uniKorn chique: Fabulously Made In His Image

The notion of what beauty really is has become distorted. I’ve seen, heard and read intense debates, which in this lifetime, have crowned no winner ever on what true beauty is and represents. Unbeknownst of the beginnings, ever since my childhood, there’s been an expectation or standard of beauty, which if we’re all truthful, none of us fit. Where do I begin? To name a few: straightened long hair is a wow; a perfect made-up face is flawless and recommended; expensive clothes and shoes bring out the inner fashionista; and the last expectation wreaks with unbalanced thinking. The inevitable theory surrounding size is never-ending. There has yet to be any burden of proof that one size is better than the other. As you read this, put aside the medical findings stating fat is unhealthy or skin and bones is unhealthy. That’s a totally separate topic. What about the thick person with a clean bill of health or even the skinny model with a clean bill of health? God simply constructed you and I in his image and likeness; but man entertains an ideal that if it doesn’t appeal to the masses, it should be changed.

For today’s glamour spotlight and written piece, let’s surrender the idea that #allsizematters. Small, thick, slim, curvy, natural, face made-up or without make-up, natural hair or relaxed; it’s not a quick fix to be totally comfortable with perceived flaws. Catch what I’m saying here. What we deem as flaws, is perception only. The commemoration of those who take what they have and turn it into a plus is needed. You’re telling God, hey you, thank you for creating me. Don’t change a thing. No matter how long; even if the inner you experiences some sort of inner drought, and you can’t give it your all, do like Kala Slade did and simply find a way to get there.

It lasted eleven years…

Fashion magazines, tv advertisements and people weren’t primarily the cause, but in Kala’s case, the subliminal belief was there.

“I no longer knew what to do with myself in terms of style,” recalled Kala, explaining the cause of an unwelcome fashion drought early in life. At age 21, the circle of life presented its cause and effect, and her baby girl soon entered the world. But once the size 7/8 skinny-all-her-life fashion diva gave birth, there was a noticeable change, and it didn’t sit well. Being in love with a newborn was the only thing giving Kala googly eyes, because having pregnancy weight proved to be difficult and abnormal. “Being plus size was not always something I knew about,” she chimed in.

Before the pregnancy, creative art and fashion were not only Kala’s talent, but a gift bestowed to her from God. “I use to take shoeboxes and turn them into a whole apartment for my Barbies.” As for her style in fashion, she had that touch of picking the right colors and materials to construct the right look. Every item of clothing worn adorned her petite shape to precision, creating an added incentive; a feeling of flyness – it means dope, looking good and the ultimate description - fresh. Life was good, her sense of style was on a high, her Barbie dolls were living the plush shoebox life, and the fashion fairies were constantly giving Kala a stamp of approval.

And then baby Kiana was born……

Post pregnancy, an enigmatic awareness was now more present than ever. You know the feeling when you buy a new car, and suddenly you start to see your car model everywhere. For Kala, it was the opposite. The demand for plus size clothing was her main agenda, but the supply; in her case, the stylish supply was at an all-time low. The time span was the nineties, a time where plus size and contemporary fashion did not cohabitate in the same sentence. Growing up in Greensboro, the only accessible stores were Added Dimension and Katherines, and as Kala explained it, the choices were limited and the material print hideous, “…..like big flowers, in a big tent dress….come on, that just makes you look….bigger.”

The bad prints, lack of stores, and curvaceous attributes had to go – but in reality Kala’s mind had to adjust and strategize to a realism that was now her truth.

For eleven years, she hid rolls and “fluff” by wearing jeans and big t-shirts. Accessories were non-existent, and at the salon, a smock accompanied her “frumpy look”, but the comeback was better than ever. At age thirty-two, the world Kala lived in was a different place. Technology was rampant and ever changing, women were making large types of moves and accomplishments, and contemporary fashion looks were being carried in plus size stores. The changing of times signaled her to branch out and get her cuteness back. The truce was finalized; she never wanted to be skinny again, but even with a look categorizing her as curvaceous or thick, an intentional settlement was reached to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

The comeback begins….

