My Interview with Natural Sparkle Magazine

I am honoured to finally share my interview with Natural Sparkle Magazine with you guys.  Unfortunately it is only published in print so I have taken a photo of it but for ease I have included the interview for you to read here..

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m Kat, I’m a 34 year old mother of one (16 year old daughter; Mya) I work for a top law firm in London but outside of work, I am a plus size model, a co-founder of The Rubenesque Effect, a lifestyle and fashion blogger and a BOOSTfit fitness instructor which takes up all of my free time!  I am also a wedding singer; I come from a very musical family.  I went to the BRIT School of Performing Arts and I adore dancing.  I am passionate about promoting body confidence and spend a lot of time reaching out to women with low self esteem, I am also an ambassador for Ms Curvaceous UK; a modelling competition within the plus size industry.

Was this your first experience of the pageant world?

No, I actually took part in my first pageant in 2015, which I won.  I was crowned Ms British Beauty Curve 2015/16.  

I then went on to compete in United Kingdom Galaxy in March 2017, in which I placed within the top 10.

So you clearly have caught pageant fever, what makes pageants so important to you?

A lot of people don’t understand pageants. Many people assume that it’s all about “World Peace” and it’s all superficial but I couldn’t disagree more.  As cliché as it may sound, pageants have genuinely changed my life.  I was in an extremely dark place a few years ago and if you had ever have said to me that in 5 years I would be on a stage competing in a pageant, I would have laughed at you.  I have experienced such camaraderie; I have made unique friendships with people that I will most likely spend the rest of my life with. Women who are more than friends, some are like family.  Pageant girls want to make a difference in the world, we all have different platforms and every fellow pageant sister I have encountered is passionate and driven and seeing that inner beauty radiate out is wonderful thing. As different as we all may be, we all have a very common love for donning a beautiful gown and sashaying around a stage.

What do you love most about competing?

The dresses, oh the dresses!  I adore gowns...I am already planning my next gown!  I love the run up to the pageant, appearances are so much fun.  Getting to promote the pageant, talking to people about what you’re doing and spreading the word is a really important part of my pageant prep. With all that being said nothing beats actually being up on stage. Coming from a performance background I love being able to strut my stuff up there, it’s where I really come alive.

You have just recently been crowned with the title of Ms International Curve 2017/18, Congratulations!  What does it feel like to be crowned as one of their first queens?

Thank you, it’s not really sunk in yet to be honest, it almost doesn’t feel real.  It’s a huge responsibility to be one of the first queens. I want to use this title to reach out to women all over the world to get them involved in the pageant world.  I have two very important charities which I will be working with over the next year and I hope to launch my own body confidence campaign too in the near future.

Miss International Curve is specifically a plus sized pageant, why do you think it’s necessary to have pageants specifically for plus size ladies?

Women regardless of their size suffer with low self confidence.  Many plus size women seem lack the confidence to be able to compete in mainstream pageant systems.  I remember before I competed I felt inferior, like I wasn’t good enough to take part in something so glamorous.  Competing in a plus size pageant boosted my confidence tenfold, being surrounded by women who looked just like made me feel worthy.  For some women getting up on stage and putting on makeup and a dress is miles out of their comfort zones.  I have seen women with zero confidence emerge like a butterfly shedding their cocoon; it’s such an empowering thing to see.  Competing in a mainstream pageant wasn’t nearly as scary as I had imagined. The women were so beautifully inspiring and kind.  It was such an amazing experience to be welcomed into the pageant world with open arms regardless of my shape and size. However, I do think that had I not competed in Miss British Beauty Curve (which is also a plus size pageant system) I wouldn’t have had the guts to compete in Galaxy and that that is why I think plus size pageants are important too.  It gives plus ladies the chance to grow their own confidence and once they begin to love themselves they may find the mainstream pageant systems less daunting.

What tips would you give to someone who has never competed in a pageant but would like to try it?

Just do it... You won’t regret it.  Life is way too short to live life with “what if’s” If you want to try something don’t let anything or anyone hold you back.  Be yourself and let your inner beauty shine through.

Written by Emma Patrick for Natural Sparkle Magazine

Photo Credits to Miss International Curve, Nine Inc. Photography, Monsignor Photographic, HJS Photography and Nu-Perspective Photography