Plus-sized Nollywood actress Adaora Ukoh is gradually becoming a force to reckon with in the movie industry.
In a recent interview,she gives her opinion on being discrimated against as a plus size women.
it’s harder for a plus size to really gain your stand in Nollywood than in Hollywood and the reason is because in Hollywood they see beyond your looks. What they look out for is the talent. In Nigeria, if you’re not careful, you will die with your talent especially in this our industry where all that thrive are other things beyond talent. You come to a movie set where there are four to five girls and then a particular brand is not represented.
I am a plus size and I have embraced it and the world has come to love it like that but it’s very unfortunate that if they get a role that a plus size can play they turn you down because you’re big. Take a Look at the Ghanaian movie industry, it is not as bad. There is this movie, Four can play, the plus-sized girl in the movie was what made the movie nice. The truth about this weight issue is that it is what every typical African woman deals with because of our kind of food. Even those who are trying to keep trim, it is still a weight problem that they are dealing with, how much more when you have genes to grow fat. The best you can do is to embrace it. You can’t kill yourself. If it was in Nollywood, Whoopie won’t be a star, Monique won’t be a star, Queen Latifah won’t be a star. I know a lot of slim people that are very impressed with me and say to me, God! You make me feel like adding some weight. Being a plus size doesn’t take from you as a person. It’s been a big challenge, I must tell you. I am not going to pretend like it’s not but thank God today, I’m being referred to as the big, bold and beautiful and I love that title.
Asked,can you recall one particular scenario when you’ve been turned down;she saidI know a couple of scripts even the one I sat down with the writers to script, they go back to the sponsor of the movie and say no we can’t give her the role because she’s plus size. I do not want to call names of movies, but I know a couple of movies that the person they later cast for the role ended up spoiling the movie. I remember talking to some of my fans, do you know that even on twitter some fans want to start up a group where we should start this plus size thing as a movement, but I said no that there is a way we’ll go about it and it will look like it’s a fight or there is a beef. But when you look at it, they too feel that bad that they are not represented. A plus size doesn’t stop you from being the best that you can be. Do they go to the market and their dresses are not there?
Even when you travel outside, there are shops for the plus size. Plus size actually starts from 14 and a size 14 in Nigeria considers herself to be a slim person. Who are they deceiving? Abeg, leave matter.
