WANA WANA,ONA NWACHUKWU, GLORY EDOZIEN & DAMOLA LADEJOBI BARE IT ALL ON THE BODIFIDENCE ISSUE OF GENEVIEVE MAGAZINE

In the age where it is easy to feign perfection through filters and airbrushing, there is an epidemic of self-confidence especially among young women who do not match up to these perfect images tossed around by the media. That is why we have chosen 4 incredible women who Get Real about their body confidence struggles!

Onah Nwachukwu, Editor True Tales Publications on living with a squint for most of her life.Wana Udobang, Poet, Writer, Filmmaker, who is heavily criticised for being plus sized. Glory Edozien, talk show host, on living with psoriasiis for the rest of her life and finally, Damola Ladejobi, Nutritionist, whose disease led to a major lifestyle change.

They bare their struggles and their journey to finding Bodifidence.

Damola Ladejobi



You have clearly become the poster girl for weight loss. Can you share your experience dealing with your pre weight loss body?

I honestly never had issues with my weight because I felt I was okay with the weight. Until I had issues with my health.

Can u expand on the details of the condition you were diagnosed with that made you decide to shed the layers?

I was diagnosed with GERD… (GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE). At the entrance of the stomach is a valve called the lower esophageal sphincter. Whenever food passes through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), it closes. When the (LES) does not close properly or opens often, acid produced from the stomach can move up into your esophagus. This can cause symptoms such as burning chest pain. If acid reflux happens more than twice a week, you have acid reflux disease, which is known as GERD.

This is so painful and uncomfortable. I went to seek medical help and after having 3 endoscopies done, I was told that one of the ways it could be treated was by changing my diet and lifestyle. I immediately tried to figure out a dietary and shedding plan.

If you weren’t diagnosed with GERD would you have made the decision to shed weight?

Oh yes I would because I love to look very hot. Like the saying goes “you are addressed the way you are dressed and with the excess weight I wasn’t looking as hot as I wanted to look. I wasn’t happy looking at the mirror because I wasn’t happy with the way I looked.so one way or the other I would have still made the decision to shed the weight

Can u detail for us how your bodifidence grew after the weight loss?

When I was diagnosed with GERD, the condition was so uncomfortable and embarrassing. and when I looked into shedding some weight and changing my diet and lifestyle. i realized that i could go about my daily activities confidently without getting embarrassed when i am talking to somebody and I’m burping constantly and releasing gas from my mouth. I can make a public speech without having to burp and other GERD symptoms. And this really helped with my bodifidence.



Wana Wana



What would you say to Egypt State TV that requires all their female presenters to get on a diet before they can be allowed on TV?

It is quite sad but at the same time, some people would say to you that those are the rules of that establishment. The hope is that in the spheres that we influence, we can all start to expand the scope of beauty and ultimately deemphasize it, so we can just be about the work,doing it well and creating an impact and a legacy. At the end of our cycle on this planet all we leave are footprints and i hope that we don’t rob people of those opportunities.

You are a very intelligent woman. Do you sometimes feel frustrated that the world cares less about the beauty of your mind?

I personally don’t get frustrated but I get a little worried because of the impressionable young girls who are accosted by these ideals and theories who end up believing that this is what should be. I think there are different groups within the world that value different things. For me I always see it as a space to pioneer and create something new outside of a status quo. I think we in the media have to ensure that different kinds of women and different narratives are visible.

There are tons of people who have made the decision to shed the layers, is there a reason why you have chosen love your body regardless?

For me, my priority is to be and stay healthy. This means that I have no interest in fad diets or any unsustainable measures. This doesn’t mean that i have any right to chastise those who are share an interest in those measures. But I have been through many of those situations when I was much younger and found that the yoyo effect was detrimental to my mental health and my self esteem. So what is key for me is to stay on a sustainable path. Essentially what I am trying to say is that I am constantly working at achieving my own ideal body weight and sustaining it. This for me isn’t a one off project but the rest of my life. So I love my body and i am always working on shedding any excess kilograms.

Glory Edozien





Developing psoriasis in your 20s is not an easy thing to deal with as a woman. In what ways did this affect your bodifidence?

It certainly wasn’t easy. It made me feel extremely self conscious and ugly at first. I would look at other women with clear skin and feel like I didn’t measure up as a woman or even a person. Your twenties should really be a time for having fun and being carefree. In many ways it was difficult for me to do that. I remember not being able to wear a skirt for over 7 years. That definitely would take a toll on anyone mentally, physically and emotionally. For many years I lived mentally in a place of self doubt, self loathing, depression and feeling like no one would ever love or accept me.

But I am in a very different place now and I have learnt to measure myself using completely different standards. Having psoriasis really has made me a stronger and much more beautiful person.

Do you think bodifidence issues are fuelled by the media’s unrealistic standards of beauty? Do you have a personal story?

Yes and no. the media does enforce the slimmer is better narrative that is for sure. But women must understand that they have a multiplicity of choices. You can choose what you listen to, read and watch because there are alternatives to mainstream media which show the diversity of the feminine form. Women every where are learning to embrace their bodies despite the images we see. That is why I am a self professed speaker and preacher on self love and confidence for women. Because the more women are brave enough to embrace who they are not just in private or as a self defense mechanism, the more we can change mainstream perceptions and show women that there is acceptance in diversity.

Did you ever/ Do you desire a body different from what you have now?

I am a woman, so off course, I have parts of my body I wish looked different. My Christian mother arms for one. I constantly wish for Michelle Obama arms! Plus I look forward to being completely Psoriasis Free.

Ona Nwachukwu



As a child when did you first become aware of your body and looks?

I would say I was about 19 when I became aware of my body. A friend once teased me that I had the body of a developing child at that age. I was quite skinny for a very long time you see. As for my looks, honestly speaking I don’t remember . I do know that even at age 8, I was already getting teased about the way my eyes looked.

Would you say you were a confident child growing up? Were you bullied or teased?

I was quite confident actually, I never remembered that I had a squint. As for being teased, I was teased a lot. There were times when children sang after me, ‘bendy bendy eye oh, here no be road oh’. Much to their lack of knowledge,having a squint doesn’t mean you can’t see: I often say kids are the meanest being. I think it’s because they do not know any better. I have 20/20 vision(at least I did until my late 30s).

Can you share the story about the squint?

I think the teasing did not hurt much as a child. There were two occasions where I felt bad and these happened as an adult. I was well into my late 30s. I was at a party once, and after being introduced I proceeded to mingle. A guest was ready to leave and he said goodnight to everyone shaking hands and hugging, then when he got to me, I smiled to say good night but instead he made weird eyes and waved then left. The host was so embarrassed.

The second was during a shoot, my cover personality was mimicking crossed eyes, not realising I was behind her (have you tried to make crossed eyes, you can’t see) anyway, I had just walked up to direct the next look, much to my surprise, I was being mimicked by the celebrity and her friend who was with her was laughing. She – the friend then saw me and quickly walked away to sit down. The personality realised her friend wasn’t laughing anymore and looked in the glass, and there right behind her was my reflection. I had two choices ‘Get out of my set immediately’ or be gracious smile as if nothing happened and continue the shoot. I opted for the second choice. I did go home and cry my eyes out after everything though. Not because she mocked me but because I didn’t expect it from her.

Grab a copy of the bodifidence issue to read more on this insightful piece.