Now that we're posting our last summer photo-shoot, summer is officially over for the blog, and to help us mark the occasion, Cath strikes several poses in this glorious black and white pictorial.
Last year, we featured Cath AKA Hourglass Cath in our Blogger Spotlight where she opened up about her struggles with body image and bullying. Since then, she married her fiancé, Christopher, and has been happier than ever, but recently, she's been conflicted about something.
"I've been conflicted about my career in advertising and modelling," she shares.
Last year, Cath acknowledged that she would never wager her career in advertising to pursue modelling; however, her rising success as a model has led her to that proverbial crossroad.
"I truly love advertising, its fast-paced nature and the people I work with, but it can be all-consuming. It's hard for me to accommodate both careers. I don't believe in basing my livelihood on my outward appearance; however, modelling is something I love doing and I love being a part of the positive body image movement."
"Do I quit my advertising gig and get a more flexible job that will allow me to model, or pass up this amazing opportunity and wonder: what if? What I had to ask myself was: will I regret not trying to make it work, or will I just cause myself undue stress at my current job? My ultimate decision was: what do I have to lose in trying?"
"Once I was committed to my decision, my work was willing to be flexible; which, I am forever grateful for. I am blessed with an amazing boss who appreciates my passion [for modelling]."
Recently, Cath signed with B&M Models. "I just completed my first booking modelling for Nygard Slims at the Toronto Women's Show!"
"My dad once told me, 'always trust yourself.' That was his advice after I dropped out of university and was trying to figure out what the f@%k I was going to do with my life. I remember him saying, 'you made this choice, now it's time to find your own path.'"
"I'm from Montreal and I feel that the style here is a lot more conservative. Montreal's fashion is more risqué. You'll see girls wearing bras outside and not just in clubs."
"My mother once paid me to grow my hair. It was a lot of money too. I grew my hair for about two years, but then it got caught in a revolving door and I shaved it off that very evening. She wouldn't look at me for a week. I'm driven by convenience."
Meet twin brothers Addi and Khari (38). Their alter-egos, Mindbender and Conspiracy, make up the cosmic hip hop band Supreme Being Unit.
Addi AKA Mindbender (right): Our music is everything in the universe. Everyone who is touched by it is part of the Supreme Being Unit — whether you love it or hate it. We’re all one entity. It’s the core of Bob Marley’s One Love idea. Without hate, there is no love. As Conspiracy and Mindbender, we’re two of the most dynamic MCs in all of hip hop history — I would humbly suggest to say. We rap about everything in the universe: science, religion, women, art, sex, sports, comedy and cartoons. There’s no subject that will not appear in a Supreme Being Unit song. Both of our minds together pretty much span the entire universe. It’s a wild statement, but if you listen to our music, I think you would agree.
Khari AKA Conspiracy (left): Personally, I like Mindbender’s fashion. He’s got the GQ style. He’s a gentleman and has that grown up style with a little bit of a vintage and exotic flair. I’m more the original B-Boy. I wear a lot of athletic wear like hockey jerseys. I love wearing black. I was the first born, but Addi is a bit more wiser and mature than me. We’re opposites that are the same.
Addi: I want to redefine sexual culture. Not only within hip hop, but within Canadian society by being the example of living-breathing positive sexuality that I am, and by being shameless; which is why I never hide my sexuality. When I feel sexy, I let it out. I don’t hide it. I’m not breaking any laws by walking down the street with my chest out. I don’t repress myself or my fashion or my flair for being masculine one day or feminine another. I have some asexual clothing. I feel very much a man wearing vaguely effeminate clothing like really tight shirts or a male bustier. I really don’t give a f@%k. Not every man has the balls to wear what I wear. If it’s me and my spirit, then I’m cool with it. It’s not about everybody fitting into one thing.
Khari: I support Mindbender’s pro-feminine and masculine viewpoints. I think human sexuality needs to be developed and explored to divine and cosmic levels. Negativity between the two sexes and against the gay community needs to stop. It’s all about positivity. We want peace for everybody.
Heather has recently written a book entitled Of Being Underground and Moving Backwards -- a collection of dark and gritty short stories dealing with addiction and loss. She shared why she wrote such an intense piece of work: "In 2011, I experienced a significant loss. My sister passed away and it really affected me. I couldn't write about my feelings directly so I started writing about them in fiction to work through the pain."
Click here to purchase Heather's book, but hurry! There are less than 50 copies for sale!
This summer, I had the pleasure of meeting Kassius Denizen (34), the founder of Meet Mr. Kaizen, an image consulting company that enhances the lifestyles of professional men. I really enjoyed our conversation, which refreshingly veered off fashion to an unexpected but intriguing place.
Kassius Denizen: I call my style James Bond modern and simply because it’s classic, tailored and timeless, but at the same time, very timely.
