Eerstens as jy ‘n verwagtende mamma is – baie geluk! Wat ‘n groot voorreg wat so baie mense as net vanselfsprekend aanvaar.

Ek is tans 21 weke swanger en ek beleef tans ‘n oorvloed van swanger swagger. Dink dis te danke aan my lekker ‘healthy glow,’ al is dit eintlik net ‘n hoop bloed wat te vinnig pomp… I’ll take it.

Hier is 10 dinge van my swangerskap wat ek maar so self self moes uitvind.

1 Almal wil weet of jy opgooi, maar neem nie in ag dat jy nie hoef op te gooi om HEELTYD naar te wees nie. Nee, die samelewing het dadelik minder simpatie en neem aan jou swangerskap is maklik as ‘morning sickness’ nie ‘n ding by jou is nie.

Ek kon byvoorbeeld in my eerste trimester glad nie koffie drink nie – decaf, natuurlik! Dit het my so naar gemaak. Om rou vleis te sien of ruik was nog erger. Ek dink ek het vir 12 weke op pakkies chips, wit brood en pastas sonder souse geleef.

2 Pantyliners is so underrated. Punt.

3 Jy bly moeg, maak nie saak watter raad jy volg nie. Ek is moeg om moeg te wees.

3 Ek groei ‘sidies‘ op my gesig soos ‘n Texas cowboy, maar net aan die linkerkant. My man het so lekker gelag toe ek dit vir hom uitwys en ewe blatant gesê “Jaaaa, kyk, dit maak nog donsies ook!”

Blykbaar maak een van die hormone dat swanger vroue meer hare kan kry op enige plek van haar liggaam soos byvoorbeeld oor haar maag of borste, maar nee, myne is sommer op my gesig haha. Ek is tans in die bebat van om te skeer of nie te skeer nie. Sê nou maar net dit groei dubbel terug? Dis seker okay, daar het al erger goed met my gebeur.

4 Jy kan oefen (praat net met jou dokter oor jou max hart tempo) maar my susters, laat ek jou nou vertel… jy GAAN gewig optel en dit GAAN met jou kop smokkel. Ek verstaan die konsep en embrace my toenemende gewig, maar hel, ek bly mens en vir iemand wat nog altyd sukkel met body dysmorphia – dis ‘n draaglikse mental uitdaging.

Jy spiermassa verminder en word vervang met sagter donsies en dimpels. Blou are soos ‘n spoortrein verskyn daagliks op jou bates en ja hulle word groter, maar nie noodwendig perkier nie.

5 Mense het altyd ‘n opinie en in my geval was die eerste 20 weke se hoof aanmerking: “Maar jy lyk nie swanger nie!” en “Jy dra so klein” en “Dit lyk net soos ‘n period bloat.” Net soos wat aanmerkings oor hoe groot jy word onaanvaarbaar is, is die teenoorgestelde net so onsensitief.

As ‘n mamma van ‘n reënboog-baba is die laaste ding wat ek wil hoor dat ek nie swanger lyk nie. Dit skep aaklige angs oor of my baba nog okay is. So hou jou opinies vir jouself en vertel vir my eerder net hoe AMAZING ek lyk of jy dit bedoel of nie… 98% van julle doen dit in elk geval, so baie dankie.

6 Ek love hoe die samelewing geleer het om eers te vra voor hulle vat. Nie een persoon het al sonder toestemming aan my bump gevat nie. Ek haat drukkies, maar vir een of ander rede is ek okay daarmee as jy aan my magie wil vat. Vra net!

7 Jou man dink jy is ‘n absoluut goddess! 🙂

8 Sommige mans dink dis nog 1980. Ek het ‘n voorval gehad wat ‘n mansmens onaanvaarbare aanmerkings oor my lyf gemaak het en in my gesig gelag het oor die “nat, geswete vark” wat ek binnekort gaan wees. Ek SKAAM MY DOOD as ek jou ma was. Wees beter!

9 Die band tussen jou en jou baba is seker die grootste *magic* wat jy ooit sal ervaar. Ek het dadelik geweet ek is swanger, maar moes 10 dae wag voor ek die bloedtoets kon doen om dit te bevestig. Ek het ook geweet dis ‘n seuntjie. Noem dit ‘mommy gut’ of net wat jy wil.

