OLAKEMI

From tomboy to finalist: Olakemi's journey

Olakemi, who hails from Nigeria, says when she entered the Ms Curvaceous UK 2013 competition, she decided to swap her soccer boots for a pair of stiletto heels.

The 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) model, who lives in London, is a UK size 16 says she grew up being quite into sports and was ‘tom-boyish’, and struggled with learning how to walk in heels. She fought her way to stay in the competition and eventually made it into the final five.

Olakemi also started a viral movement, known as Plus Is Diverse, where she advocated for models from different backgrounds to be used in modelling campaigns, so there was equal representation.

British-Nigerian plus size model with a larger-than-life personality, Olakemi Obi, chuckles gregariously as she recalls the first time she heard about the Ms Curvaceous Modelling competition for plus size models.

"It was in 2012, Instagram grew quite big, and everybody was always posting pictures. So I was one of those who would love to put pictures on Instagram. Then one of the representatives from Ms Curvaceous DM’d me on Instagram, and they were like, 'Oh, you should enter this modelling competition. You'd be great.' You know, just trying to win me over, but I ignored it."

But before the auditions ended, Olakemi changed her mind and decided that she wanted to explore the possibility of entering the competition. 

This decision proved to be fateful. Soon after, she received a call notifying her she had been selected from hundreds of audition attendees to be part of the final 20 contestants. From that moment onwards, she says her journey with modelling began. However, what was easy for models in the competition, proved to be one of her biggest obstacles:

"I was a tomboy and hadn't worn heels much before, so it was quite new to me. I found myself thinking, 'What am I even doing here? I'm not going to be able to make it.'"

She says growing up she was sporty and grew up mainly playing football and netball. Realising how far behind she was with her walking technique, the skilled team of modelling professionals Ms Curvaceous gave her access to, such as the catwalk choreographer, Reuben P Joseph, Olakemi, dedicated the next few weeks to practicing her catwalk.

"They offered us a lot of support, training rehearsals and so on. In the end, I ended up making it to the final five, which was shocking to me considering I hadn't worn heels, much-done catwalks, and anything like that before."

Olakemi faced one more internal hurdle she needed help overcoming before she could go on and start her journey as a model:

“I stopped modelling after the Ms Curvaceous competition ended. I wondered if there was any point in me pursuing this. But eventually, I snapped out of it because Ms Curvaceous founder Theo Ilori kept reminding me of my potential and how I shouldn't give up. After that, I realised that there's no point just having potential and not living in that potential.”

Today, Olakemi is arguably among the UK's most notable plus size figures. Her impressive catalogue includes brands like Disney, Africa Fashion Week, Plus Size Fashion Week UK, Plus Size Fashion Week Africa, Scarlett and Jo, Ashanti Swimwear, Regal Gold Boutique, JPKouture London, Boohoo, Grass-Fields, Pretty Little thing, Allure Bridals and In The Style. She also is a YouTuber with over 16 000 subscribers. She has appeared in many popular media publications, such as Vogue UK, Sky News, Essence Magazine, Parade Magazine and the Daily Express UK.

She credits Ms Curvaceous with her modelling foundations and for inspiring her to start Plus Is Diverse, which advocates for diversity in the modelling space. They actively campaign for equal representation of models from all nationalities in the industry.

"I was pushing for diversity and inclusion in the plus size industry and not just size but colour. I feel colour also plays a big part. I could be wrong, but it felt like if there were ever going to be a black plus size model booked for a job, it would usually be the lighter-skinned toned black woman. So with Plus Is Diverse, I try to push for racial diversity amongst us as women to show that there are so many different women of ethnic backgrounds who are also plus size, and everyone deserves to see someone that looks like them."

She advises anyone hoping to model to leverage the power of social media. She also adds counsel to these aspiring models to keep trying, even in the face of rejection. From her own experience, Olakemi says it's essential to stay consistent, especially in the early stages of starting, even without an agency.

"The only thing is that sometimes people hear a ‘no’, which makes them give up. They need to continue, and whether a modelling agency says yes or no, these days because of social media, you can get booked for jobs without an agency. I didn't have an agency for years, and I still got a lot of jobs. Like, some of my biggest jobs were without an agency. So definitely push using your social media wisely, being consistent, and connecting with people in that industry. Photographers, other models, networking, going to events, and so on, is what I would say for anyone trying to get into that industry and that career."