TorontoVerve: Which Bond appeals to you the most?
KD: Roger Moore is the best Bond there ever was. He was just smooth and suave. A different kind of smooth than Connery. Connery would slap the taste out of your mouth. Moore would charm you and avoid fighting you altogether, and I like that; however, if he needed to, Moore too could slap the taste out of your mouth. Style-wise, I like Daniel Craig’s Bond. When he puts on a leather jacket and slacks or a full tuxedo, he looks just right. Moore couldn’t pull off a leather jacket the same way that Craig can, but Craig doesn’t have Moore’s suaveness either.
TV: What are your thoughts about Idris Alba being Bond? He appears to be a fan favourite now.
KD: I think it would be glorious. People keep asking, “Why does everything have to change?” The simple answer is: “The world has to change.” Why not a Black Bond? Sure, when Ian Fleming wrote his books, he didn’t have a Black guy in mind, but we live in a different world now. Maybe later there’ll be an Asian Bond.
TV: Fleming would roll over in his grave.
KD: [Laughs] Yes, they say he was very racist, which is even more reason why that should take place. We have to eliminate all these limitations based on race. If the guy is smooth, athletic, handsome, and has all the qualities that Bond possesses, his race should be irrelevant.
TV: So you’re a lifestyle consultant at your founded company Meet Mr. Kaizen. Can you explain what that is exactly?
KD: I’m a certified life coach, stylist and image consultant. I help gentlemen develop the best aspirational version of themselves. My tagline is: “I help you elevate your style of life. Not just your lifestyle.” I advise men on their physical fitness, what they put into their bodies and how to act. That’s what Meet Mr. Kaizen is. Kaizen is a Japanese word, and it means good improvements in small increments. Nothing happens overnight. It’s not about being the perfect man. It’s being better than you were yesterday and if you keep at it, you’ll be better than you were ten years ago.
TV: What kind of men seek your mentorship?
KD: It’s definitely guys who have a disposable income. It may be a newly divorced guy. A guy in a new sales job who wants to better compete with his more seasoned colleagues. I help give men the edge that they couldn’t develop on their own. I tell men where to shop, what to wear, how to be fit and where to be seen to attract clientele. Our business gives men a shortcut to be the best version of themselves.
TV: What kind of response are you getting?
KD: It’s been good. I have clients calling saying, “I have a brother-in-law who needs help.” A lot of people think I’m like Hitch (Will Smith’s “date doctor” movie). “He needs to find a wife.” That’s not my main objective; however, if you’re a better man, you are going to attract women, but I don’t coach by saying, “This is how you pick up a lady.” My whole focus is on making a better man and that’s in terms of respecting everyone around you and respecting yourself. Tom Ford said, “Dressing well is a form of good manners,” and I live by that. How you look is a bold statement. It’s a statement that no one can take away from you, and people make assumptions on who you are based on your appearance.
TV: Ok, so let’s say if you were…Stephen Harper’s image consultant. What would you recommend?
KD: [Laughs] Everything. I’d say, “Get some friends of colour,” and I don’t mean hire them. Hang out and get to know them. Actually go to their houses for a barbecue.
TV: How do you know he doesn’t?
KD: I know he doesn’t because his circle is his circle. No disrespect to him, it’s how he was brought up -- so he gravitates to people who are like him and thinks like him. If there is a Black person around him, it’s only temporary. That’s the difference between Harper and Justin Trudeau. Different generations and mentality. To me, Trudeau is like Clinton because he’s a forward thinker and gets that the human race is not just the White race. I don’t think Harper gets that. Most Canadians don't get that.
TV: And Harper’s style?
KD: Oh, don’t get me started [laughs].
TV: You mentioned that people constantly ask you why you’re always dressed up.
KD: They do and my response is, “Why are you not? Why are you in jeans and a T-shirt everyday?” It’s so uninspiring and boring. I’m more comfortable in a suit than I am in jeans. I think shorts should only be worn when you’re working-out or at the beach. That’s just me. I’m tired of seeing guys wearing sneakers when they go out on a Saturday night. I don’t care who made the sneakers, they’re still sneakers. Guys should put an effort in what they wear. When I'm at an event, I decide on who I talk to based on their appearance. Some people say it’s shallow. I call it: visual stimulation. I don’t want to talk to someone who didn’t put an effort in being there.
TV: So let me ask: do your principles about outward appearance have anything to do with being Black and avoiding societal stereotypes?
KD: Being Black absolutely has something to do with it. In my household, you couldn’t leave the house without looking a certain way. Again, the philosophy is: you’re making a statement to the world and you’re not going to make the statement that they expect of you; which is to look thug-like. So that helped shape what I believe today. More than that, from the 1940’s to present day, a suit makes a man look more respectable. It’s no different from the car he drives or the house he lives in. Everything is about making a statement. That’s just life. It’s not complicated.
