Anouk
“Don’t be so stubborn and accept help when you need it! It’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to accept it and it doesn’t make you weak.”
Anouk radiates confidence and encouragement. She is all about open, honest communication, and saying it as it is - both in person and online. As a ‘Body confidence warrior’, she uses social media as a platform to promote positive ideals of beauty and body image, by encouraging individuals to celebrate and love their bodies - no matter what society says. Meet Anouk. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
A: I'm Anouk Allemand, a 29 years old Capricorn, living in Amsterdam. I have a fur baby called Nelson (a cat), that I love to take pictures of. I call myself a 'Body confidence warrior' who wants to change the status quo of how we portray and see bodies on (social) media.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
A: I would describe myself as loyal, witty, outspoken and sometimes I can be quite (brutally) honest.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
A: I think my loyalty and my open personality. When you’re in my ‘tribe’, I would do anything for you and I see you as a part of me. My family (besides my parents) lives abroad, so my friends and the people that are close to me feels like my own little family. Because of my open personality, I think it’s easy to talk to me and get to know all sorts of new people, which I really like.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
A: Right now I’m going through a break up, after being together for seven years. I grew up with him, so I’m not only losing (what now feels like) the love of my life, but also my best friend. It’s really really tough, especially because I’m almost 30 and it feels as if I’m starting all over again. It sucks, and I know it's going to hurt for a while, but I also know that I can overcome anything after this.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
A: Don’t be so stubborn and accept help when you need it! It’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to accept it and it doesn’t make you weak.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
A: It means I can be soft, yet strong and powerful. It means I can be compassionate yet feisty.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
A: I think it would be Frida Kahlo. She really took no sh*t from nobody and I think it’s inspiring how she turned her trauma into art. I would ask her where she would get her strength from, and tell her she rocks.