Show up and Show us

Taking a stand to change the beauty narrative, Dove has teamed up with local influencers to help show women as they are. We meet four of the women who are spearheading the #ShowUs campaign and showing us what makes them proudly South African this Heritage Month. Lesego ‘Thickleeyonce’ Legobane

Photographer and model at the forefront of the body positivity movement.

What does it mean to you to be part of the dove #shoWus campaign?

This campaign is very close to my heart. I’m beyond honoured and excited to be a part of it because it embodies everything I believe in – women being themselves.

hoW important is the media’s role regarding inclusivity?

Media influences pop culture and trends, so it’s crucial for the media to celebrate everyone. This will make it easier to embrace one another, regardless of how we all look.

What motivated you to be bold instead of hiding

behind your insecurities?

My happiness depended on loving myself. My peace depended on loving myself. I had to choose: do I stay miserable or do I love myself and be happy? The latter made more sense.

the #shoWus campaign encourages Women to love their bodies. are there other conversations you’re hoping the campaign Will start?

I think we need to teach girls and women that there’s more to life than beauty and bodies. Find your purpose in life and embrace your talents and gifts – you’re more than your physical appearance.

hoW are you celebrating your heritage this month?

I’ll be back home in the North West for a traditional ceremony to give thanks to those that paved my heritage.

What role does your heritage play in your life and What you represent?

My heritage influences my identity. Little things like speaking my home

language (Setswana) fluently play a significant role in showing that I’m unapologetically a black Tswana woman.

hoW do We break the cultural stereotypes that play a role in hoW Women carry themselves? and Where do We draW the line?

The best way to break cultural stereotypes is by educating my elders without undermining their teachings. Sometimes it’s our families that can be ignorant, and I’ve learnt that most times it’s not intentional, it’s just a matter of not understanding certain things. So I always try to educate in order to break the cycle for future generations.

Yasmin Furmie

The fashion guru and brand owner is all for living boldly.

What motivated you to become a bodypositive activist?

I think most young people experienced and continue to experience pressure to conform to many ideals of beauty, size and all the psychosocial pressures that made one feel the need to fit in. Thankfully, I was fairly bullish and tried very hard to ignore those. That’s not to say that there weren’t moments when, as a teenager, issues relating to my hair and trying to keep it very straight weren’t part of my existence.

hoW has your heritage helped you define beauty?

My heritage is one that is very diverse and that certainly has been the catalyst for a true acceptance of difference and an ability to recognise that the ‘ideal’ is very subjective.

What does being south african mean to you?

Being South African is such an integral part of who I am. I’ve lived elsewhere, but the ability to feel grounded, to feel that I have a home where I’m free to exist as I please, say what I feel and be energised by incredibly warm and generous people, is truly a unique privilege.

our heritage is our inheritance. What lessons have you learnt from older figures about self-confidence?

All our strengths and weaknesses, values and foundations were laid by those who have gone before us. My memories of grandmothers and my mother, those strong women who didn’t always have loud voices, but whose actions showed their power, moulded me into the woman I’ve become. They persevered through a time when patriarchal values were deeply entrenched, but in their own actions they strove against it through sheer necessity. The messages passed on were ones of being independent, educated and principled. Their DNA has resulted in my self-assured and confident nature.

What has it been like connecting With different Women around the World?

My journey has been an unexpected but very joyous one, with incredible messages of support for what I say, what I portray and for inspiring many women here and elsewhere to be confident, to own their voices and their space.

What do you love most about dove’s #shoWus campaign?

It speaks so clearly to the direction we need to move in as a society; one not only of representation but also of inclusivity. The actual ability to see a diverse range of women and nonbinary individuals is surely one of the fundamental blocks in building a positive and self-accepting person.

“Media influences pop culture and trends, so it’s crucial for the media to celebrate everyone”

Sthandiwe Msomi-Kgoroge

An actress and fashion designer who is passionate about women empowerment.

What does it mean to be part of the dove #shoWus campaign?

