K Naomi is making all the right moves

K Naomi is the first African representative for cosmetics giant, Maybelline.

K Naomi is the first African representative for cosmetics giant, Maybelline.

Published Apr 28, 2017

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Her star is on the rise and she is fast becoming a household name. Keitumetse Naomi Noinyane who is popularly known as K Naomi, recently returned to South Africa after shooting her first campaign with cosmetics giant, Maybelline. The model and television presenter was announced as a Maybelline It Girl this year, a few months after she became the first African female ambassador for Reebok.

“For me it's a little weird because I have always hated the term ‘it girl’, I have never wanted to be an it girl or called one but now that I am a Maybelline It Girl I don’t mind the title too much because I get to change the perception of what a it girl is supposed to be”, said the 25 year old. Naomi never intended on being an It Girl, but as luck would have it, she was in the right place at the right time. “I went to a casting for Maybelline’s new web series on Youtube, when I arrived I auditioned and left. I remember asking my manager to call Maybelline up a week later to ask them if they made a decision because I really wanted this gig. They came back to me with more than I expected”, she said. She was offered the job as host for their web series and the job as an It Girl, making her the first African brand representative for Maybelline. “When they sat me down and put their proposal on the table I could not believe what I was hearing. I had prayed for one job but got two”, she gushed.

Naomi, who was born in Mafikeng in the North West, said that her trip to Los Angeles to shoot her new campaign and meet other It Girls from across the globe was nerve wrecking. “It was my first time in LA, when we arrived I realised that i was the only black girl in the group, I was conscious of that, there were girls from Lebanon, India and Australia, everyone was so relaxed and warm that we soon didn't even notice our differences”, she said. While in LA Naomi also got to attend Coachella.  

Naomi has also been juggling her duties as Reebok ambassador this year. “It’s almost a year now that I have been with Reebok and it’s been an amazing journey. I remember getting an email from them and thinking it was a prank. They wanted to work with me because of my fitness work, I have always been a big fan of the gym and looking after my body”, she said.

The former Channel O and BET A-List presenter said that she believes it is now her time to shine. “I have been working hard at trying to create a name for myself, I started off as a model and then TV happened and that has been great but I really believe in staying in your own lane. I love what I do and I am so happy to have huge brands wanting to be associated with me but I do not want to be everywhere, I don’t want to be in your face all the time”, she said.

Although she is a newbie in the entertainment industry, she has had a lot written about her. “I have been linked to men I don't even know, I have dated multiple celebrities, which is far from the truth so I have had to develop a thick skin very quickly. It has been very hard because I have had to change how people saw me. It is very cliched but I am not just a pretty face, I work hard and all I want to do it inspire other girls, genuinely, I want to break boundaries”.

Naomi is also a full time student. “I am a Brand Building and Management student and I will be graduating next month. I get asked how I manage to do it all and it boils down to a lot of sacrifices. School is my priority so I have had to turn down a lot of jobs and it's been difficult because I have bills to pay but everything I sacrificed has been worth it”, she said.

She also gives free self-defence training classes through her campaign, Pretty Lethal with Reebok and although she considers herself a great teacher, she admits that she has also learnt a few lessons about herself. “I am always learning, the entertainment industry is always teaching me things. Over the years I have become very strict on who I associate myself with and I have started taking myself very seriously and I have learnt to always endeavour to rise about anything negative”.

She also said that her fans can look forward to her returning to their TV screens. “I believe in God’s timing and I have worked and prayed for a lot to happen this year and I will definitely be on TV this year and I have many other tricks I am going to be pulling out of my back”.

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