Philomena Kwao

Philomena Kwao

 

 

 

Sitting on the sofa across from model Philomena Kwao in her Brooklyn apartment, I can’t help but stare. Her skin glows and as cliché as that sounds in describing the skin of a model, hers truly does. Smooth, poreless and just as flawless in real life as it appears in photos, her skin is as responsible for success as it is for making her climb up to the top that little bit harder.

With the rise of plus size models like Ashley Graham and Iskra Lawrence and social media campaigns like #DropThePlus and the outcry against the “Are you beach body ready?” Protein Worlds ads, never has talk about body diversity in the fashion industry been as prevalent as it is today. Race, on the other hand, is still the elephant in the room. Beautiful or not, if you thought it was difficult being a model if you don’t fit the ‘straight size’ mold, try being plus-size, black with natural hair, she says.

According to Philomena, if we have any hope of having a more inclusive notion of beauty, we still have a long way to go and with her growing fame, she’s made it her mission to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Lineisy Montero and Jourdan Dunn in keeping race at the top of the industry’s agenda.

Her modelling credentials are vast – the groundbreaking Swimsuits For All #SwimSexy campaign is just one of many – but there’s a whole lot more to her than that. Before modelling she got a first from Imperial College London in MSc International Health Management. Oh, and she’s got her own charity project called The Lily Project, where girls and boys can ask questions online, about issues that are bothering them, and mentors on the other side of the screen will give advice. See, she’s pretty special. Read on to find out more.

 

 

 


ON BECOMING A MODEL BY ACCIDENT: I was 22 when I got discovered. I started modelling in the middle of my masters’ degree. I love economics, I love studying governments, I love politics; I love anything to do with how the world works in terms of people management and politics. I’ve always been interested in health too. When I was younger I wanted to be a doctor. I was always really good at chemistry so did work experience in a hospital. It made me realise that I definitely want to work in healthcare, but just not clinical. When I did by bachelors’ degree in economics, I discovered health economics and was really into it and how decisions about health resources are allocated globally and the way it affects the world. Studying both made me think about how we can make sure other countries around the world with health systems that aren’t as good as ours have access to good quality healthcare.

ON LEAVING LONDON FOR NEW YORK: I decided to move from London to New York because when I first started in London, the industry was very small and there were a limited number of clients. In order to grow my career, it just made sense for me to move to the US, which has a more established plus market. So when I finished my masters, I decided to make the move.

EARLY STRUGGLES: When I first arrived in New York I really struggled to find work. The plus industry at the time was very ‘girl next door’ and commercial. A lot of the black models who were working at the time tended to be a lot lighter than me and had a more ‘approachable’ look – lighter skin, and long hair – where I had significantly darker skin and very short, natural hair. My look isn’t as warm or commercial so a lot of clients just didn’t know what to do with me. I’d go to castings and never book any jobs. I guess the industry wasn’t ready for my look and didn’t know what to do with me.


Through doing what I do, I’ve learnt to look in the mirror honestly and not think about what everyone else thinks when they see me; but actually work on gathering my own idea of how I feel when I see me. It’s been a journey.


HOW LUIPTA SUCCESS LED TO HERS: Being a plus model, who is also black and African, but without the editorial features of models like Alek Wek, has been a blessing and a curse. Generally, in the high fashion straight-sized world, when you are dark skinned and have short hair, you tend to do high fashion campaigns because your look is seen as edgy and exotic – not necessarily the ‘look’ to sell clothes to the mainstream. It hindered me at first because we don’t really have a high fashion side in the plus market. Everything is really commercial so if you don’t fit that look, you don’t work. When Lupita came on the scene though, it completely changed everything. She is dark and has short hair but has a look that is softer for the mainstream to accept as ‘beautiful’. Once she became the American girl next door and her look became the commercial ideal, I suddenly started booking jobs. I guess it’s all about what’s fashionable. It’s an industry that’s built on that so it’s not surprising that everyone follows trends. As Lupita got more popular, brands started to want to use me too.

THE DIVERSITY ISSUE: Jourdan Dunn has spoken out about racism and Ashley Graham has talked about body diversity but it does feel like we still have a long way to go. When the industry creates segregates women of different races and sizes, we’re moving further away from diversity and more towards boxing people in. Brands should be offering sizes in an inclusive way rather than having separate plus or petite ranges. Why can’t brands just extended their size options? I don’t understand it and I’m yet to hear an answer from anyone in the industry that I’m happy with. I just don’t think there’s a valid reason for it. As a woman, I want to be able to have an inclusive shopping experience. I don’t want to have to go to a specific corner of a store. It’s the same with beauty too. Why should I have to go to a different place just to buy a foundation that’s right for my skin tone? If I’m with my sister who’s lighter than me and a few sizes smaller, why can’t we go into the same place and shop together? I think real change comes with complete inclusivity. Zara recently extended their collections by one size, and while that might not sound like enough, it is a positive step in the right direction and I wish more brands took note and did the same. All of us can play our part by making noise and continually talking about it. When we speak together, our voices are louder.


Philomena Kwao

Philomena Kwao


HER DEFINITION OF BEAUTY: It comes with being comfortable with yourself but the biggest lie is that everyone is comfortable with themselves at all times. I don’t think anyone ever reaches a point of total self-confidence. It’s a myth. I think it’s more of a case of reaching a level of self-awareness where you realise that it’s all a journey. It’s okay to have down days but it’s not okay to stay there. You have to learn how to pull yourself out of those moments. That’s what I’ve had to learn to do. I’m not perfect, but I’m getting better and I’m moving forward. If we learn how to get ourselves out of those ruts, we’re moving closer to being comfortable in our skin.

