H
Kelly Voudouri, the talented singer who moves us with every performance in Rising Star live shows, has also been the face of
Parabita for the past 3 years. We are delighted that such a radiant presence symbolizes what Parabita stands for, and we are proud that she excels in singing, which she loves so much!
We spoke with her in an exclusive interview about music and fashion. If it hasn't happened already, now is the time to let her into your heart!
Hello Kelly. We would like to thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us despite your busy schedule. So, tell us a few things about yourself.
Hello everyone, it's my pleasure to share my time with the Parabita community. My name is Kelly Voudouri, I am 26 years old and I come from Piraeus. Currently, you can find me on Rising Star on ANT1, as part of Kostas Makedonas's team.
Generally, I would say that I am a person who likes to have many different activities. Some basic things about me are that I remember singing ever since I can remember, and I have been professionally involved in singing for 7 years, having worked in venues and music stages alongside many esteemed artists.
In parallel with singing, I am a plus-size model for Parabita's e-shop and I also work as an aesthetician. Soon I will complete my studies in this field and officially receive my degree from the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens.
Observing you perform various pieces, one feels as if you are experiencing the lyrics you sing. Describe to us what music means to you.
In a nutshell, I'll tell you that for me, music is a way of expressing emotions and a way of life. When I sing on stage, I feel my mind wander, my soul lighten, and my words gain more meaning. Through the songs I perform, I see images, relive experiences, and recall people, places, and events in an intense and transcendent way. When I look at people from the stage while performing, and they look back into my eyes, I feel like I'm opening my soul to them and that they are seeing things they wouldn't otherwise.
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Kelly loves to sing and feels every lyric, which is why she moves us every time.[/caption]
How did your involvement with plus-size fashion, and specifically with Parabita, come about? What is it like to be a plus-size model?
My involvement with the industry started completely by chance. At one point, a family friend mentioned that a women's clothing company was looking for young women with curves to become photoshoot models. He gave me the phone number, I went to the casting, and among the girls who participated, I and two other girls stood out. Then came the first photoshoot, and then the next and the next... Eventually, I officially became one of Parabita's faces, and I remain so today, 3 years later.
I believe that this is currently one of the best times to be a model with curves. All over the world – and to a large extent in Greece too – the public is more open-minded and has realized that having a curvy model in an advertisement or photoshoot for a product is not something strange. On the contrary, I believe that consumers view a plus-size model with more sympathy, as it appears closer to the real body standards of the average woman.
On the other hand, a lot of people - mainly from the fashion industry - treat more curvaceous women with greater reservations, as in many cases they believe that their clothes are not showcased well through curves. Fortunately, beauty standards seem to be changing rapidly now, and curves are in fashion. From my personal experience, I can tell you that the ideal is to have moderation when it comes to one's weight, in order to have energy and zest for life.
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Unique moments from Parabita photoshoots[/caption]
That's a very interesting observation, indeed. You've lost quite a few kilos since the beginning of your modeling career, though. How did you make that decision? Was it easy for you, and how did you manage it in the end?
The most important reason I decided to change my image was the psychological factor. My activities involve public exposure, and image plays a very important role. The first impression someone gets in this field is, for better or worse, based on your external appearance. This was something that sometimes brought me down psychologically, but it also gave me strength and made me determined to succeed.
As long as I can remember myself, I remember being overweight. From elementary school to adolescence and from adolescence to my early adult years, I remember weighing much more than what people consider ideal. The reasons were mainly some bad eating habits and inappropriate meal times.
As you can understand, the hours I work and the nature of my various activities did not allow me to follow a stable and balanced schedule. However, my image during that period also greatly affected aspects of my personality.
Although I am a very communicative and outgoing person, because of my image I felt some insecurity, which resulted in me trying to strengthen other aspects of myself as a child. I focused on music and other artistic extracurricular activities, through which I met great kids and made friends who helped me feel very good about myself.
All the years I was overweight, I remember constantly trying to diet, losing a lot of weight, and then my body would become exhausted, get stuck without losing any more weight, I would get tired, give up, and eventually gain much more weight than I had started with. In one of my last attempts, I let myself go so much that I ended up weighing 120 kilos. That's when I made the definitive decision to lose weight with the help of a specialist, who showed me that losing weight is a process that doesn't require you to starve, but to change your bad habits and replace them with good ones. In the end, I believe that the power of habit is the biggest obstacle to anything new you try to change.
Finally, a factor that played a decisive role in my success in losing weight was that with the help of a specialist, I managed to identify the reasons that made me resort to eating so much. I completely stopped thinking all the time about how I looked and started caring more about how I felt. I achieved this by doing things I always wanted to. I focused on music, arts, and aesthetics, and with the help and support of my loved ones, I succeeded. They supported me and I owe them a lot.
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Kelly as the central face of Parabita, highlighting clothes for Mediterranean women to the fullest[/caption]
Beyond Rising Star and your very dynamic and mature presence, the public has associated you with being the central face of Parabita. What are the elements that make the Parabita brand special to you? Also, if you had to describe Parabita in musical terms, what song would it be?
I think the most basic characteristic of the Parabita brand is that it stands out from the ordinary. Parabita offers plus-size clothing that is well-designed, follows the latest fashion trends, and in terms of style, flatters every woman's curves. Having met the people who work at Parabita, I can tell you that they treat women with curves with great love and respect. The clothes they design are based on the needs of the real modern woman with curves, and their goal is to highlight her femininity.
If I had to describe Parabita in musical terms, I would say it's a very optimistic song that, when you hear it on the radio, you turn up the volume, sing the lyrics out loud – if you're alone, you might even dance to it – it instantly lifts your mood and makes you want to take a break from whatever you're doing to enjoy it.
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Kelly believes that Parabita symbolizes the joy of life and uplifts spirits.[/caption]
What is that one outfit that makes you feel wonderful and confident?
The ideal outfit for me is one that allows me to wear it from morning to night and look beautiful and stylish all day long. With the intense pace of life I now lead and a series of professional obligations that require me to be out of the house for most of the day, the ideal outfit is a comfortable piece of clothing that also highlights my curves and makes me feel confident.
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Kelly's favorite
outfits* are not only comfortable but also stylish![/caption]
What advice would you give a woman to feel beautiful?
My opinion is that beauty is more than an image; I would say that "beauty" encompasses, to a greater extent, the concepts of charm and self-confidence. For a woman to be beautiful, she must also feel beautiful. As human beings, we have the ability to emit an aura that affects those around us, and it largely depends on how we feel. Therefore, for a woman to feel beautiful, she must see things in a very optimistic and positive way. Beauty in most of its manifestations in our lives lies in very small details that we cannot imagine. Ultimately, for a woman to feel beautiful, she must first love herself and identify the parts of herself that she considers most beautiful and embrace them.
*You can find Kelly's favorite Outfits here
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