Mmangaka advocates for plus size women
Oleosi Kgosi | Thursday November 2, 2017 18:00
Tumagole, who is also a radio personality in Northern Cape, told Showbiz that she was crowned in October 2016 and since then she was motivated to empower plus size ladies who suffer bullying, body shunning and shamming. “I decided to start a plus size project myself being a plus size, somebody w
ho has experienced a lot for having a big body perceived to be imperfect,” she said.
She highlighted that she kept postponing the whole project until a teenage girl, who took the initiative to seek advice from her through social media, almost took her life. “To my understanding, she was being bullied by her peers at school and they called her all sorts of disgusting names to shame her,” she said. Tumagole said she figured out that the sooner her project came off the ground the better.
The plus size queen said that she met three beautifully crafted plus size women who were beyond willing to be the first members of her project. The ladies are Wame Mmolawa, Jasmine Maphanga and Sikhululekile Mhlanga. “They have been gems throughout this project because as much as we do not have monetary sponsors, they stuck by my side for the sake of the mandate of this group and I appreciate them for that,” she added.
Tumagole said that they launched the project recently at the Miss Women Empowerment Pageant at Avani Gaborone Resort and Casino, as they have the same mandate if not along the same lines.
She said that as plus women they face a lot of challenges and are made to feel unwanted. She said she also suffered and was a victim of depression due to the societal opinions concerning her body. “What society doesn’t realise is that it may be fun to them when they torment someone who is ‘imperfect’ in their eyes but this actually kills the victim’s self-esteem,” she said.
Tumagole added that as a believer she looked for refuge in God and gained a lot of confidence through dancing and showing the world that she may have a big body but it does not stop her from being the best.
The plus size advocate said that she hopes that the movement will reach greater heights in the near future. “Recently I have been in talks with Empire Model Agency to partner with them to bring plus size modeling to life in Botswana and use the platform of their shows to inform Batswana,” she said. She said that they are also building a documentary and would love to feature as many plus size enthusiast as possible so that when they host their own motivational talks, it would be easier with a showpiece of where it all began.
She highlighted that she is receiving support from locals and across borders. “I have been getting assistance from Miss Plus Size Nigeria reigning Queen, Shakara Plenty who has been very helpful with elevating Sdudla Ses’fit and Miss Plus Size Universe Pearl Williams.”