Xposé host Nadine Reid becomes first plus-size woman of colour to cover an Irish fashion magazine
Xposé ‘s Nadine Reid made history as the first plus-size woman of colour to appear on the cover of a mainstream Irish magazine.
Since being recruited as a presenter on Virgin Media’s flagship entertainment show last year, Nadine, originally from Birmingham, has been breaking down barriers at every opportunity, culminating in her first appearance as a cover for Stellar magazine. Although she has appeared in numerous magazine features in the last 12 months, including on the cover of the Irish Independent’s Weekend magazine, her accomplishment is in reference to the mainstream magazine market, which appears on shelves as an entity all its own.
Since rising to prominence in 2018 after being hired initially as a guest reporter while double-jobbing as a makeup artist, she said she’s received a welcome response from women around the country thanking her for representing them on screen or on the page.
“To be honest, I feel all these experiences are pushing me to develop more confidence in my own style,” she said. “I didn’t realise I had one! But seriously, when I hear from other women through Instagram and the magazine who thank me for representing, it’s the time when I go oh, there’s a good reason for me to be doing this.
“I really enjoy doing things of value, if something doesn’t have any value I think what is the point. But I don’t know what it’s like to grow up as a black woman in Ireland either.”
Nadine is one of the few women of colour to regularly appear on Irish television and said she’s been “welcomed amazingly” into the country.
“Ireland is very white, I used to count the black people I’d see on the way to work on the bus for the craic,” she told the magazine. “But I have to say, I’ve been welcomed amazingly here in Ireland, I literally feel like I’ve popped over and everyone’s like ‘ah here, go on’! I’ve been told 10 years ago attitudes were entirely different and I’m like really?! But that famous guy you have statues of isn’t white,” she said, referring to Phil Lynnott.
She welcomes her increased profile and loves being a “big fish in a small pond” and wanted to encourage other women to chase their dreams as she believes the formula for her success has been “having no regrets and pushing myself”.
Stellar’s editor-in-chief Vicki Notaro said it was a no-brainer to feature this rising star as the magazine’s July cover girl.
“Stellar is always about inclusivity and we practice what we preach inside the mag every month, but we put celebrities on the cover because they have to be recognisable in order to encourage consumers to pick it up,” she told Independent.ie Style. “A lot of our fabulous famous young women in Ireland just so happen to be thin, white and model-esque, but times are changing, finally.
“It’s an absolute joy to be able to celebrate Nadine Reid for everything she is – a rising TV star that just happens to be a curvy, beautiful, intelligent woman of colour. She radiates warmth and charisma, and I hope our readers respond to her the way I have!”
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