INTERVIEW: My Eyes, Legs Are My Selling Point – Says Beautiful Model Representing Nigeria At Face Of Humanity Canada

Ezenwa Chika Nerita, simply known as Queen Rita, is a young Nigerian model who is not only beautiful but intelligent and a humanitarian. She recently beat other contestants to emerge as Miss Face Of Humanity Nigeria and will be representing the country at the 2023 Miss Face Of Humanity Canada. In this interview with THE WHISTLER, the Abia State Indigene and graduate of Economics from the ISM Adonai University, Cotonou spoke on some of the challenges facing the modeling industry in Nigeria, how she managed to surmount them, and her advice to young boys and girls looking to build a career in modeling. Excerpts…

How Did You Start Modeling?

I started modeling when I was at Nnamdi Azikiwe University. I had a roommate that was a model. She would go to rehearsals and each time I was bored, I just thought I should follow her up. One day I went there and I found it interesting.

So, I started going to rehearsals, and since then I’ve been into runway modeling and commercial modeling. But I needed a platform that would give me a voice to go into my advocacy because I’m a humanitarian, that’s why I went into pageantry because it gives women a voice to do whatever they want to do for society and the community.

How Long Have You Been Modeling?

I started modeling in 2015. That was in 2014/2015 when I went to the university, but I went into pageantry in 2016 when I did my first pageant in ‘Most Beautiful Girl Abuja’ and I did my second pageant in 2019 and this is like the third time I’m going back into pageantry.

You Emerged Winner Of Miss Face Of Humanity Nigeria. What Would You Say Was Responsible For Your Victory?

It’s my advocacy and my humanitarian work because ‘Miss Face of Humanity’ is all about humanity, bringing love, uniting people, helping your neighbour, and trying to bring people together.

So, I think my advocacy and the way I presented this was the reason why I won the ‘Face Of Humanity,’ in Nigeria.

What Other Challenges Have You Faced In Your Journey Into The Modeling Industry And How Have You Been Able To Surmount Them?

I would say it has been a very good experience for me, but sometimes it is quite challenging because sometimes you go for auditions, and you get a no. So many times, you get a no, and they feel like you are not what they are looking for. For some people, it makes them go back into their shells, for other people it encourages them to do more.

The fact that you say no to me, maybe I’m not up to what you’re looking for, does not mean that someone else is not looking out for someone like me.

So, I keep on pushing, there’s an option down there, but it’s your passion and what you want to do for yourself that’s what keeps you going as a person, and that’s why I’m still into modeling

I get motivated when I get a ‘No’. I could walk in here and ask for a job and you tell me, no, but that does not mean there’s no bigger firm looking out for someone like me. Maybe you feel like I’m not up to what you’re looking for, but I feel like I’m above what you’re looking for.

For every young girl or young boy that wants to go into modeling, the first thing you should have in your mind is that a lot of them are going to say no to you.

You go for an audition they will tell you; ‘you don’t know how to walk very well’ or you don’t fit into the category of models they need for a particular job.

You might get 10 nos just at a go, and you may only get only one yes, but your determination is what keeps you going, and do not feel like anybody is better than you.

Just try to improve yourself because that’s what I’ve been doing and one of the challenges is that you could travel from here to as far as Port Harcourt or Lagos or even Ghana or any other country to go for an audition.

You spent your transport; you’ve gotten there and they will tell you that you don’t fit into the job. So how do you expect them to feel? So those are the biggest challenges we face in the modeling industry

Second, is that some of these companies end up not paying models very well, it’s another big challenge.

For everyone, it is about what you want as an individual. If you want to use this as a career to build yourself, to develop yourself, you have to keep on going because you know you’re working for yourself.

You’re doing it for you, and not for what that person is saying. It doesn’t matter what you face because you are going to get a no. I’ve not seen any model that will tell me that he or she has never been turned down. That is one of the biggest challenges that everyone is facing in the modeling industry. You can overcome this by being consistent and being determined

Where Do You See Yourself In The Next Five Years?

I have one of the biggest interior themes. I will continue with my humanitarian services. I’m an education advocate because I believe in equality for all through education, that every child has the right to quality education, and special kids that are living with any form of disability. I’ll continue fighting for inclusion for kids that are living with special needs and autism because I’m so passionate about them.

I believe by God’s grace I’ll be one of the biggest individuals fighting against early girlchild marriage because it has done a lot of wrong in our society.

Many Entertainers Particularly Female Ones Have Been Seen To Promote Nudity. What’s Your Take On This?

In the modeling industry, there are different aspects to modeling. Some people do lingering modeling because that is what they want to do. If they don’t do it, who will be modeling for lingerie?

So, it depends on the category you find yourself in. If Rihanna is on the billboard stripped naked modeling something, the whole Nigerians would love it. But because Nigeria is a country that has cultural backgrounds, some families would not accept their kids going naked on social media because they’re advertising clothes or lingerie.

I feel like it’s an individual thing. It’s what you want. It’s what your family wants. It’s what your conscience allows. I don’t think anyone has the right to criticize anybody on what they are doing as far as you’re doing it according to your belief, as far, as it goes well with your conscience and your family supports it and you’re doing the right thing. It’s okay with me.

Some People Believe It Is Difficult To Be In The Entertainment Industry And Have A Successful Marriage. Do You Agree With This?

