Advocating for natural beauty
In an era of social media flaunting, choose to keep it real
RADIO personality Zizo Tshwete has always been a natural girl. Her dreadlocked hair is a breath of fresh air among Instagram models and faces that fill the social media time lines.
Yesterday, Tshwete joined her Garnier family at an intimate event to introduce two new ambassadors for the Nutrisse Creme range of products.
“When I was growing up, there wasn’t too much representation of an alternative form of beauty. My context in particular is Africa and that is what I relate to.
“I wanted to see more of that so when I started to have the platforms, I wanted to represent what I didn’t see much of growing up.”
The mother of one says it was in people like Thandiswa Mazwai and Unathi Nkayi that she got to see more natural faces on the television.
“I held on quite strongly to that because they looked and sounded like me, and I could really identify myself in them, and still have worldly and western aspirations because our context allows us to be more than one thing.”
Her ambassadorship with Garnier goes back almost 10 years.
“The depth of the meaning of my relationship with them is that they had the foresight, even at that time, that representation was important. It’s almost a decade that we have been working together, which is virtually unheard of in our industry.
“The brand has been advocating for natural for all of their existence. It’s amazing to see how it has picked up momentum. How it has become a real conversation point and how our kids can understand beauty broader than just one dimensionally.”
Minki van der Westhuizen and Jeannie D were announced as the new faces of the product.
“For me, it is such an honour to be part of an incredible team of women that stand for natural beauty,” said Jeannie D.
Both women are coming back as ambassadors after their last partnership 10 years ago.
“The longest relationships in my life have been with Garnier and SABC, I think I have done well.
“As women, we give ourselves such a tough time because we define ourselves by other people’s opinions and put so much pressure on ourselves, thinking about what we should be. Where actually, just accepting and loving yourself naturally is the best way to be.”