STAFF REPORTER
“I develop my strength and my light from the inside out,” said the very wise 15-year-old Reneiloe Mathebula. But this positive attitude didn’t come without its hardships. The budding model and actress, who is slowly skyrocketing to success, was often bullied for being overweight.
“I was bullied because I was a little more curved than normal girls. Well, according to society standards. I was often labelled as fat. I was the big girl. People, adults too, were quick to pass comments that I should stop eating take-aways, that I should go to gym, or I should diet and so on. I was told that certain clothing was for certain people. That my body was not cut for certain clothing. I was often told that I could never be a model or be on TV because I am too fat. This caused me immense pain and trauma. I always did my best, but I soon realised that the most important thing I could do was to love myself the way I am. To be happy with the way God created me and only after that did things begin to fall into place,” she said.
In the past, the fair representation of women’s shapes, sizes and skin tones in the media was rare and the world’s standard of beauty has long been debated.
As Mathebula is stepping into the limelight and finding her place in the world, so too is the world’s understanding of beauty and body diversity evolving. What was once recognised as a ‘flaw’, is the exact same feature that is propelling the young starling to new heights.
In her aim to change the narrative, she said, “I want to propose a new term, ‘curvey’. Not plus size. The term ‘plus’ before the word size, suggests that you have additional size outside of the norm. When we use the term ‘curvey', it describes a body shape without discriminating.”
The aspiring actress has dreamt about being in front of the camera since she was a little girl and with great determination, work ethic and an extremely supportive mom, the youngster is slowly making it happen.
Mathebula made her debut as a commercial model when she was chosen to star in a music video for international superstar, Tyla.
“Being booked to feature in Tyla’s music video was an experience that showed me that the world is indeed my playground. It gave me perspective on how much we are worth and valuable to the right people at the right time. I have always believed in my capabilities but trusting that I could reach levels beyond limitations, no I did not. That became clearer to me after the music video.”
Come end February, Mathebula will have the opportunity to perform for agents from AMDA College and will also have the opportunity to participate in their Acting for Film and Television Masterclass.
She was also recently scouted at the International Arts Talent Showcase (IATS) by Voloney White, President of the Universal Actors Sessions, and will be attending their sessions in Los Angeles in June of this year.