By Liana Jacob
MEET the plus size woman who accidentally stumbled into a £30K per-year erotic modelling career after posting a nude picture that went VIRAL and now has over six hundred THOUSAND followers on social media.
Plus size model and wildlife and exotics rehabilitator, Yazmin Fox (36), living in Cambridge, UK, estimates she is a UK dress size 24. Yazmin prides herself on not being preoccupied with what she weighs and refuses to own scales – she has made it her mission to use her status as an online star to show that beauty comes from inner-confidence.
Just over a year ago, one of her friends dared her to post a picture of her in her underwear on Instagram, knowing that she was confident and comfortable in her own skin.
The image was only intended to be on her account for a few days, but due to it blowing up on the internet with photographers and agencies worldwide asking to sign her, she decided to go with the flow and just over a year later has accumulated a following of over 600k.
Yazmin has never been interested in fashion or the celebrity lifestyle and never thought about herself as a plus size model, but now realises that her new career could be beneficial for her and her rescue.
“It just went crazy and I soon realised that it may be worth pursuing. I soon had photographers asking to shoot me and agencies asking to sign me,” Yazmin said.
“By turning down agencies I was able to take control and market myself and show my fans my wildlife work on Instagram and it seems that people really like a wildlife-rescuing confident woman.
“I’m not into fashion or what’s on trend. I’ve always been extremely comfortable naked and I realised there were hardly any plus size nude or lingerie models and wanted women to see that there is beauty in their naked imperfections.
“I have no real interest in celebrities or what’s popular. So, for me, the idea of being a model was just something that never crossed my mind.
“I get so many women messaging me and saying ‘oh my goodness! I have never thought my big body would look good in a sexy bra or that sexy lingerie and seeing your photos has really inspired me to love myself more and wear the things I was too afraid of wearing’.
“A man a few days ago wrote that he took his shirt off in public for the first time ever because of the confidence my unapologetic posts had given him. I was in tears and so proud of him.
“I want people to understand that whatever journey they are on, it’s OK to love yourself and your body the way it is right now.
“It’s less about body positivity and more to do with body confidence. Having the confidence to know that your body will carry you throughout your entire life and that hating it is a waste of that life.
“I think all body types should get more recognition. Not just skinny models and not just plus models. There’s room for a portrayal of every body type.”
She has around 1,300 subscribers on a separate website of what she names ‘dedicated fans’ and each subscriber pays 23 pounds (30 dollars) to get access to her unedited nude art photography work.
Although, to Yazmin, originally from Sydney, Australia, money is irrelevant, and she prefers focusing her time on wildlife work which to her is extremely rewarding.
“As long as the modelling images are helping other people with feeling confident in their own skin and can buy a few snacks of animal feed, then I’m more than happy,” she said.
“Aside from photo shoots with photographers, a lot of my work is managing my social media. It’s an extremely time-consuming job to sort through over 600 emails and messages a day.
“I pride myself on being very down-to-earth and approachable. I’m not a typical fashionista. I also work with animals, I am always covered in scratches and bites and have messy hair. Designer clothes and fast cars do nothing for me.
“It costs 30 dollars a month to subscribe to my site for a month and there I have all my unedited nude works.”
Despite her risqué pictures, Yazmin has been receiving nothing but positive feedback from people from all walks of life.
“I haven’t had anyone criticise me. I don’t think they’d dare. Anyone that knows me, knows it wouldn’t bother me anyway,” Yazmin said.
“I do my own thing and to hell with what others think of it.
“I have never been teased or bullied for my size (admittedly, I wasn’t overweight as a child) but even online. Compared to some plus size women; I get very little hate,” she said.
“Yet again, I think it’s got to do with the confidence I portray and that confidence comes from knowing I’m a good, decent person inside.
“It’s the first thing that most people mention when seeing my photos. All types of men like various body types on women.
“I have fans from every corner of the globe and from many different cultural backgrounds. The men range from short, tall, fat, bodybuilders, bald, skinny, tattoed, professional and unemployed.
“The modelling I do makes me feel blessed to have a modern platform on which to help people see that they are valid regardless of their body size.
“I feel grateful because I know there are thousands of girls that are desperate to become models and the fact that I never really wanted to be one means I mustn’t take the opportunity to do good for granted.”
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/yazminthefox/
