Shawnie seizes her chance on the catwalk
Shawnie Payne tells people she’s about to turn 40 next month and no one believes her.
That’s because she’s managed to keep herself looking young through exercise, a nutrient-rich diet and a zest for life.
The mother-of-two recently put herself in direct competition with thousands of younger women for Top Model UK. To her surprise she was named second runner-up in the March 14 event.
“I feel really proud of myself because it takes a lot of courage and belief in myself,” Ms Payne said.
“To be honest I kind of feel a little annoyed that I didn’t start modelling ages ago, but I didn’t have the patience or confidence back then. I think it took all my life experiences and growth processes — like moving to England and truly finding myself — before I was able to do it. I don’t think I was ready until now.”
Ms Payne lived in Bermuda until almost four years ago when she left in search of better opportunities in the UK.
She said she’s always taken an interest in her health, but had to up her fitness game for the competition.
She’d prepared by detoxing for a few days. The 39-year-old survived on a diet of mostly fruit, vegetables and water. She also cut salt from her meals a week before the big day, and added an extra 15 minutes to her daily exercise regime.
The result? She felt her utmost best when she had to strip down to a bikini alongside the other models at the show.
“Wearing a bikini isn’t usually a problem for me, but wearing one in front of all those people was terrifying,” she said.
“I’m a perfectionist and I don’t do things halfway so I didn’t want to go into it saying, ‘Whatever happens happens’. That doesn’t make any sense to me. I wanted to do well with it and worked hard on my body and practised my walk every day.”
It was only recently that she realised she had a shot at modelling.
She felt like her “time had passed” and was actually encouraging her 21-year-old daughter, Mesha, to do it instead.
“My daughter is 5ft 9in and has really long legs, but she just wasn’t interested,” Ms Payne said. “I didn’t think modelling was still an option for me because usually at 25 years old your modelling career is over.
“But I had got to a place in my life and career where I was a bit depressed and needed to do something for me, something exciting and adventurous.
“I had worked as a secretary for 17 years altogether in Bermuda and the UK and it was really just boring the life out of me. So one day I went on a website that showed me what auditions were coming up for models, dancers, singers and Top Model UK showed up on there. I researched it to make sure it was a legitimate event and went from there.”
Ms Payne quit her secretarial position and has since found a bartending job, which gives her more flexible hours.
She said the change has been an exciting one, however, for some time she was trying to keep it a secret from friends and family.
“At first I didn’t want anyone to know I was modelling,” she said. “I wanted to do it on my own and if they found out they found out.
“But after I applied to take part in a fashion show called Glam Africa I realised I needed people’s support to take part.
“With that competition they had 80 girls audition and cut it down to 22. Then we had to get votes from friends and family in order to decide on the final ten who would take part in the show in February.
“I was horrified because I didn’t want to tell everyone, but I had to put it on Instagram and Facebook so people could vote for me and I could walk.”
She was afraid the people she knew in Bermuda would be critical. However the feedback she got was overwhelmingly positive and she was chosen to be the first model out on the Glam Africa catwalk in front of hundreds of people.
“I cried a few times from reading their comments,” she said. “I had people who I wasn’t even friends with on social media commenting on my pictures. I also had old friends who I hadn’t spoken to in a while voting for me.
“The amount of support was overwhelming and that to me was the biggest reward. I was surprised by it. It really opened my eyes a lot and made me feel really good. Without all the support since Glam Africa I wouldn’t have been able to do as well as I did in Top Model UK.”
Ms Payne said one of the biggest challenges is that most people are looking for much younger models. She still applies for the jobs anyway.
Her advice to anyone looking to start something new is to take a shot.
“First of all you have to believe in yourself and have a deep sense of self,” she said.
“And even though it might be hard to figure out what you want to do in your life I think you have to try different things. You never know until you try.”
Part of it boils down to good genes, but Shawnie Payne admits to actively doing a few things to ensure she ages well.
Here are her five tips:
1. Everything in moderation. Ms Payne tries not to overindulge when it comes to alcohol and sweets.
“I eat it in moderation. I don’t believe in depravation or starving yourself,” she said. “So if I know I’ve had too much sweets or alcohol one day I will cut back the next few days just to ensure I’m not damaging my body too much.”
2. Get the blood pumping. A regular dose of exercise is important to keeping Ms Payne looking and feeling young. She uses fitness DVDs for her workouts at home — Denise Austin is her favourite — and wears arm and ankle weights while doing them. She also does a lot of squats, lunges, and ballet type exercises — with the ankle weights on.
“For cardio I jump rope at least three nights a week for 30 minutes at a time. I jump in intervals of 500 and during the two-minute break I will do ab work like crunches or sit-ups.”
3. Say no to sodas and other highly processed foods. Ms Payne doesn’t drink anything other than water. She also avoids white flour, pastas and sugars.
“I eat lots of fresh vegetables like spinach, broccoli, asparagus and carrots and I eat a lot of fruits like blueberries, strawberries, bananas and kiwi,” she said. “For breakfast I usually either have yoghurt, fruit and nuts; hot oatmeal with banana, or an omelette. [If I’m having carbs] I will only have sweet potatoes and whole grains.”
4. Get your rest. Sleep is very important to Ms Payne. “People seem to think they can survive on four hours’ sleep, but it starts to wear you down after a while,” she said. “Your body needs sleep so get close to eight hours a night if you can.”
5. Cut down on stress. Ms Payne feels a lot of women have a hard time letting go of the past, and holding onto those hurts tends to affect their looks. “I don’t sweat the small stuff,” she said. “I forget people in my past who have hurt me. I try not to carry that around, the baggage of the 40 years I have lived.”
