Kitiya Palaskas

How can we, both as individuals and as a society, help encourage body positivity?

I feel that big brands and companies in the media need to be actively working towards more inclusion and representation in the content they put out into the world. The more we see a diverse range of bodies represented in mainstream media, the more seen we tend to feel as individuals. As individuals in the age of social media, I think it's important to feel empowered and encouraged to show ourselves online without needing to use a filter or airbrush ourselves. Showing our progress and ourselves from all sides, (not just our "best" side) is really important for helping to encourage body positivity in general.

Can you talk through one of the challenges faced during your career?

Imposter Syndrome has been a huge challenge for me all through my career. I believe that some of this stems from being a mixed race woman of colour working in a predominately white industry, as well as being incredibly self critical! This is an ongoing challenge that I am still working through, but speaking more openly about it has allowed me to discover that Imposter Syndrome is incredibly common and in turn feel a sense of solidarity and normalcy in my feelings.

If you had the chance, what's something you'd like to tell your 16 year old self?

Keep being weird! Weirdos have more fun.

What does success look like to you?

The freedom to pursue my interests and passions and make a living from it.