Ek weet watter oefeninge maak hom gelukkig en watter smake hy die meeste geniet. Ek weet ook wanneer ek hom irriteer en kan voel wanneer hy in sy slaap om draai om nog lekkerder te lê.

10 Laastens, maar dalk die belangrikste: JA, ek mis my middeltjie en om te gaan hardloop. Ek besef ek gaan nooit weer vir ‘n naweek kan inslaap en lui-lui Netflix binge watch of elke Fashion Week bywoon nie, maar WOW, wat ‘n voorreg om ‘n klein mensie in my pensie te mag grootmaak.

En al mag ek nie nou so groot gaan by die gym nie, het ek nog nooit so selfversekerd of mooi gevoel nie. Ek is freaken Wonderwoman en salueer al my die ander Wonderwomen wat mammas is.

Dis tough, maar ons is tougher!

Volg my asseblief op Instagram hierso.

ALWAYS, ANNE

XOXO

Ek wou ‘n blog skryf oor 10 aaklige dinge waarmee vroue met kurwes kan vereenselwig, maar toe maak my man vir my dié lekkerste koffie, nou voel ek nice.

Ja Karen, jou kat is ook nice.

1Beyonce, Wie yonce?

Jy word vergelyk met sterre (haha, jy’s slim as jy hierdie pun gevang het) soos Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Kim Kardashian. Komplimente oor Khloe Kardashian en Kylie Jenner tel nie – hulle ‘sterre’ is danksy prosedures. 😉

Um hello, wat is beter as om met die wêreld se moosite vrouens vergelyk te word? Ja, jy mag maar goed voel oor hierdie een – dis hoekom hy nommer een op my lys is.

2 Mense dink jy oefen elke dag.

By een tydskrif waar ek gewerk het, wou die meisies altyd weet hoeveel squats doen ek ‘n dag. Ek het later hoop opgegee en net geantwoord: 100. 100 Squats ‘n dag.

Ek het soveel respek gekry en dis ironies, want ek squat dalk een keer ‘n dag om my skinny jeans, met moeite, oor my einste kurwes te kry.

3 Jy het nie ‘n ekstra kussing by ‘n braai nodig nie

Ek kon nog nooit verstaan hoekom van my vriende (en veral manlief) altyd ‘n ekstra kussing onder hulle moet sit nie…

4 Leggings lyk amazing aan ons

Kenners waarsku om weg te bly van leggings, maar daar is niks wat leggings so mooi vul soos ‘n vrou met kurwes nie. Jy het al daai vrou op die Seepunt Promenade of Durbanville se vrugtemark gesien waar dit lyk of die leggings haar van agter af begin eet, ons het nie daai probleem nie. *Disclaimer: daardie selfde vrou kan ‘n stywe leerbroek dra soos ek nooit sal kan nie, so dis net ‘n skadelose waarneming.

5 Jou foon val nooit in die toilet nie

Thigh gap? Meer soos taai gap.

6 Kurwes doen wonders vir jou liefdeslewe

Hoekom dink jy noem die kenners dit LOVE handles, mense? Sag = sensueel.

7 Die uurglas illusie

As jy daaroor dink, hoe groter jou heupe, hoe kleiner lyk jou middel. Askies, middelkie. ‘KIE’ in Sonja Herholdt pitch. Perfek!

8 Dis maklik om sexy te lyk sonder om te probeer

Ek bedoel hierdie met die grootste respek, want dis moeilik as jy ongewenste fluite kry in die straat, omdat jy geneties anders gebou is, maar tog kan jy dit in jou voordeel gebruik.

Nee Juliana, ek sê nie jy moet suggestief aantrek nie, maar laat jou heupe die praatwerk doen wanneer jy volgende keer ‘n oulike man ontmoet.. of net wil hê jou man moet vanaand die skottelgoed was.

9 Jy lyk nie soos elke vyfde ander vrou met dieselfde Woolies rokkie nie

Dis soveel moeiliker om klere te kry wat pas as soveel winkels in 2020 nog steeds nie klere verkoop wat heup-vriendelik is nie. Daarom moet ons soveel harder shop vir die regte broek of denim. Tog hoef jy nooit daaroor te kommer dat twee ander vrouens in Checkers dieselfde klere as jy gaan dra op ‘n Maandag-middag nie. Okay, waar is die broodrak?

