“Wonder Woman is a Mindset” Interview of Yazminthefox by Jamie Cole

Thanks to VOLUP2 Writer Jamie Cole

All images by Velvet d'Amour Hair +H/MU by Rachel Williamson Makeup by Charlotte Coyle

An hour long Uber ride from London Bridge to the North of London and I found myself on the door-step of a rental house in Golder’s Green. Bare faced and nervous to be in the presence of a few well-known plus-size ambassadors, the door swung open to the biggest green eyes and smile I had ever seen. Clad in a blush colored suede dress that fit like a glove, there stood a woman that I had only seen on Instagram.  Yazmin the Fox, in the flesh, ladies and gentlemen!

Yazmin, admittedly, stumbled across her social media stardom by mistake.  “I never meant to become a model, it kind of happened accidentally!”, she said with a laugh. Yazmin never thought that after an innocent dare, she would find herself the object of desire for nearly 700k followers on Instagram.

In the midst of the Body Positive Movement, Yazmin has taken a slightly different approach in that she feels Confidence is a better descriptor for her outlook as compared to Positivity.  She explained her reasoning is that confidence stems from being a good person inside and if you project that and apply it in your daily life, people are often-times drawn to you. They are captivated by your demeanor and the vibes you exude. Yazmin realistically added, “We are all human and I have days where I have both negative and positive feelings about my body, but I still feel confident in who I am”.

Thinking back, Yazmin remembers that her parents played a huge role in developing her poise and spirit. Her mother, who held two jobs simultaneously, the first as a nurse and the second as a personal trainer, understood that body weight was not necessarily an indication of health. As a result, she never put undue pressure on Yazmin to focus on body image growing up. Yazmin wasn’t a chubby youngster by any means. She was a dancer, studying ballet, with a tone body and muscular legs contributing to a thicker frame. By the time she was a teen, her body started changing and she had developed the womanly curves that grace our Instagram feeds daily.

Something else that has always resonated with Yazmin is a quote by Roald Dahl, the famed British novelist of well-known works such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Fantastic Mr. Fox. She said she can’t forget the corresponding image illustrated by Quentin Blake that perfectly reflects what Dahl was trying to convey. The quote says:

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly.  You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

And so it did. Yazmin’s confidence shone out of her face like sunbeams and those beams are exactly what caught the eye of photographer and Volup2 Magazine founder, Velvet d’Amour. Approximately four months after the dare photo was posted on Instagram, Velvet reached out to Yazmin asking if she would be interested in shooting with her for the magazine. Yazmin, in complete shock, responded with “I’m not a real model, I’m a fake model”.  Velvet assured her that she was very good at giving direction and Yazmin confirmed that she could take direction- and the rest is history!

Hitting it off instantly, these two found that their interaction was seamless. Yazmin says, “Velvet is wonderfully crazy bonkers and I absolutely adore her!!”. Yazmin said that shooting with Velvet was the best thing she could have done to break out of her shell.  It is apparent that these two have a sincere friendship just by the smile on Yazmin’s face as she mentioned, “Velvet has a way of making everyone feel at ease, beautiful and appreciated. She’s magic to work with, really magical!”

Take one look at Yazmin’s exquisite hair and make-up and it’s obvious there is some serious talent behind it. Enter Rachel Williamson (@rachelhairmua), or the Fairy Godmother, as Yazmin calls her. “She’s everywhere and doing everything, she just blows my mind and I adore her!” was just one bit of appreciation Yazmin expressed for Rachel. Both of these ladies being Antipodeans, Yazmin from Australia and Rachel from New Zealand, these two already had common ground before working together enhanced their bond. Rachel is famous for her creations and anyone who knows Velvet knows she loves big hair. Talk about a match made in heaven.  

Speaking of fabulous hair, Yazmin recalls a photo that Velvet captured. Perfectly posed in a power-stance, her hair was flowing behind her, as if to mimic a cape, and in that moment she felt invincible. As a result, the caption “Wonder Woman is a Mindset” was born. In fact, one way that Yazmin influences others to embrace themselves is by finding one small erotic moment captured in her photos that anyone can relate to. The mood in each photograph is representative of a line from a movie, a verse of a song, or a time in her life that has meaning or empowers her. She never imagined that being in the moment personally would, in turn, empower so many others.

