Johannesburg - At least 30 women of various shapes and sizes took part in a photographic campaign to portray the beauty of the female body.
Kamogelo Bokala, the chief executive of Celebration of Life and All Things Good, said the event was aimed at highlighting the beauty of women.
“We are here to celebrate women and we wanted to do it in style. Today is about esteem, it’s about confidence and it’s about knowing who you are,” she said.
undefined“This campaign is about portraying beauty and defining beauty. We are told in the media what beauty is. We have our different kinds of bodies and we want to show and embrace that. We want to say: ‘listen, we are beautiful and we are comfortable in our own skin’.”
Bokala’s company, in partnership with OverExposed Photography, hosted the event to celebrate Women’s Month. It stems from an online campaign that highlights the beauty of the female body.
The women who took part are aged between 22 and 38.
Ntokozo Ngema 32, said taking part had boosted her confidence.
“When I saw my picture, my confidence went sky high. You see a different version of yourself. And that’s the beauty of it,” she said.
Bokala said the event was dedicated to women who lacked confidence.
“Today is exactly the day for that girl – the girl who does not believe in herself. So when that girl sees that picture, posing, she can say to herself: ‘I don’t have to be as skinny as a model. I can look like my African sisters and still be beautiful’,” she said.
Nozipho Sithole, 38, another participant, said she was happy the event was held.
“When I got here I was excited. I saw the first girl go up, and I thought ‘Wow! She looks amazing’. When it was my turn, it sunk in. I got nervous, I thought: How am I going to look, how am I going to pose? But once you begin with the shoot, you ease into it.”
Sithole spoke of the struggles she endured as a child regarding her appearance.
“I used to be teased about my legs when growing up. From believing that your legs are ugly when you’re young to seeing yourself as beautiful as you grow older is a process. It’s a process to get to a point where you love your body and accept who you are and actually embrace it – being told you look nice and owning that niceness. I made a conscious decision for myself that I’m beautiful, and I won’t let anyone else tell me otherwise,” she said.
Although this was the first event, Bokala said she was happy with the turnout and and planned to have it every year.
She hoped that more women would take part in future so they too could embrace their beauty and be proud and comfortable with who they are.
The Star