This is my life: Big girls run the world

By Esther Muchene | 7yrs ago | 3 min read

*AnnSusan Wambui rocks the plus size wear with pride and confidence*

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and AnnSusan Wambui loves what she sees when she looks in the mirror. Rejection, body issues and bullying are some of the problems plus size girls have had to endure just because they don't fit in the pigeon hole that society has labelled 'conventional beauty'. The hourglass figure, which has been popularized by the media, is a source of distress for women who don't fit the mould.

She may not be a runway model but she is certainly a model. But whenever she poses for the camera, she calls the shots. ''First, let me make it clear that I'm not a runway model. I'm an editorial model and I also post pictures online to showcase the plus-size brand that I'm working on so that consumers know what to expect from me,'' she clarifies.

In her 20's and nicknamed Kitesh, a name that has stuck since childhood, she saw a gap in the fashion market and decided to fill it. Few designers were creating clothes with curvy girls in mind. "I wanted to be an inspiration to the ladies who want to dress their body type be it big or small, and to inspire them to be confident and comfortable in their own skin.''

Kitesh is the force behind 'CurvesIsMyThing', a blog she started last year, which has quickly become a source of joy and strength. "I would definitely say I'm versatile and always open to stepping out of my comfort zone. I choose not to wear things that are restricting or that fit under a specific umbrella. I have a weakness for designer bags and dark lipsticks because I feel like they bring out the boldness in me," she says, describing her unique style.

Kitesh has been chubby kid from childhood. She confesses that there was one part of her body that she wasn't very fond of. And it's not what you might think. "I do love myself as I am. But there was a time when I didn't like my nose. I'm okay with it now though," she says. When she embraced herself for who she was she decided to venture into blogging. As she took pictures to appear on the blog, the desire to model was born.

Plus-size fashion is still a relatively new and untapped industry in Kenya, and opportunities abound. "All I can say is that the plus-size industry is growing. We even have modeling agencies strictly for big girls and more and more often we see plus-size models on the runway. But it's a work in progress. I would love to see more plus-size women working with Kenyan designer to create a platform," says Kitesh, who doubles as web designer and chief executive officer at My Couture.

"I take modelling very seriously because it is something that I love doing and it actually pays my bills," she says. But big girls have struggles that other girls find it hard to identify with. "I think the biggest problem is plus size ladies are not comfortable in their own skin because of being bullied. There are so many women who want to participate in fashion, they want to be seen and have a personal style that commands attention but they are afraid. I have never been bullied because of my size because if you show someone you think less of yourself they're always going to use that as a weapon to bring you down," she says.

Then there are those misconceptions that just don't go away. ''Unfortunately, our society as a whole is still fat-phobic. People don't want to be associated with curvy women because they feel that they are ugly and unfashionable. These are stereotypes we as curvy ladies are trying to break every day," she says.

So what is the secret to her self-confidence? "Put God first, always keep a positive attitude, venture out of your comfort zone, work hard and be professional so that everyone wants to work with you," she concludes.