Model defies the odds

BY FREEMAN MAKOPA
THE move to the United States (US) saw local beauty Diana Mupereri — who is the current Miss North York World 2020 — venturing into professional modelling as she capitalised on her love for fashion and the camera.

Mupereri said for a long time she struggled with confidence as she felt her looks did not fit within the paradigm of classical beauty that appealed to pageant organisers and society.

“I love being in front of the camera because that is how I regained my confidence after being a laughing stock for some reasons, being shamed of my complexion and all that,” she told NewsDay Life & Style.

A communication student at York University in Toronto, Canada, Mupereri is now involved in fashion modelling, acting, music, writing and photography.

Mupereri also established a magazine called JUST BE! to help bring exposure to different gifted personalities.
“I have always been into fashion, music, writing and photography. I am an arts person so when I decided to pursue modelling, I have always found it hard to get real and fair exposure,” she said.

“I used to create magazines for fun with my own pictures so I realised it was high time I did something big because I realised there were a lot of creative people out there who were also missing this exposure.”

Mupereri said she worked with a lot of fellow models, and that worked in her favour as modelling and publishing were related.

Mupereri said her grandmother and her mother, Tariro were also beauty queens in their time.

“My grandmother used to win all the agricultural modelling shows she participated in, so I guess this is something I was born with, it’s a gift from God. Even though I am saying this now and started doing it big when I moved to Canada, I only realised everything that I did since my primary school was a big deal,” she said.

The supermodel started acting in drama and participating in public speaking events at Murabwi Primary School in Masvingo. During her time at Daramombe High School in Chivhu between 2010 and 2016, she was also part of the drama group.

“In 2015 I competed in Summer Slam Bash at Daramombe High School, I just heard they were looking for models to compete for titles and nobody in my stream volunteered. So I decided to do it,” she said, adding that she went on to win the Miss Personality, which marked the beginning of her modelling career.