FARAI CHIDEYA, host:
Beauty doesn't always translate between cultures, and models have to make some decisions about how to present themselves in different markets. Freida Shapopi is the face of Karama Umuntu, meaning she represents the magazine in promotions. She started modeling at home in Namibia, but she moved to London a few years ago to kick start her career.
Ms. FREIDA SHAPOPI (International Model): Beauty to me, in general, is about having a good personality, having manners and just being who you are, really, and not trying to be something that you're not or somebody you're not.
CHIDEYA: Well, there's another kind of beauty - the physical kind, which you possessed. And there's a saying - truth is beauty and beauty truth - that beauty can transcend just being the physical, which is a bit of what you talked about. But there's something about the symmetry of certain people's faces and bodies, the way they present themselves that makes us want to be like them or, at least, appreciate them. How do you deal with the fact that you're one of those people?
Ms. SHAPOPI: Well, to start with it's an honor for people to think that I am one of those people who, you know, kind of perfect, but it's got its own ups and downs as well. Sometimes, you know, you get some people giving you really good compliments that, well, you know, you're good looking and stuff like that. But sometimes, you get some people who are not, you know, they do appreciate how you look like, but they don't tell you in the nicest way that you actually look good. So instead of like giving you a compliment, they're actually make you feel that you're doing something wrong by being who you are. So it can go both ways.
CHIDEYA: Give me an example of that. Give me an example of how someone might approach you when they're giving you kind of a backhanded compliment about how you look or they're insecure about how you look.
Ms. SHAPOPI: It will start with - I am five-foot-eleven girl. So sometimes, some people feel very intimidated by my height. So some people will come up to you, oh, you're really tall, haven't you? You know, like, in a nasty way. But, yeah, I know I'm tall but so what? There's nothing I can do. But some people will come up to you and they were like, oh, aren't you lovely and tall. You know, it makes all the difference in how a person say it.
CHIDEYA: So you had already been modeling on the continent of Africa. How was it different to model in Africa, I don't know whether you just did it in Namibia or other countries as well, and then just start modeling in the U.K.?
Ms. SHAPOPI: I came to England and there are big agencies that very picky with their models. Sometimes not because, you know, you can do the job but simply of - sometimes they'll feel(ph) color, which can be a pain.
CHIDEYA: What about the issue of size? There are many African models, whether for products or more general interest models, who are what we would call in the U.S. plus sized, but in the continent of Africa, they're just considered beautiful. When you go back to the continent, do you ever get people saying, oh, you're too thin?
Ms. SHAPOPI: Definitely. Coming from, obviously, Africa, they like the big women. They think that's how an African woman should be. Should have, you know, a big body. But unfortunately for me, my parents don't really have the big genes kind of things that I took over from them. I'm tall, slim, and that's how we are in the family. So there's not really much I can do about that.
CHIDEYA: Do you ever feel like you get an advantage because you're beautiful?
Ms. SHAPOPI: I get the advantage of being helped out by, basically, most of the people. I mean, if I'm carrying something heavy down the road and, you know, there comes a guy and they would, obviously, like run up to you and say, well, you know, do you need a hand? And, you know, they'll tell you how beautiful you are and stuff like that. And sometimes, it's good; sometimes it's a bit annoying.
Sometimes I can, you know, go in the shop and basically say, well, that's a bit too expensive, can I have a bargain? Or, you know, can I have it half price, and sometimes actually people do agree to give it to you and just because you smiled with them and stuff like that. So it's quite good.
CHIDEYA: No doubt it's quite good. Freida, thank you.
Ms. SHAPOPI: Yeah, thank you.
CHIDEYA: Freida Shapopi is an international model from Namibia. She currently lives in London. She's also the face of Karama Umuntu magazine. You can read more about the magazine at our Web site, nprnewsandnotes.org.
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