Influencer
Feeling Body Confident as a Mum Online with Fashion Model Rebekah Povey
Body confidence is challenging to maintain while scrolling through pictures of perfect models online. However, everyone can develop confidence in their body with the right mindset. Today, we speak with fashion model and influencer Rebekah Povey who initially struggled with her confidence after giving birth. Rebekah shares her experience developing body confidence after becoming a mum and signing with Sintillate Talent, an award-winning talent and influencer agency with talent in 18 countries.
About Rebekah Povey
Rebekah Povey is a UK fashion model and influencer sharing body confidence, fashion, and mum experiences online.
Before becoming an influencer, Rebekah Povey was in college and working at a bar. She was also creating music and decided to start sharing and promoting her music on YouTube. After a while, she noticed that Instagram was gaining popularity and decided to promote her YouTube videos on Instagram. Posting on Instagram led her to her current fashion and body positivity niche.
Rebekah shares, “My niche is body positivity because I had a baby eight months ago, and my body now has some [loose] skin [and] it’s got stretch marks. My main goal for my Instagram now is for people to come to my page and feel comfortable and safe and know that it’s okay to have what society will let you think is imperfections when they’re not.”
How Signing with Sintillate Talent Boosted Rebekah’s Career
Rebekah Povey shares that signing with Sintillate Talent, a multi-award-winning talent and influencer agency specializing in PR events, online campaigns, shoots, and productions, has greatly benefited her career.
She explains, “The management that I’m with, their key value is connection, and they honestly give you so many skills for your everyday life. You are connected to so many influencers, and a lot of them are mummies, too as well. You can overcome all these insecurities together and build on confidence together and get through the challenges as a community.”
Rebekah’s Tips for Body Confidence as a Mum
Rebekah shares that looking at birth as a miracle and the life she created is a positive outlook that has helped with her confidence.
“When I was one month postpartum, I’d look at my body, and I’d feel down because I didn’t look like the perfect ocean of Instagram models that are on there, but what I look at now is my body is never going to change. I haven’t got the money to cut my loose skin off and have an operation. I just have to accept that. That’s me.”
Every time she looks at her baby, she feels love for him and pride in what her body has done. The stretch marks are an accessory and result of creating a beautiful life.
Despite her confidence today, Rebekah struggled initially with the pressure to look perfect constantly.
“That is the challenge, you constantly feel like something has to change about yourself, and I feel like I have managed to overcome that. I feel like this is me. I’m proud to be me, and I’m going to post me… If anyone else has flaws, I want them to know they’re not flaws. Society or this industry made us believe that they’re flaws.”
Working with Fashion Brands
Rebekah works with various fashion brands, including Shein, Luvlette, and ChicMe.
Many of her sponsorships feature curve-hugging fashion and lingerie styles, which Rebekah says helps her show body positivity by not hiding her “imperfections.”
“I do not want to hide my stretch marks. I do not want to hide my underbelly. I don’t want to hide that I had a c-section. I want to show it. I want someone to come onto my page and see that I have stretch marks, and if they have stretch marks, they can see me being proud of it. They can see me looking beautiful in underwear. I want them to think maybe mine look beautiful as well.”
Rebekah’s dream collab is with PrettyLittleThing, a UK-based fashion retailer.
The High Standards on Mothers
Social media mums feel immense pressure to “bounce back” immediately after having a baby. Rebekah shares that she would love to see this shift in the coming years.
“I feel like even the Kardashians and people like that, the editing after having a baby [is huge] – For instance, Kylie Jenner had a baby, and now she’s got the most perfect body again. Young mums like me believe that we’re not bouncing back, [but] they had surgeries to bounce back.”
She would love to see more mothers showing their natural bodies, especially after a recent birth, online to show other mums that your body does change after having a baby, which is okay.
Closing Thoughts
Rebekah shares that she recently attended her first PR event, which she is very excited about.
Otherwise, she plans to continue showing body positivity online, especially for mothers, by showing her “imperfections” and stretch marks.
“I’m just going to keep going and showing my stretch marks and try to help other people feel as confident as I do now. I know how it can be so damaging to look at the sea of perfect models, so I think that’s exciting – just trying to keep changing lives.”