PhotograPhy:
Kgotatso Masoabi for Instagram/Thickleeyonce, Instagram/Yasmin Furmie,
Instagram/Sthandiwe Msomi-Kgoroge, Wayne Rust for Instagram/Valencia BogdanovićValencia Bogdanović
Born and raised in Durban, blogger and
cosmetologist Valencia Bogdanović is on a
mission to take her city and the world by storm
as an advocate for confi dence and self-love.have you alWays been
a confidant person?
Growing up, I struggled to love or
believe in myself. This stemmed from
being a hairy girl who was bullied
throughout my schooling career. I
went through an internal battle with
my feelings of self-worth. My outlook
began to change when I started to
work abroad on cruise ships – I needed
to appear confi dent, so I acted it
out. Eventually, I began to live out my
confi dence. It’s not always easy, and
I have to constantly shift my thinking
to one of positivity fi rst.What role did your
culture play When
eXposed to the media’s
portrayal of What an
ideal body type is?
The westernised media I was exposed
to depicted women as beautiful when
they were dressed in as little as
possible with slim waists, long legs
and fl awless bodies. However, our
home was more conservative and my
parents didn’t see that as ideal, so we
weren’t always allowed to follow these
trends. In the same way, traditionalIndian media portrayed fl awless,
light-skinned women with perfect
silky hair. This seemed unachievable
and a misrepresentation of the
everyday Indian girl. We grew up in
two media cultures, neither of which
represented what a normal woman
looked like.hoW has your culture
and heritage influenced
your definition of
inclusive beauty noW?
When I was younger, many aspects of
my culture weren’t inclusive, and
unfortunately this still holds true
today in some Indian communities.
Personally, I’ve had to break the
barrier of the stereotypes that are
used to paint Indian women by
accepting my inherited features and
traits. I hope that by doing this I’ll be
able to forge a path to help many
women accept their natural beauty.What does being south
african mean to you?
We’re fortunate to live in such a
diverse and beautiful country. I’m
proud to be a part of such a dynamicand multicultural society that exposes
us to so many diff erent faces of what
true beauty and culture really is. And
thanks to the diverse nature of our
society, there’s a place for all of us.
I personally feel a sense of belonging
to this land and within this society.What societal beauty
stereotypes do you
think need to change?
That the colour of your skin makes
you more beautiful, that stretch marks
are a sign of being damaged, and the
non-acceptance of body and facial
hair.Why are you proud
to be part of the
#shoWus campaign?
I love that Dove is taking a stand
to represent women who currently
aren’t represented in the media. It’s
great to see that they’re venturing into
new territory and shifting society’s
perception of beauty. It’s true and
authentic, and it’s fi nally giving
women all over the world a voice.“I’m proud to be a part
of such a dynamic and
multicultural society
that exposes us to so
many different faces”