Lala Tshabalala inspires Mzansi to love the skin they’re in
As we celebrate another edition of Women Crush Wednesday,
Lala Tshabalala chats to Carol Ofori about her mission to inspire the nation.
Lala Tshabalala is a powerhouse of a woman. Affectionately known as Mzansi’s Queen of Cellulite City aka Miss Fatty Cakes, Lala has made waves as a body activist, plus size model, and as a businesswoman, where she is the CEO and designer of Neriah Swimwear and clothing.
Lala is all about loving positivity and hopes to inspire South African women to fall in love with the body that they have and not be embarrassed by society’s expectations on women.
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“I am 31 now and I went through a period in my life up until I was 26 where wearing swimwear was so daunting. I was so aware of what other people thought of me and I lived in a shell,” Lala tells Carol on how her journey to loving her body started. “When I finally got the courage to pursue my body love journey, which I always say is a choice you have to make, it was so rewarding for me. It’s so rewarding to finally know that your opinion about yourself is the only one that matters.”
Lala explains that although she does get a lot of hate on her social media platforms, it’s important for her to look past that and focus on her own journey. “There is nothing anyone can say to me that I haven’t already said to myself,” Lala says. “Again, when you come to terms that the only opinion about yourself which matters is your own, it is the most freeing thing ever. I find that people who leave mean messages on other people’s platforms are usually dealing with their own demons, own insecurities, own sense of body shaming, and I couldn’t be bothered about their opinions.”
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A good circle of friends is something that Lala says is so important when you do embark on your body love journey because people will always have something to say. “I am comforted by the fact that the people that I call friends and who love me are people who would never talk to me like that and I would never talk to them like that.”
Hear more of Lala’s inspiring conversation with Carol here:
For more unmissable Carol Ofori moments, listen here: