Esther Cheptoek Boyo

Seven months along in her pregnancy, her sashay is intact, her body is just as tight and her chin remains elegantly lifted The only difference is the gentle little bump that flatters her graceful whereabouts and her pregnancy glow that playfully teases her exotically chiselled bone structure and her, somewhat, distant roguish look – all making her an African art piece.

Once in front of the camera, it is evident that she has chemistry with it.  The connection is so tangible – you see her forgetting everybody else as she gives the camera the angles it hankers after. These two have a language of their own, so captivating it is, we are treated to a runway experience.

So who the heck is this girl? I try to discover her.  She courteously answers my questions but her demeanor tells me she is programmed – she needs to be elsewhere after the day‘s photo shoot. So she calmly, yet forthrightly, slips out of my hands, our goodbye is the schedule of our next meeting-10:00 a.m Monday, during which she promises to give the whole deal.

Sunday, she calls to confirm our meeting. At 9.58 am Monday, despite a never-ending downpour since dawn, she is at the reception waiting for me. And I think there is really something about this girl in sandals, tights, a just-below-the-hip T-shirt and small sage jeans jacket; who is most at ease being called Boyo.

The cat-walk

She says she met a friend of a friend – a runway choreographer – who took one look at her and asked whether she was model. On saying she wasn’t, he said he would train her for free. ’I took up the training, which wasn’t as easy as it had looked on TV. But I got through the clumsy moves and poses, and before I knew it, I was being sent for auditions. The first one was Samantha Bridal’s. I succeeded,’ she recounts, ‘The others where African Woman Magazine and Kenya Broadcasting Corporation when it was launching a new face – in that I acted as ‘diva wanna-be’.  I’ve also been doing the Malindi Fashion Shows that feature every February to March. The latest was the Concors de Elegance Car Fair, which had a fashion runway.’

That makes me think Boyo is such a winner – has she ever flopped? Yes, she says. ‘A very memorable one was Miss Kenya, in which I got to the finals, but not winning – a big deal that was. So big a deal it was to get to get to the finals that by the end of it, I knew pageantry was not my thing,’ she says laughing. For some reason I find it hilarious when people laugh at themselves, almost toppling over, like she does as she says this. ‘I have gotten many contracts, yes, but the rejections I have gotten are also the size of my breakthroughs. They are that many!’ She laughs on.

Tough-tough

Modelling is erratic, Boyo informs. ‘You are usually at your agency’s beck-and-call.  And if there’s anything you need to observe, it is promptness. Well, that works for me because I’m a natural time-keeper.

Then it’s not easy – especially in Kenya. Every client has their preference in terms of complexion, weight, eye shape and all – that explains the big ‘flops’ alongside my triumphs.

Late pay, many turn-downs, fashion shows being highly sporadic and Kenyans not yet appreciating high fashion, you sure need something extra to keep you cat-walking So what’s her drive? Patience, a few side jobs to keep the daily bread running and passion – you need to love it1 She says. ‘The client usually has to make a decision between you and two other great finalists. You have to show them that you are the best for the job. You better have the energy.’ she adds.

In the midst of all the adventure, Boyo got a strange call from a gentleman. Upon identifying himself, it turned out that they had met through a friend. ‘How did he get my number?’ Boyo says she asked in displeasure. I stole it from your buddy!’ he chided. Some nerve!  She thought.  But two years later they are hitched, with baby on the way.

Knowing that her ‘ slender frame’ is her asset, and understanding how pregnancy can alter that, she stresses that the pregnancy came as a surprise, and confesses that she did think about her body – and whether she was going to get it back after the pregnancy

So have her eyes been ogling every other get-back-to-shape info? ‘Oh yes. Immediately I knew I was expectant, I started looking out for that info, and noticing books and magazines with such topics,’ she says. Also, plans to hit the gym are underway.  Point of order though: ‘I am not indulging in the get back-to-shape info more than that of baby-care. I want to be the best mother possible!’ she asserts, ’Asked to choose between modelling and mothering, I’d take being a mother.’

Boyo’s first trimester was trying. She had a wad of mood-swings that were specifically thrown at both her partner and her sister. She currently abhors car fumes and is averse to fries and deep fried chicken. That has made the City Center a no-go zone.

Icons

Boyo appreciates that there are models who are mothers, Ethiopia’s Liya Kebede is her biggest icon The happily married 33-year-old and mother of two, has been able to keep a size 32-23-34.  She has done big shows with likes of Anne Taylor, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabban, Tommy Hilfiger, and many other international brands. Other than that Liya, has graced magazine covers of Essence. Vogue, V. i-D, Cookie and Hamptons. This blows Boyo off.

The other is the vibrant 26-year-old Ajuma Nasenyana, now married to a long time friend and with an adorable 10-month-old baby She has modeled for magazines such as Elle and Dazed, and Confused. She has flaunted the work of renowned designers such as Issey Miyake, Baby Phat and lingerie company Victoria’s Secret. Ajuma has been around the world on the modelling ticket favorite places being Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, and Miami. Boyo is keen on doing just that – if not more.

Caring partner

Boyo says her partner has made her pregnancy very much worthwhile. Considering there aren’t many pregnancy gigs, he has taken her under his wings making sure she is not worried about financial needs. This is a face of humility, the model says laughingly. ‘Because I like to be my own woman,’ she appends. And true, it is evident that she is comfortable in her own skin – not needing anyone to validate her

The pregnancy many times makes her want to just seat on the couch, eat the ice-cream she has demanded from her partner and watch movie after movie. But he says, ‘Ah-ah… It’s time to walk.
That sees them ambling through the neighborhood many evenings. Swimming is the other thing she does to not only keep up her metabolism, but ready herself for the EDD’s physical demands.

Her partner is also the unit of her emotional soundness. When she ‘loses it’, his ever-steady composure and comic prowess come in handy, she says ‘I also like the way he is eager to shop for baby stuff, and take me for my doctor’s appointments ‘

More than the walk

‘I am confident that I can do run-way shows to my EDD As you can see. seven months into my pregnancy, my gait is just as good. I think I am blessed with energy But since pregnancy modelling jobs are not easy to come by, I am making the best of my situation – building my pregnancy photo portfolio.’ shares the 5, 8 tall Boyo.

Top on her advocacy ventures is championing the cause against Female Genital Mutilation that is rampant in her culture. She would also like to stand by the expectant model, the one un-privy who thinks, getting expectant would the end of her career.

 

END:PG39/18-21