it!
We also don't need anyone to stuff their own convictions in our journey to #RadicalSelfLove

There's more to is than your preconceived ideas of seeing a fat girl in shorts.
Faki'mali uzobona 😂jokes

I happen to be a UCT triple major graduate whose on her route to a second belt with 3+jobs....so maybe you can focus on that and let me flourish in my fat girl shorts ✊🏽#Zweeerh

I also think it is important to acknowledge that a person can be multifaceted: you are allowed to be smart, read books, hustle, be a believer and twerk...PLEASE ALLOW!!

Outfit Details

Jacket Top: The Fix

Shorts: The Fix

Watch: Anne Klein

Hoop Earnings: Stylist's own

Boots: Spree

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Zidle Zithande Zihloniphe

Don't forget to follow Yammie Hearts and Curves on Facebook

Instagram: @oyamabotha 

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Snapchat: @oyama5

RADICAL SELF LOVE

I was reminded of a few reasons why I started the blog and the fundamental one that stood out  the most was the hashtag #RadicalSelfLove and remembering what comes with it. I was reminded that the celebration of body positivity, self worth, self love and self respect all play a huge role in the hash tag.Thus, I needed a physical reminder to embrace that, hence I went forth to asked for ladies who wanted to be part of the campaign and to my surprise the response was very positive.

On the day of the campaign we faced so many hurdles(excuse me, this was my very first campaign). BUT it makes my heart smile knowing how beautiful the day ended.

We danced, jammed, laughed, shyed away, hyped each other, ate and took loads of pictures.....WAIT FOR IT; the day was so GREAT that we ended up at Sandy Bay (which is apparently a nude beach) and BOOOOOY did we take advantage, stripped and had loads of fun celebrating the differences in our bodies.

This was a perfect day where love was shared, women were empowered and the quote "celebrating another woman's beauty does not take away from yours' was manifested.

A huge thank you to Lwando for the amazing pictures and the amazing ladies that featured in the campaign; do follow them at @plussizebeast @peaceful_giftts  @gigicrownedinhercurls and @tsholula__d 

Don't forget to stay tuned on the blog's updates on Facebook by liking the page

Zidle Zithande Zihloniphe

Don't forget to follow Yammie Hearts and Curves on Facebook

Instagram: @oyamabotha 

Twitter: @OyamaBotha

Snapchat: @oyama5

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week SPICE

MAXHOSA BY LADUMA was the theme for my night! 
 Naturally of course: Intombi yom'Xhosa for Maxhosa

With the initial invitation from the man himself; I immediately got super stoked about attending the show. With the initial venue being in Camps Bay, that got me more excited. On the initial date when the shows were cancelled, I met with Laduma and the sister, Lihle whose also an absolute gem! I received the news from them that the show had been cancelled and that the organizers of Fashion Week would postpone the shows and set new dates.Although this came as a disappointment, I thought to myself: "perhaps the fashion Gods are with me" because Yammie did not have a clue on what she was going to wear that evening.

Anyway... fast forward to the 8th of April after the confirmed RSVPs and organizing outfit details; It was confirmed that the new venue was going to be at the Salt River Studios. On this day I had gone to the beach earlier on and naturally I was running late. However, once I got dressed in a rush and left with my girl, I got to the venue and luckily I was greeted by Lihle who informed us that the shows were running an hour later: 'shucks! I thought to myself! this is why I am always late!" surely I should have just calmed down and took a longer shower you know?

First things first in any fashion show...you HAVE to take a picture of yourself with the black printed background on the red carpet, while taking turns with others...because you know you have to go and show the world that you were also part of the show, and if you don't have THAT picture...were you really there?

NOW FOR THE JUICE?
PEOPLE AT FASHION WEEK ARE SO STUCK UP! my gosh! even celebrities are sour wanting to be recognized as being great, but because everyone else think they also great...the aura in the room just gets so tense with people trying to look like mannequins at an exclusive boutique! MY WORD! My bubbly self was ready to great everyone, take pictures and shower a lot of them with compliments... but DOLOLO!  This aura is something that has been happening since I started attending the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cpt shows and it is really disappointing considering that I always expect it to be a space where designers can mingle with their people and everyone could network and utilize the space in a conducive manner

Nonetheless, I ended the night with a beautiful show by Maxhosa which made me forget about all the drama. The pieces were too die for. One day when I am able to afford an expensive lifestyle I'll surely get this beautiful dress which was also part of the show.

📸 by: @luciapetschnig

For now, I'll be rocking my Maxhosa sock game that I wore that evening and BE GREAT! 

 OUTFIT DETAILS:

Dress: YDE

Bag: Mr Price

Xhosa Head Wrap: Handmade

Bangle: Handmade

Earings: Mr Price

Socks: Maxhosa

Shoes: The Fix 

Zidle Zithande Zihloniphe

Don't forget to follow Yammie Hearts and Curves on Facebook

Instagram: @oyamabotha 

Twitter: @OyamaBotha

Snapchat: @oyama5