Don't Tell Me I Can't... Be A Curvy Model

Déborah Mutund, 27, is working hard as a plus-size model to change perceptions of what a model should look like.

I may never get used to seeing myself in catalogues and on the pages of glossy magazines, but I love that part of my job involves showing women that you can love your body, no matter your size or shape. As a child, I used to love dressing up... and, actually, I still do! I had a burgeoning pageant career with a couple of titles under my belt, before I discovered that I had an affinity for sports, and became a professional tennis player in high school. When puberty hit, my body changed completely leaving me curvier and heavier than ever before. I thought my dreams of returning to pageants and modelling were over so I focused my attention on school and, later, on getting a degree in public relations.

I’m originally from the DRC, but I moved to Cape Town in 2010 for my studies and to learn English. In my final year, my sister and a friend asked me to go with them to a modelling agency in Cape Town. They wanted to find work as models and were hoping that I could help convince the agency to sign them.