Pretty Little Thing & Curvy Kate Campaigns | Body Diversity & Representation

Hello, my beautiful Pelican Lovers,

How are you all? I hope you are enjoying the last bit of our summer. Can you even believe we are already heading towards the end of the year! It is so scary how time flies and it just goes to show we must never take things for granted. Life is too short.  I have heard through the grapevine however that we are due a last heatwave. Praying it happens! Vitamin D is good for me.

I thought I would give you a little insight into some of the campaigns I have worked on recently. One was Pretty Little Thing and the other was my first ever time behind the camera this time as creative director for Curvy Kate.

Pretty Little Thing Unfiltered Swim Campaign

Where can I begin, this was an absolute dream come true for me. I got to work with PRETTY LITTLE THING! Can you believe it? So, my model booker contacted me and said I had a casting for PLT to which I was like oh my goodness my prayers have manifested. I was a little nervous as there were two casting days. My casting was at Pretty Little Thing HQ in Manchester. When I got there, I answered a series of questions about what self-love means to me and then I had to dance to my favourite song, I picked my karaoke song… ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ – Hairspray. Yeah, I love that song, I really do get into the character of Tracey. I then got a call a few days later saying I had the job. When I tell you, I cried – no seriously I balled my eyes out.  I just could not believe I had been picked for Pretty Little Thing. They had never used a woman like me with scars all down her belly before so it was such a big thing for me, and I just couldn’t believe I was chosen to be one of the 6 girls. I was then told I would be flying to Puglia in Italy for the shoot – could it get any better!

Flying was a very scary thing for me because it was my first time flying since covid. I am also a very nervous flyer so on top of that my stress levels and anxiety was high. I got to the airport wearing gloves which I changed at every section, a mask and visor and a whole load of Dettol and sanitiser. I was prepared. I had such an amazing group of people around me who I connected with instantly and they honestly put me at ease on the flight.

When we got to Italy and to the amazing hotel, we got to chill by the pool all day and have dinner in the evening ahead of shoot day the next day. When I tell you this shoot was really the trip of a lifetime! It was amazing. I was so lucky because all the gorgeous girls I worked with I connected with like we had been friends forever, we really were the perfect bunch of women to be put together. Terri, Joy, Imogen, Zoe & Tallulah – QUEENS.  Every single person on the PLT team was also amazing. I just want to shout out the gorgeous Lauren who was videographer because she really put her whole heart into this campaign alongside Daniel creative director and it was just amazing! They absolutely smashed it. The hairstylists, MUAs, James –  they all smashed it and we looked amazing. This campaign was Pretty Little Thing’s first-ever campaign where nothing was edited, and I can vouch for that because my bruises from my Azizaphrine were still in all the photos.

It meant so much to me, not only that I was able to rep my fellow scar and IBD sisters but also because they showed all of me for who I am. This is me; this is my body, and I am enough. I am truly so grateful for the opportunity they presented to me, and it meant so much and if you had told me in the darkest times of my life that I would have worked for PLT I would have laughed and said *Cher from clueless voice* “AS IF”. I truly hope to continue working with them to help continue breaking stigmas and to show brands are changing, and not using models like me for just the tick list. I never realised until I became a model with a disability what it was like for us on the other side. Thank you so much to PLT for taking a chance on me and having me in their amazing campaign.

See more: PLT Unfiltered Swim Campaign

Curvy Kate

So, this campaign I worked on not as a model this time but as creative director for 5 amazing Queens. They entered a competition to model alongside the Queen who is Jackie Adedeji, as women who have never or haven’t worn a bikini in a while. I was super excited and honoured to be asked to be a part of this campaign, my passion is empowering and helping women so I couldn’t wait. When I heard all these amazing women’s stories tears literally came to my eyes because I just was in awe of how amazing and strong these ladies were.

Every single woman on this campaign started a little bit nervous and ended like absolute rock stars!  Doing this not only touched me so much but also showed me how much I also love working behind the camera as a director, seeing things come together is just beautiful. I wanted to write a personal little message to each of these queens:

Jackie – You are just such a beautiful soul, and I had no clue you had never worn a bikini until you said that day of the shoot. The reason why is because you have such a strong, loud, confident personality it just would never have crossed my mind. Just goes to show you can never tell by just looking at a person. Please continue to be you and never change.

Rachel – I am so proud of you, doing it for every woman who has had the scary news of breast cancer. You are a survivor and proof to any lady out there suffering from cancer right now that life can continue, and you can still do the things you want, and nothing can stop you. If anything, it makes you stronger.

Tajinder – As an Indian woman I know how scary this campaign would have been for you and the fact you choose to still do it and break stigmas in the Asian community is just amazing! That takes such strength and courage and you did it! I am so proud of you and I know you will encourage and inspire other brown girls to do the same.

Sarah – You are just divine; I am so proud that you did this campaign and I hope you can now see what we can all see in you – BEAUTY. Your body is beautiful every inch and so are you so start believing it.

Eloise– You have blossomed so much, from wanting to leave the shoot to literally becoming a Rockstar and slaying the shoot! I really want you to know how proud I am of you and your journey, and I hope you realise you are so beautiful, you, your body shape and everything Is perfect just the way it is.

Sophie – What an incredible soul you are. I hope now you can look in the mirror with love. I hope now you can unleash all that self-doubt and guilt you felt for something that was beyond your control. I hope you realise you are the definition of badass and bravery, and I am in awe of you. A true survivor and I am proud to say I know you.

Before I go, I just want to say one thing. I am proof you can achieve your dreams. These gorgeous women I have worked with are proof you can overcome your biggest fears even if you do not think you can. There is no such word as can’t and I hope you can tell yourself how beautiful, worthy, and capable you are every day.  I believe in you, so believe in you too!

Until next time my gorgeous friends.

Love

Natalie-Amber x

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