In this instance, a peaceful truce (troos) didn’t necessarily negate challenges, it just makes the devil busier. And busy he became. She’d conquered something that held her down for some time, and when she finally settled on a peaceful content, the next challenge deepened. All her life, Kala had wrestled with depression, but in a world where mental unbalance is taboo, she never thought to believe that her saddened mind was just that. The church she’d been attending was hosting sixty-days of health, and invited medical professionals to speak on their topic of knowledge. On this day, the invited speaker began discussing the signs of depression, and that’s when it finally clicked. This is what she’d been dealing with her entire life. Skinny and fashionable back then, and now curvaceous and fashionable; Kala realized, even though she possessed a gift and talent that she loved, she’d always dealt with the yo-yo of her emotions. Just recently, in these past four years, battling depression became a bit rough, and she needed a safe place and picker upper to just deal.

Kala always dreamed of using her fashion and cosmetology gifts to serve on someone’s Glam Team; preparing models for fashion shows or celebrities for an artsy magazine shoot, but never did Kala Slade think a Glam Team would cater to her. Thanks to Kenyatta Johnson’s I Rock My Curves, she was able to find that safe place. Joining a group which promoted being comfortable in your skin, and having an added plus where all the participants were thick and curvaceous, didn’t cure her depression, but it allowed baby steps in dealing with it. “It gave me a place where I fit in because everyone else looked like me,” described Kala. One annual production put on by the group, is a yearly fashion show. This opportunity alone birthed a newness into Kala and expanded her resume from hair stylist now into plus size model. And as the group prepared for the show, Kala was able to learn a variety of new skills: good posture, walking straight, and giving the audience the perfect face. Taking all the attributes learned and rolling them into one, an introverted Kala with the quiet voice and top-notch fashion sense, sashayed over to the runway becoming Koko - an extrovert with a fierce walk.

Kala meet Koko, Koko meet Kala…….#uniKornchick

“It’s kind of like an escape from your everyday,” she describes when talking about Koko. As soon as Koko hits the runway, audience members, family and friends are wowed by how her gentle demeanor demands such engaging attention. And to top it off, by the time she was thirty-nine, she was fully gray. Kala used the lemons presented and made lemonade; a hair stylist by trade she colored the front of her hair hot pink, setting off a trendy look. It was a message said loud and clear, “If you want me, this is what you get.” No such statement means to serve as directional shade (to anyone in particular), but she has to demand this kind of respect since folks left and right are giving her advice on the requirements of modeling agencies to join. The pink hair has to go, she’s been advised, but her theory on not changing it is simple, “At that point, I blend in with everyone else.” And if no agency will accept, so shall it be. Independent it is.

Can’t you see a brand new day…… - The Wiz

Kala a.k.a. Koko, the runway queen, has been blessed with so many opportunities, stemming from a sound decision to own her truth. A journey to freedom by way of I Rock My Curves steered her from one opportunity to the next. She’s walked the runway for Curvy Fashionista in Atlanta and District of Curves in Washington, D.C. She’s participated in fashion events here in Greensboro, NC, and although not selected just yet; she’s auditioned two consecutive years faithfully to walk in New York’s Plus Size Fashion Week. Cheerfully, we announce, this is her first publication as a featured cover story. Her public platform is encouraging women to love themselves and make no excuse for who they are, and she has no plans to stop anytime soon.

It’s befitting that Kala starts our Glam issue out with a bang. Her story serves as an encouragement to take what God gave you, and uniquely be you. It’s ok if there is no instant satisfaction, just build yourself up to work on the little things and when you’re ready to attack that which holds you down, keep going until you defeat the negative way you view yourself. You are loved, respected and life is worth living.

Troos Mag salutes you Kala Slade. You’re our perfect UniKorn chick!

IG - @unikorn_chick

Story by C. Williams

IG - @Troosmag & @Peoplepublicis