I don’t believe that it’s difficult for any woman to succeed in marriage, especially models. I believe that maybe society has placed an idea in their heads about models, that because you are a model, you might not succeed in marriage. We have models that are married with families, and they are doing well in life. So that idea that society has is very wrong.

I’m a model, tomorrow I will get married and have my kids and build my home and I’ll do very well. It doesn’t stop me from being a commercial model if I still want to continue with it.

What Part Of Your Body Do You See As Most Fascinating And Why?

I love my little eyes and my legs. Every part of my body is fantastic, but I just love my little eyes because when I’m staring at you; you won’t know I’m looking at you.

What Are Some Of The Major Downsides Of Being A Model?

I don’t think I have any weaknesses or have encountered any problems in the modeling industry, even in pageantry.

Men will chase you, without even being a beauty queen, men will come after you, but what do you want for yourself? What are you thinking of? What do you even want from that person? Me, as a person, I deal with such challenges. One thing I encountered that made me start seeing people in some type of way, especially as a beauty queen was when I went to submit my proposal to someone.

I took my proposal to him and I told him, this and this is what I want to do. I’m going to help you out. I’m going to assist you but you have to be my girlfriend first. I have to go down with you first before I can do what you want.

A lot of girls experience this in their journeys, even without being a model. Just working in an office. You could go for a job and next the director is asking you to be his girlfriend.

So, I’ve seen that part of it, and at that point, I wasn’t happy because you gave me false hope and want me to do what I want to do. It doesn’t go well with my belief.

When you face things like that in life, what you should ask yourself is, what do you want? That’s why I said it’s an individual thing, and I don’t encourage any young girl to put herself in a position where she has to sleep with a man before getting what she wants.

I believe every girl should have a standard because when you place yourself up there and tell them that it doesn’t matter whether you do this for me or not, somehow, some way God is going to make a way for it, and you find out that at the end of the day, someone that you don’t even know might come up to be of help to you. That has happened to me and I handled it the way I think is the best.

What Is Your Advice To Girls That Exchange Their Bodies For Favours From Men?

If you can always give your body, for the ones that give their bodies to get what they want, how many people are you going to sleep with? The moment you have that idea, I can sell my body to get what I want; you are losing your value. The person you are selling your body to will never respect you.

The person will just have a taste of you and move on to the next one and might end up not doing what they want to do for you in the end. I believe every young girl and every young woman that is coming into the modeling industry should have a stand.

You have your mind and never let people out there manipulate you, know what you want as a woman.

God has given us the power that we can get things done in society so know your power and know how to use it. Do not let any man deceive you out there. I feel like if a girl has her mind and she knows what she can bring to the table, she can conquer all.

What Is Your Biggest Breakthrough So Far?

Winning Miss Face Of Humanity Nigeria was one of the biggest things that happened to me so far because it aligned with my career, and it aligned with what I want to do in life.

I’ve always been a humanitarian, I’ve always supported kids that are living with special needs and disabilities, I have always given back to society and this platform is giving me more voice and supporting my call to action.

God brought this and it aligned with what I want to do with my life, with the woman I want to be in the next 10 to 15 years. I think this is my biggest breakthrough in the modeling industry.

How Confident Are You To Win Miss Face Of Humanity (Global)?

I’m very confident about that.

How Does It Feel Being The Face Of Humanity In Nigeria?

I feel excited, I feel honoured and I’m proud to be the one to represent Nigeria.

Miss Face of humanity is a platform that empowers women. It gives women a voice to fight their cause. It talks about peace and unity in the world. It believes that we are beyond powerful. We are beyond beautiful, and if we come together as one, we can unite this world and make it a very peaceful place.

What Do You Have To Say To The Government?

In other countries like in the Philippines, and Thailand, their governments support their modeling industry and the entertainment industry. That is why they are one of the biggest in the world. I wish our government could see that modeling gives women a voice. It helped them to support their little community and their advocates.

If the government can support the modelling and pageantry industry, I think we will go far because pageantry brings foreign investors into our country, and it’s another way of showcasing our cultural heritage and it brings about tourism. This is what I think that if the government should invest in, is going to be good for our nation.

I want them to invest in pageantry. I want them to look into pageantry because we have girls going out of Nigeria every day to represent this country, to fly our flag everywhere in the world. So the government should support us.

Can You Tell Us Some Of Your Humanitarian Engagements?

I have an NGO which I run. I’m the CEO of the Nery Developmental initiative, an NGO founded in April 2022, that supports kids living with autism and special needs and it generally supports kids going back to school.

The government should support kids living with autism because they are craving for inclusion in every aspect of their life.

When you go to most secondary schools or primary schools, they don’t even have a space for kids living with special needs.

Most people don’t even understand what a kid with special needs looks like or when their kids have special needs. This is what I feel the government needs to look into because if certain people are neglected in our educational system, you can’t even have a functional country. It’s a call for our action and not just passing a bill.

I’m going to be speaking about our country and what’s going on in our country and how we can help. I’m going to be calling for peace, for unity. I’m going to be calling for support for people we have seen as humans but I don’t see humanity.

The government is not doing what it should be doing, you have bandits, kidnapping, and unknown gunmen out there. So how can we curb the insecurity? This is a call that every one of us needs to focus on. Those young boys and girls have to be taken off the street and engage them productively.