Ciao Bella
There is a pioneer whose name is a must in
plus size fashion industry. She is not only a well-known model but a talented
photographer with her edgy view on the world. She was featured in French Vogue
magazine after she rocked the catwalk of Jean
Paul Gaultier and John Galliano
haute couture fashion shows. Velvet
D’Amour is a true inspiration for all curvy women who seek for acceptance
and motivation – I had an uplifting feeling throughout my entire interview with
her on the occasion of the upcoming British
Plus Size Fashion Weekend.
Cupcake&Pearls: Being the only plus size model, how did you feel on the
catwalk of these haute couture shows with those skinny models?
Velvet
D’Amour: You would be surprised how relaxed! The
atmosphere was supportive, fun and I even had a hilarious moment when I had two
slender models sitting next to me and addressed a joke to them to break the ice
„You are supermodels, like me, right?”.
They were, indeed - so we laughed
together later on when met on the catwalk. Somehow those girls had to grow a
thicker skin as well since haute couture models were bullied as children too –
for being too tall and skinny. We all had our struggles – just from different
angles.
C&P: Speaking of personal struggles – how did you grow to such a confident
woman who is in complete harmony with herself?
V.D’A.: It was a long personal journey but as I always say, you have to find
your confidence via these struggles. As a kid I was the typical fat girl who
was bullied so much that my Mom had to transfer me to a private school. She
signed me on to the local swim team, much to my chagrin, and I lost a bit of
weight but I was never thin enough to sign with the model agency interested in
me, the weight was always an issue. I went through extreme diets but after my art
studies I occupied the other part of the camera as a photographer. My personal
revolution started when I created a sort of art project using my own body to
emulate photos I saw in mainstream magazines as a way to help change
perceptions in beauty. I realized how much time I wasted
on hating my body when I started my volunteer work, back in New York.
C&P: You are a truly diverse person – how did volunteering came to your
life?
V.D’A: You may be surprised but helping children with cancer in New York and HIV/AIDS
patients in Paris really helped me in my journey to self acceptance. I realized
how short life is by helping these people and started to see the beauty in me.
There is really no time to waste on hatred – why not embrace our bodies and cut the obsession with
extra weight and empower ourselves by helping each other? My experiences of
being bullied as a child led me to develop a thick skin and I always stood up
for the underdogs, no matter if fat or gay, whatever, they got my support.
C&P: Your online magazine has a similar empowering mission – tell me about
Volup2!
V.D’A: On 14 February it will be 1 year now that I launched Volup2 magazine which is
inspired to empower women all over the world – with a special scope on plus
size ladies, too. I love edgy editorials and providing a platform for those
women who are pushed to the periphery of fashion: in my magazine the models may
be larger or older or differently abled, etc. In the next issue one of my
models is 68 years old – and she rocks it! I aim to uplift everyone but of
course with emphasis on curvy women.
C&P: That sounds innovative, inspirational and edgy like yourself!
Speaking of edgy – how do you cope with Parisian women and fashion?
V.D’A: To tell you the truth, plus size women must work twice as hard since a
typical French woman can go out without makeup, with a stick in her hair but if
a curvy woman does the same, she immediately gains the lable of not taking care
of herself. I feel lucky as I am more easily accepted due to my media coverage
on national TV and magazines here, but even simple chairs are designed to fit
just skinny people, not to mention the
high regards for fashion. Though there are so many things I love about Paris –
Louvre is one of them as a source of inspiration since there are so many
different body types celebrated there.
C&P: A museum can boost your confidence?
V.D’A: Exactly! This is my advice for your Hungarian readers when they feel
down: switch off the TV and cut the media from your life and go to a museum.
Checking out the variety of beauty which tranverses time gives us an idea of
how beauty standards change and allows us to see that we waste our life in a
sense, by hating our bodies merely because they dont fit into today’s set of
standards. Museums let us see that in a very concrete manner because as you
look at different era’s you see that every era had its beauty ethic. Our
current beauty ethic is so far removed from any reality that even the women who
purportedly represent the 2013 Beauty Ideal aren’t representative because of
our advanced technology of retouching that creates a false sense of perfection.
Couple that with the fact that each individual comes from a long line of
ancestors and when we don’t accept ourselves we disrespect that liniage. Who
are the media to say that we are not beautiful?!
Another suggestion I have with regards to
helping in your journey to self acceptence is again to turn off the TV and go
study your family tree, see where you come from, look at photos of your
ancestors and learn about your roots in order that you may better respect how
you look and honor it as a way of honoring those that came before you. Much
like the blog you are reading now!
C&P: Beauties with Plus, that is correct! Everybody has bigger inner
values than the size of the clothes they wear. I can’t wait to hear you next
week as you are one of the guest speakers at British Plus Size Fashion Weekend!
V.D’A: I am so excited for London next week – definitely it will be a fun
event and great possibility to speak out, gain attention for curvy women! I can
not wait to meet those women attending this fabulous event! I often do public
speaking and these forums provide excellent chance to empower each other and
make personal connections! I am sure we (you and me) will continue this
conversation in person next week!
C&P: Definitely! Thank you very much for the interview, and see you very
soon!
Speaking with this extraordinary woman was
really a special experience – her energy, her love for life and towards others
really touched me. She definitely has a lot of plus within – of which the most
important for me was her empathy. Even the advice was extraordinary which she
gave when I asked her how to help women to love their curves –as c’mon, who
would think to send the women for volunteer job and anyway, at first hearing I
also did not see the point of connection. Then when I looked deeper I
understood – as opening your heart to another person, without any expectation
to receive something in return – shows great personality. I believe we all can
learn from her attitude which says: No time to waste, start living and enjoying
every minute of your life NOW! You want to enjoy a seaside holiday? Book the
tickets now and do not hibernate yourself, thinking that losing weight is a
must to rock those bikinis! Living life to the fullest does not depend on the
number on the scale – but rather on your attitude!
For more on Velvet D'Amour go to:
xxx
Susie
