Plus size model Katie instils confidence
By Rosalia David
STYLIST, YouTuber and Miss Plus Size 2019 Top 12 contestant Kaanandunge Kalenga, also known as Creamy Katie or Madam, is inspiring plus-sized women while boosting their confidence through her newly launched YouTube channel.
This week Confidente spoke to the Walvis Bay-born and raised model to get an insight of how her passion came from The 23-year-old influencer said her love for modelling started when she was five years old as her dad was also a fashion lover.
“My dad used to dress me up, take pictures of me modelling and then he would post it on social media with his friends and also his followers on social media, and people would love it. From then he encouraged me to take part in modelling at school.
“I started modelling when l was in Grade 4 at my primary level, my body is plus size but l was never worried about who l was, l loved my body. Even though people used to call me names and all that l never gave up,” she said.
When she went to university she was exposed to pageants, such as Miss Plus Size Namibia, which gained her a lot of followers on social media that she decided to create a YouTube channel to inspire and motivate other women who feel insecure about their body or personality to be more confident in who they are, and wear what they want, regardless of their body sizes.
“All people deserve to have a positive body image, regardless of how society and popular culture view ideal shape, size, and appearance. Some of the goals of the body positivity movement include challenging how society views the body. Promoting the acceptance of all bodies. When l contested in Miss Plus Size 2019 people who are exactly like me felt that they were close to me,” she says.
Her views have gained traction on Instagram, where she posts videos of herself modelling in different types of fashion designs, and the marketing potential was soon recognised by top-selling clothes stores, such as Mr Price.
Kaanandunge’s fan base increased during the lockdown period with a rising number of followers on her social media pages.
“I promote the clothes through my channel and I have achieved a lot in a short period of time, l was having few followers before but now my subscribers and my fan base has increased. I encourage them to go subscribe on my channel and follow, this is surely a good time for my platform to be successful since everything is being done online. Styling will take you from looking cheap to expensive,” she said.
She hopes to boost her profile by taking part in Windhoek Fashion Week as part of advancing her modelling career, and to also collaborate with celebrities and others on her new YouTube channel.