It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly or for granted. It means I have a platform to play my part in influencing change for this generation and the next. That I’m part of history in saying representation matters, and that one can’t be what they don’t see!

how awesome is it that dove is encouraging women to show up just as they are?

It is awesome and a huge footprint for Dove to be leading important social change movements.

What makes you radiate With so much confidence?

Affirmation and kindness as an act of paying it forward.

you boast an impressive following on social media. do you find that once you start owning all your flaws and imperfections, the world sits up and pays attention?

Absolutely. People gravitate to people they can see themselves in, who remind them that at the end of the day, we’re all only humans, trying our best on God’s earth.

how Would you describe the relationship you have With your body?

I have days where I’m 100% happy, and days where I beg God to add and reverse certain things while I sleep. But generally, I’m grateful for the strong body I have, my legs that look like my dad’s, and my curves that are like my mother’s.

how important is it to see Women Who look like you being represented in magazines and on billboards?

It’s extremely important! We’re all so different and diverse – the media needs to be responsible in terms of how they use their platforms to show this. Consumers also need to be active in demanding the change they want to see. If you’re not accommodated, don’t buy it; if you don’t see yourself, don’t support it!

are there other conversations you’re hoping the #shoWus campaign Will start?

I would like to see a bigger role out on body, self-esteem and skin in other industries, amongst the youth and in schools.

how are you celebrating your heritage this month?

I celebrate it every day. I’m conscious of the beauty of my Zulu heritage, of my African heritage, and I carry it with me every day.

when you travel, how do you let the world know you’re proudly south african?

I’m proudly African, I carry that within me always; it radiates.

“I celebrate my heritage everyday. I’m conscious of the beauty of my Zulu heritage”

have you always been a confidant person?

Growing up, I struggled to love or believe in myself. This stemmed from being a hairy girl who was bullied throughout my schooling career. I went through an internal battle with my feelings of self-worth. My outlook began to change when I started to work abroad on cruise ships – I needed to appear confident, so I acted it out. Eventually, I began to live out my confidence. It’s not always easy, and I have to constantly shift my thinking to one of positivity first.

What role did your culture play When Exposed to the media’s portrayal of What an ideal body type is?

The westernised media I was exposed to depicted women as beautiful when they were dressed in as little as possible with slim waists, long legs and flawless bodies. However, our home was more conservative and my parents didn’t see that as ideal, so we weren’t always allowed to follow these trends. In the same way, traditional Indian media portrayed flawless, light-skinned women with perfect silky hair. This seemed unachievable and a misrepresentation of the everyday Indian girl. We grew up in two media cultures, neither of which represented what a normal woman looked like.

how has your culture and heritage influenced your definition of inclusive beauty now?

When I was younger, many aspects of my culture weren’t inclusive, and unfortunately this still holds true today in some Indian communities. Personally, I’ve had to break the barrier of the stereotypes that are used to paint Indian women by accepting my inherited features and traits. I hope that by doing this I’ll be able to forge a path to help many women accept their natural beauty.

What does being south african mean to you?

We’re fortunate to live in such a diverse and beautiful country. I’m proud to be a part of such a dynamic

and multicultural society that exposes us to so many different faces of what true beauty and culture really is. And thanks to the diverse nature of our society, there’s a place for all of us. I personally feel a sense of belonging to this land and within this society.

What societal beauty stereotypes do you think need to change?

That the colour of your skin makes you more beautiful, that stretch marks are a sign of being damaged, and the non-acceptance of body and facial hair.

Why are you proud to be part of the #shoWus campaign?

I love that Dove is taking a stand to represent women who currently aren’t represented in the media. It’s great to see that they’re venturing into new territory and shifting society’s perception of beauty. It’s true and authentic, and it’s finally giving women all over the world a voice.

“I’m proud to be a part of such a dynamic and multicultural society that exposes us to so many different faces” Born and raised in Durban, blogger and cosmetologist Valencia Bogdanović is on a mission to take her city and the world by storm as an advocate for confidence and self-love.

Valencia Bogdanović