Erotic moments, as discussed, being much different than pornography. Yazmin makes a conscious effort to present herself on social media in the genre of erotica rather than pornography. Yazmin noted that there is a huge online presence of plus-size fashion models and bloggers and at the other end of the spectrum are plus-size pornographic models, but very few in between. Seeing the importance of differentiating herself, Yazmin works hard to inspire other women to embrace their right to feel beautiful and sexy just the way they are. Plus-size women, or any women for that matter, who show their bodies and their skin should not be shamed.  They should shout from the rooftops, “I’m here and this is how I am, and I’m amazing!”, she added in.

I learned very quickly from my time spent with Yazmin that she is quite a passionate person, and unlike many of us who spent our childhood years unsure of what we wanted to be when we grew up, Yazmin knew her exact calling. Her love for animals began before her terrible two’s. Yazmin recalls seeing a Blue Ring Octopus trying to escape from a tank and without understanding the situation, she remembers feeling compassion for the Octopus.

Fast forward a few years to when she asked her Dad if she could volunteer at the local pet shop on the weekend. Her Dad, whom Yazmin was extremely close to, couldn’t resist his bright-eyed six year old daughter and made arrangements for the weekend duty. She tidied up and looked after the pet shop animals for a small amount of pocket change, but unlike most children, the money was unimportant to her. Her love for animals flourished and she found herself volunteering at a local wildlife sanctuary called Kingfisher Park around the age of 12. This was just the beginning of what has become one of the most important aspects of her life.

Kingfisher Park was founded by a British woman named Giovanna Pawson, a legend in her own right, and a well-respected community figure.  Giovanna had a background in the arts and during this time Yazmin was heavily involved with dance and theatre; therefore, they had some commonality already.  Giovanna took Yazmin under her wing and mentored her, teaching her about rehabilitation and offered her additional training courses with other wildlife parks and zoos to enhance her qualifications.

Yazmin left Australia a few years later and traveled through Asia working with wildlife. She found herself in England working with the native wildlife, which drastically differed from the species she was used to handling.  She quickly became the resident expert for working with exotic species.  Sadly, Kingfisher Park in Port Macquarie, Australia is no longer in operation; however, Yazmin’s very own Kingfisher Wildlife & Exotic Sanctuary was born.

Yazmin found her true passion caring for animals in need of a safe environment and/or rehabilitation. No good deed goes unpunished, as they say. Her efforts contributing to the safety and well-being of animals takes dedication and a lot of hard work. When asking if she fears the animals, Yazmin laughed and said “I have a healthy enough fear, but I have respect for the animals I care for”. Currently she is providing long-term lodging for around 300 animals,  including two foxes, named Vicky and Freddie, who definitely keep her life interesting. Those two rascals along with some very noisy parrots who provide salutations upon entrance and exit seem like a walk in Wonderland, but the amount of work required to keep these animals happy and healthy can take a toll on a person. You can donate to Yazmin’s Sanctuary at PayPal.me/KingfisherWildlife.

All of this animal love lent itself to Yazmin becoming a Vegan (A person who does not eat or use animal products.) several years ago. Surprisingly, it hadn’t occurred to her that her intense compassion for animals was a conflict with her nutritional lifestyle. She quickly rid her diet of animal products and has found it easy to find vegan substitutions for some of her favorite foods. She even went so far as to learn the craft of creating her own artisan vegan cheeses- a process which involves culturing, moulding and ageing nut creams just like in traditional dairy cheese making.

It is clear that Yazmin has no limits when it comes to doing what she sets out to do. When she wants something, she immerses herself in it. When she feels passionate about something, she fights to protect it. Most importantly, when she stumbles upon a platform that will change the lives of others, she stands firm no matter how challenging it may be.

Now, as it is Yazmin's birthday TODAY!- Head over to VOLUP2's Artistic Nudity section

H E R E  to see our NEW editorial of Yazmin in her favorite outfit, AKA Her birthday suit!!!

Have a peek at VOLUP'S very first editorial of Yazmin here

Then go wish her a happy birthday at YAZMINTHEFOX

LOOK FORWARD TO TWO UPCOMING FASHION EDITORIALS FEATURING YAZMIN THE FOX!