10 Blykbaar is ons kinders slimmer…

Volgens nuwe studies blyk dit dat vrouens met kurwes meer omega-3 vetsuur in hulle liggaams bevat wat noodsaaklik is vir brein ontwikkeling in kinders. Boom!

So, volgende keer as jou selluliteit deur jou Cotton On oefenbroek vir jou loer, loer terug! Want weet jy wat, ek is in my dertigs en ek het beter dinge om met my tyd te doen as om ‘benoude boude’ deur die lewe te gaan.

Spot my, wees jaloers of gee ‘n lelike aanmerking oor my lyf – dis okay, moet dan net nie skynheilig wees en na die tyd bybelversies op Facebook deel nie.

Tot volgende keer,

Always Anne

Volg my asseblief op Instagram HIERSO.

Of HIERSO.

xoxo

Foto: Rezaine Desai Photography

So elke nou en dan gooi die mode industrie ons met ‘n vuile.

Hier is agt mode giere wat my laat gril as dit in die oortreffende trap gedoen word, want jy kry iets soos TE ekstra.

Op die ou ende van die dag kan jy doen wat jy wil. Dis jou lewe en jou lyf, Ek was net lus om bietjie te kla.

Annette

XoXo

Demi-Leigh Nel Peters gets real about bad hair days, beauty secrets and preparing for Miss Universe.

Courageous, spontaneous and utterly stylish, Demi-Leigh entered the room wearing a customized Galluzzi e Gini white gown with long sleeves – pure perfection!

Being also a brand ambassador for CHI Hair Care, the official Miss Universe hair sponsor, Demi-Leigh said that getting the opportunity to work with the global brand is extremely exciting and that she cannot wait to see what this year will hold. “Taking good care of my hair is just as important to me as taking good care of my body and soul,” added the new Miss Universe.

On having a strong voice in business…

All my parents are entrepreneurs. I wasn’t allowed to go play at a friend’s house without completing my chores first. Nothing just falls into your lap, you have to work for it.

I was given a wonderful platform being Miss Universe and I really hope to use this platform to be a voice for people who are too scared to speak out.

Preparing for Miss Universe and her biggest motivation.

I had 6 months to prepare for Miss Universe since I was crowned as Miss South Africa.

My half-sister, Franje, is 12 and she was born without a cerebellum. She does not have control to speak, eat or sit up straight. It’s a lot for any family to deal with and my parents love her just as much as they love me.

Franje is my biggest motivator in life and that’s why I do things twice as hard.

It just makes me so sad to see people waste potential and opportunity. There’s so many people that’s too lazy to use it and there’s people that don’t have that opportunity. Winning the Miss Universe title was not only a personal victory but a victory for the whole rainbow nation. I couldn’t be more proud to represent South Africa. I hope this will inspire every single girl with a dream, that with hard work and dedication any dream is reachable!

On meeting Margaret Gardiner (Miss Universe 1978) and social media…

I was Margaret’s guest at the Golden Globes and if I had to compare the two reigns, especially with social media in the picture, there’s a lot more challenges that we have to face.

However I believe that social media is a powerful tool that’s both an opportunity and difficult to deal with, because even Instagram filters are purified. We actually do get pimples and wrinkles under our eyes in real life. Sometimes I have days where I have to wake up at 2am in the morning! It’s so important to rest – thank goodness I’m an easy sleeper.

In the end you have to create time for yourself where you can just be you especially in this industry. I’ve learned to be a bit more selfish and to say no, because you have to take care of yourself first.

CHI Haircare

CHI is really amazing and I love what brand stands for. To be associated with them, is truly amazing and never in my wildest dream had I thought this would happen. I’ve dreamt of always doing a hair commercial, and then it finally happened!

How do you deal with bad hair days?

I usually carry a little box with pins with me, so top knots are my secret weapon for any weather condition. A trick I learned is to use hairspray if you don’t have dry shampoo around and I always carry a hair mask with me, because I get my hair styled daily.

When not on the go, Demi-Leigh likes to treat her hair with the CHI Tea Tree Oil Hair Mask which she says is perfect for reviving your hair on that day off. “Just like our bodies need rest, so does our hair. I put a hair mask on twice a month and walk around with it for a whole day.

