VANESSA VANDERPUYE NAVIGATING LIFE, NATURAL HAIR AND THE ACTING & MODELING INDUSTRY
Acting was my peace. Acting is who I am today.
Who is Vanessa? I am an actress and model. My first passion is acting. My school teacher recommended acting when my dad passed away. Acting became a great escape from my reality. At the time, I really enjoyed being anyone but myself. I also enjoyed learning about and playing different characters. I quickly realised that acting was my peace. Acting is who I am today.
I was regularly told to either lose weight and become a How do you set your career goals?
high fashion model or gain weight to become a plus
I have a rough version of goals I hope to achieve over
size model. My waist is naturally 27 inches and I was
the next 12 months but my career is quite volatile. I try
told to succeed in the modelling industry, I needed to
not to look too far ahead. Instead, I assess my progress
reduce my waist to 25 inches or less. Can you imagine!
every few months. What have I achieved? What can I
As a young model I did attempt multiple methods to
adapt? What can I reinforce? I have disappointed
lose weight. From fad diets, to not eating at all, to
myself by saying in 5 years I’m going to be in a
exercising aggressively. I tried it all but eventually I
particular show. Five years pass by and I’m not in that
realised that my body is my body and I learnt to love
show.
and
my body exactly the way it was made. Through that I
disheartening. Actors can be their own worst enemy
discovered commercial modelling which has been a
and it does take a long time to achieve your goals.
much healthier and happier pathway for me.
Everyone’s journey is different. You have to create your
What about your hair? How have you been able to
own pathway and adapt to your own means, otherwise
maintain natural hairstyles in your career?
you’re going to kill yourself trying to achieve a goal that
To be honest, I have done that by simply being tired. I
does not belong to you.
was tired of maintaining styles that weren’t authentic
That
can
be
very
disappointing
to me. There have been many times when I had fresh Word.
braids, only to have to take them out for an acting or modelling job. Imagine sitting in Aunty’s salon for 6
Have you faced pressures in your industry?
hours for a fresh set of braids, only to take the braids
Definitely. I have always been type casted to play a
out 2 days later. The process became very tiring
certain,
urban
however the trigger came when I was unable to
character with a London accent. I always wondered,
remove my braided hair style for an audition. I went to
“why can’t I be the lady in the office, why can’t I be the
the
main role, why can’t I be the leading lady?” I was
apologised profusely about my hair. Funnily enough,
often told I couldn’t be the girl next door because of
the panel liked my hair and did not want the style to
my hair. I never understood the meaning behind that
change. I was shocked but thought, “why haven’t I
statement, because there were people that lived next
done this before.”
stereotypical
role
-
generally
an
audition
exactly
how
I
was
and
naturally
door with hair just like mine. That moment gave me the confidence to show up as In the modelling world, I faced challenges with my
myself. During that time, I also realised I wanted
body. I have always been a size 8 to 10 with an athletic
younger black girls to have a role model to look up to
frame but my figure would often be airbrushed to
that had hair just like theirs, because I did not have
appear more feminine.
that growing up.
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