MYM, a Nigerian-born singer and songwriter, is an up and coming staple in the British experiential pop soul arena. She has been singing and writing music for 4 years and has released 2 EP’s, Heart Trip and LightLife, that showcase her soulful vocals and electro-pop infused sound. Telling tales about her life experiences through music influenced by the sounds her mother infused into her home environment, MYM’s sound is truly a unique experience.
Aside from working on her debut album, MYM has taken her creativity and branched out into making short fashion films and style blogging. She explains her ability to connect her two passions because “music is visual too and it’s helped love my self image and body more, especially because I have creative control on how I look in my music videos”. As a Black, visibly plus size woman, she has been vocal about the lack of diversity within the plus size industry and uses her creative talents to bring awareness to this fact.
MYM’s newest film “You Can Be Brave Too” explores the the underrepresentation of Black women in the plus size arena, shining a much needed light on this rarely discussed disparity. “I wanted to show that anyone, model or not, can be Bold and Brave and Beautiful” MYM points out, expressing the need for Black women to see ourselves in plus size campaigns. The plus size movement began as a result of Black, fat femmes in the U.S. that reclaimed their bodies as well as their heritage. The industry’s alienation of this very demographic not only undermines the hard work and sacrifice that went into building up this movement, it serves to remove an important voice from the discussion surrounding plus size bodies and their representation.
The bottom line is that the plus size industry needs to improve their diversity. They need to “cast better. There are black plus size models but they don’t get shine. We need to put the spotlight their way”, MYM insists. “We need to cast better so we need to diversify these agency and people working for these fashion brands”.
MYM’s versatile style, soulful music and creative mind are much needed in the plus size fashion realm. She willfully tackles the lack of plus size Black bodies through creative means, making the dialogue accessible. She is a necessary voice and one that will continue fighting for inclusion.