SELF-LOVE 101: It has been a journey to love myself. I didn’t like my skin colour; I didn’t like my size. You grow up thinking that you’re okay and then one day all of these external influences come in and tell you that you’re too dark, or you’re too fat or too tall, or that you’re just not what everyone deems as beautiful. In my own way, I’ve had to learn to reacquaint myself with myself and modelling has helped me do that. I know people think that modelling creates a lot of these issues but it’s actually helped grow my self-esteem because it’s forced me to look in the mirror and learn to first of all, recognise what I have, see myself and also normalise what I have. It’s very easy to go through life and not really look at yourself. It’s important to be able to stand in the mirror naked and look at what you are. As a model you have to look at yourself all the time: you have to get used to your thighs, get used to your tummy, get used to everything! You have to look at your body and say ‘you are me, and I am I and we’re going to have to work together.’ I had to accept that this is what I look like, take it or leave it. Through doing what I do, I’ve learnt to look in the mirror honestly and not think about what everyone else thinks when they see me; but actually work on gathering my own idea of how I feel when I see me. It’s been a journey.

ON THE LACK OF BEAUTY ADVICE FOR WOMEN OF COLOUR: It’s 2016 but you still don’t see it covered in mass media. To be honest, a lot of the mainstream beauty brands don’t have products for dark skin so there isn’t much for beauty journalists to talk about so it’s one big cycle. YouTube has been so powerful in that sense. I love people like Jennie Jenkins and Jamie and Nikki who have opened things up, giving tutorials and product recommendations for women with black skin. I’ve learned a lot about beauty from the make-up artists I work with on shoots but a lot of what I know has come from YouTube because it’s accessible and relatable to me.

ON SKINCARE: I don’t use a toner or a cleanser. I live by the mantra, ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’ I’ve been lucky in having pretty good skin. My mum, my dad and my sisters have beautiful skin. The constant travelling and modelling has effected mine so it’s not as good as it used to be but I’m lucky that I have good skin genetically. I drink a lot of water so that helps and I absolutely love black soap and shea butter. I get them directly from Ghana.


Philomena KwaoTHE PRODUCTS SHE SWEARS BY: I’m a huge fan of Kevyn Aucoin’s Skin Enhancers in 15 and 16. I absolutely love them. I use them under the eyes and around my mouth to remove dark circles. Sacha Cosmetics has this beautiful setting powder that I love. Everyone went crazy for the Ben Nye one but it was a bit too yellow for me because I have very red, cool undertones. But the Sacha Buttercup setting powder is perfect. I also love MAC blushes. Raisin and Fever are huge favourites of mine. I also love Nars’s Exhibit A. It’s a very orange blush, which helps brighten up dark skin tones. The ebony bronzer from Queen Latifah for Cover Girl Cosmetics is amazing – I love it. And I also use Fashion Fair’s Deep Powder as a contour over powder. For eye makeup, I swear by Rimmel London. For dark skin, depending on your undertone, the UK is seriously lacking. Most beauty brands stop their colours quite light, so it’s a real struggle, especially for foundations and things like that. MAC is good and Lancôme, Chanel and Dior are getting better but it’s still difficult.

HER HAIR JOURNEY: I’ve had my hair like this for about five years now. I just woke up one day and decided to cut it off. I think people thought I was having a Britney moment but I was just bored and wanted to try something new. My hair is very coarse and dry – I think it’s the coarsest, driest afro you could find. I don’t know anyone else with hair like mine. It doesn’t really have a curl, it’s more of a zig zag. I have to wash it almost every day because it needs the water but it’s not a harsh wash; I have a really light shampoo that is more cleansing than a wash. I love to put shea butter in my hair and there’s a cream I love called T44Z that I use every day. I’ve had lots of hair issues recently due to stress and it started falling out so I’ve been using that and it’s been amazing. After I cut my hair short, it really was a process of learning what my hair wants and needs. But more than anything, my hair is healthy when I’m healthy, eating right and working out.

QT OVER ANYTHING: I like working out and I do reformer Pilates at Brooklyn Pilates. I just love to move and dance. Being fit and healthy though, isn’t just about your body. I’m a big believer that it’s also about your mind. I like to cleanse my mind. I love spending time with my family at home in London. Even though it might mean travelling all that way for only a few days, I always do it because I’ve realised that being around your loved ones is a way of recharging. Maintaining relationships when you’re always on the go and travelling is hard and it costs a lot but the value of the love I get from the people around me is worth much more than anything else so it’s my number one priority. So I would turn down a job or leave New York if I don’t have to be here so I can go home and see everyone. All of that makes me feel happy and healthy.

ON THE FUTURE: I don’t think I’ll ever be an international policy maker – I’ve just been modelling for so long that I just don’t know how I’d be able to get back into that world. But I do appreciate the platform that modelling has given me. I feel like now, I can go to a country like Nigeria or Ghana and really use the platform that modelling has given me, but fused with the knowledge that my education did. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to work with the UN on healthcare. That’s partly why I look up to people like Angelina Jolie. She’s really harnessed her celebrity to go to other countries and draw attention to issues like rape and FGM. I feel like I have a sense of responsibility. I’ve been given an incredible opportunity to talk for a lot of women who haven’t perhaps had their voices heard so I’m very careful to make sure I do conduct myself in a way that I feel is very representative of me and also the women I represent. And I also try and use every opportunity to try and raise attention to issues like colourism and the lack of dark skinned beauty in the industry.