Love Thy Self!

Playboy Africa February 2021 Cover Feature

with Olyria Roy

Makeup by Oksana Laskina / @laskinao

Hair by Maxim Rokitskiy / @max_rokitskiy_stylist

Photography by Amer Mohamad / Amermohamad.com / @shootmeamer

Lighting by Anna Kaganovich / @anna_artlight

What an honor to have you as our February cover! Were you excited to shoot for Playboy? It’s an honor for me too, thank you so much. A Playboy cover shoot has been a dream for me, I am so very excited!

Tell us something surprising about you? I speak five languages fluently and hope to learn at least one more!

Describe yourself in one sentence… I am a model, singer, social media influencer, body-positivity and self-love advocate.

What are some of your hobbies? Swimming, going to the cinema with friends and above all travel! I love exploring all the rich cultural, historical, and geographic variety the world has to offer.

What is your biggest turn on? Simply put, earned confidence. Arrogant and egotistical men don’t really impress me, but a man who is truly confident in himself, his abilities, and his vision for life and who has a track record of achievements to back that confidence up, is, for me, the kind of person that embodies the masculine ideal.

What turns you off the most? Egotistical and self-absorbed don’t impress me.

Describe to us your perfect date… For me, the perfect date is not a fixed idea, but a very flexible one. I want a man to plan a date that reflects who he is and what his passions are, whether that be a moonlit walk on a beach, a homecooked dinner, or a night at the opera. The circumstances may vary, but if a man understands that a first date is the best chance to make an impression on me, then I appreciate it if he chooses activities that authentically express who he is as a person.

What would you consider to be your biggest challenge as a model so far? The biggest challenge has been to overcome stereotypes of how a model “should” look. I am a curvy plus-sized woman and proud of that! As a result, I have taken it upon myself to build my own fan base, and to make the industry conform to ME rather than forcing myself to conform to IT. If that makes me a trailblazer, so be it, but I simply see it as opening doors that never should have been closed in the first place.

Any last words you would like to share with the readers? Never give up on your dreams! Find mentors or advisers in the field you are pursuing, or read the advice of experts online. Listen and learn, but never be afraid to voice your own opinion and make your own choices – your vision for your life is unique! You know, when I began this journey, I was told that if I wanted to find success as a model, I would need to slim down – now I’m told that if I lose weight, I will lose my fan base! In truth, though, I have come to discover that how you feel about yourself matters much more than what you look like. I was plagued with doubt and uncertainty early in my career, but along the way, I learned to look at myself through the eyes of a person who loved me for who I am, and that has made all the difference! If you see yourself in the same way that someone who is in love with you would, you will see that the ideal vision of yourself has been right there in the mirror the whole time!