Meir Kay
Tell me, what are some tips to be a better model?
“There is really no tips to it, your just born with it.”
Did you as a young child want to be a model? Was that a dream?
“I was actually a Kenyan national champion in 400 meters. But that was before two kids.”
So you’re a mom, you’re a supermodel and you’re a founder of City Models Africa, a branch of City Models, the well-known Paris-based modelling agency. How do you do it?
“I don’t know, I just have to, I mean you just grow up and you gotta. You gotta stabilize your life.”
What are some of your highlights from your career?
“Oh gosh, Victoria Secret. That’s what every girl dreams of doing, and I did that. I was, I am Vivienne Westwood’s muse. she is a fantastic designer as well.”
What was one of the hardest moments in your career and you pushed through, what got you through that?
“I think what I always say is that it’s my upbringing. There is a way African kids are brought up that makes you get tough skin.”
“To Catch a Dream”, Tell me about that.
“I have been modeling for a while and people have been saying. Oh, you know? You should try it, to act. And I am like, no. I’m just such a bad actress.
You know. And my friends decided they were gonna do something. Like this acting thing “To Catch a Dream”, and I decided, why not give it a go. It’s just me and my group of friends. So it worked out quite… people seemed to like it.”
What drew you to that story? Is it something that touched you?
“These are stories I had been told as a kid. These fantasies. These are fantasies that we’ve been told by my grandparents, you know. So to actually act it out was quite amazing, because I don’t know, it’s just what we’ve been told since we were children. These folk stories.”
Could you briefly tell us what that story is about?
“So it’s about me and my husband is haunting me, Gustaf. So we go through some traditional, what do you call it? Remedies to get rid of him. Which takes me through a journey. Where in the end, of course, I do get rid of him.”
Tell me more about this movement #LoveYourBlack.
״Growing up I was teased because of my skin tone. I’m pretty dark. Here in Kenya, the lighter you are, the more attractive you are. So a lot of people go around bleaching their skin which is, there are a lot of health issues that come with that. And also it doesn’t look good, you know? It’s not healthy. They would rather walk around with blemishes and weird skin. They are not confident in their own skin. So I had quite a hard time growing up, you know?
With my confidence, self esteem. I mean, which I didn’t really show. I am not that kind of girl. I always keep it cool, but of course inside you know, was bad, was killing me inside. So I took it out through sports, I was very tomboyish. I was the captain of all the sport teams so, I mean I took the attention away from that.”
You vented your energy into that.
״Yes, anyways, so what I did now, I became this model where all of a sudden I am beautiful. You know, I mean I was on Times Square, I was on you know, magazines. On TV, everywhere. And all of a sudden I came back home and everyone now thinks I’m beautiful, right?
So I am using that to just encourage the younger generation, you know?Or anybody who’s like, anyone who had been put down. Because their skin is dark, you know? So normally, I go around schools, I bring kids here from schools. The ones who are like being bullied or who are having a hard time.״
You bring them here with you?
״Yes. They come here with me, just a little group. We talk about our problems, what we have been through. I open up to them, what I have been through. When I was little, also when I was growing up in school. And also, and then we do makeup, we make them up. And then we go into the studio and we shoot them. Then I teach them how to walk, you know just to boost their confidence. So they go out of here feeling good. Which is quite satisfying. That’s amazing, they carry that with them throughout their whole life.״
Love your Black. Even light, even brown… Every color, all shades of blacks are beautiful.
Yes, #Loveyourblack
Spread the message!
“Yes yes yes Love your Black. Even light, even brown…
Every color, all shades of blacks are beautiful.
Thank you so much for being such an amazing role model.
You are truly beautiful inside and out.
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