To purchase the products used by Demi-Leigh or for more information on CHI, visit http://www.glamit.co.za.

If you love what you do, you’ll never work again in your life.

I get asked a lot what a typical day in my life looks like. To be honest, I have no idea! Every day is different depending on if I have a shoot planned, if I have to sit the whole day and write copy, if I have to plan the next feature, maybe a beauty launch or if I’m running around with a ponytail sourcing clothing like a marathon athlete who missed the bus.

But that’s what I love about my job. You never know what’s going to happen next.

Here’s a quick glimpse into yesterday’s diary:

(WARNING – this might come across as extremely boring)

07h00 Wake up with coffee in bed thanks to Instagram Husband

7h15 Respond to work emails and send the latest fashion shoots PDF’s to the PR-brands. PR companies always ask for the PDF’s to show their clients (aka the brands we used in shoots).

7h50 Go for a quick 5 km run

9h00 Go to one of my favourite coffee shops (we don’t have the luxury of wifi at home) to finish two important fashion deadlines. I also receive new beauty copy to proofread so they can send it of to print while writing a post for my personal blog.

10h30 I’m off to the mall to do fashion returns from last week’s Friday magazine cover shoot. Luckily I did a lot of  returns on Sunday evening already (yip, work never stops) so it goes quick. Receive a call that the magazine wants to shoot our Winter Hair Issue cover. Today. TODAY? Yip, I’ve heard right.

11h30 Phone make up agencies, hair brands and potential models like a crazy person to put together a cover shoot in two hours. I’m getting hungry… I’m moody #NOTGOOD

12h10 Grab a LOW GI popcorn and Coke Light on my way to another shopping mall to be in time for shooting two hair makeover features

12h35 Arrive 5 minutes late at the  beauty salon to meet the two models. Both are extremely gorgeous with beautiful natural curls. The salon packe out chocolate cookies just for us – how will I be able to resist? I love chocolate cookies.

12h50 We go through the  brief with the hair stylist while the photographer takes the before shots of the two models. I pray we can pull of this extra cover shoot waiting. Thank goodness we found a model on Facebook and she can be here in the next hour.

13h00 The hair makeovers are about to start. The one model is going bronde like Ciara and the other is getting a moisturising treatment. I have to make notes of the entire process and also squeeze in an interview with one of the stylists afterwards.

13h30 I quickly go next door at Inglot to meet our hair cover model and she’s beautiful! We go through to the make up brief at Inglot Studio and I know she’s in good hands.

13h45 The photographer and I go location scouting for the cover. There wasn’t time to get permission from the mall, so we’re trying to dodge security. #BADASS

14h00 On the way back to the salon we stop for a quick bite at Subway, but I can’t enjoy the meal, because I keep getting work related calls and have to respond urgent emails.

14h15 Back at the salon and I take more notes before we head off to do the cover shoot.

14h45 The photos are incredible! The model knows what she’s doing and her girlfriend also came to support her. Both of them are Tony, so it’s quite special that I got to meet Tony and Tony.

15h30 I’m beyond excited about the cover photos and we head back to the salon to finish the makeovers. On my way I stop to buy a cold drink and spot my latest magazine cover on the shelves. The feeling is priceless!

17h15 We’re done and I’m very happy with the results. We take the final ‘after photos’ and we have two very happy hair goddesses… yay! There’s nothing more satisfying in my career to know that your model/ client is happy with your work.

17h30 I go to the Woolworths Cafe to finish more work deadlines and start looking for product stills for a fashion DPS (double page spread).

19h00 Instagram husband meets me at the coffee shop with my mom (she came to visit) and tells me it’s time to log off. I’m tired so I listen.

20h00 Finally I get home and have a quick coffee before starting to plan my upcoming fashion editorial. I write all my sourcing letters (you have to get permission before taking clothes from stores) because I want to send it out first thing tomorrow morning.

22h30 It’s bed time and I have my latest Vogue magazines next to my bedside to get inspired for the next shoot… and the next one… and the next one.

Always, Anne

xoxo

OUTFIT FROM WOOLWORTHS (buy it here)

Cream Sweater R699.00 | Dusty pink hat R299.00 | Sneakers R350.00 | Jeggings R350

LOCATION: Strolla, Sea Point

PHOTOGRAPHER: Rezaine Desai