ey Ploumis thank you for supporting our Kickstarter Campaign.
1. How have you struggled in the past to appreciate or love your body and how have you overcome that struggle?
I am a mixed-race Puerto Rican and Greek woman. I grew up without any representation of myself in the media or my community. My parents moved our family out of the inner city when I was very little, and I went to school with predominantly white students.
Going through puberty was…a bit tough. I was dying my hair blonde and trying to fit my thicker self into midriff tops and straight-leg jeans. That wasn't my body or my personality at all.
I came to appreciate my body as I got a lot older. It came with embracing my sensuality and cultural roots. I also sought ought other women in the media who looked like me and tried to surround myself with empowering images of women I could relate to.
2. What do you love most about your body?
I really love my hands - they are the same as my abuela's and my mother's. They are very feminine, dainty, and covered in gold rings I've inherited from both of them.
I also love my eyes because they are entirely mine. No one else in my family has big light brown eyes like mine.
3. What message do you have for other women who struggle to appreciate and love their bodies?
I would ask what they are struggling with specifically. If it's measuring up to an unrealistic societal preference - let that shit go and love yourself.
If it's an ambition to get healthier, then just be patient with yourself and celebrate the body you have now instead of just waiting until you reach your "body goals.”
4. Why do you support SMV?
The unapologetic female form is mesmerizing. I support SMV because they support women, support me, and support a movement toward real beauty that I appreciate.
Thanks for your support, Jey! We love you! --- The SMV Team
