Nthabiseng now has the confidence to be herself
Nthabiseng Mohlamonyane, a plus size model, says although she still gets negative comments about her weight, she does not let it get to her and she wants to become a psychologist so she can help other people
POLOKWANE – Nthabiseng Mohlamonyane is a plus-size model who has had to learn to love herself unconditionally.
The 19-year-old beauty queen from Nobody, Ga Mothiba grew up with low self-esteem because of her physical appearance. She explained that she was bullied from when she was in preschool and other children did not want to play with her. She became accustomed to nicknames like Legwinya (which means Vetkoek) because of her size and she had bad skin on her legs.
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“I remember even in preschool, when I used to play with the hoola, the teachers would tell other children not to play with it because of the rash I had on my legs. I felt isolated until my grandmother advised me that it is okay to play alone, I should learn to like my own company,” she said.
Growing up, she had a difficult time because her size consumed her. From the names she was called and even the smallest things like going shopping were a horrible experience because she had to shop in the teenage section when she was still a kid.” We would walk into a shop and other kids would go to the kiddies sections and I would be pointed to the 13 to 14-year-old children’s clothes. It didn’t like the feeling at all,” she said.
She has always wanted to be a model but she did not have the confidence and she was not exposed to platforms that accommodated plus size women. “I remember I tried to enter competitions at some point but I was told I don’t qualify because of my size,” she explained. It was only after her sister told her about Face of Limpopo Plus Size, which she decided to enter and became a finalist.
That journey has helped her grow her self esteem tremendously and she adds that she now has the confidence to be herself. Although she still gets negative comments about her weight, she does not let it get to her and she wants to become a psychologist so she can help other people. “I think now that I am older, I have learned to accept that my body is the way it is, I have never been one of those skinny girls and never will be so I have to work with what I have,” she said. She added that having family support is important for any child who is chubbier than their peers and that the confidence is built at home so that the child is able to face the world with confidence.
“I had to do introspection, think of things that would differentiate me from a skinny person apart from the clothes and I found nothing. We all have blood running in our veins, why should I feel any different?,” she added. She also does charity work and is collecting clothes for babies in her community. She is currently planning a handover for some time in the future.
