Dorothea Adam traveled 500 kilometers by bus from Dar es Salaam to Mombasa in search of a well-sculptured body. After delivery, her body lost its former elasticity and her stomach sagged so badly she had to wear body shapers always, which made her lose her confidence. She opens up on her insecurities and why she opted for cosmetic surgery.
When Dorothea Adam left Dar es Salaam for Mombasa, her mind was preoccupied with the beautiful body the surgeon would give her after her cosmetic surgery. It wasn’t the first time the 25-year-old was in search of her dream body. A few years earlier, together with some of her girlfriends, Dorothea had approached a certain organization online that claimed to be doing cosmetic surgery but they had turned out to be con artists. This had left her quite skeptical after being duped and the conmen making away with about 5,000,000 shillings in Tanzanian currency (Kshs 241,000).
Her perception, however, changed after she was introduced to Viva Serenity. “I first heard of Viva Serenity after Wema Sepetu’s weight-loss journey, which they had facilitated a few years earlier became public and went viral in Tanzania,” explains Dorothea. “I contacted one of the media personalities in Tanzania who did some background research and advised me it was worth trying. And that was how I reached out to Viva Serenity,” she narrates.
When we settled to have this interview, Dorothea was due for surgery the following day. She had arrived in Mombasa two days earlier by bus to a warm reception from the Viva team after her long nine-hour journey. “I have enjoyed the reception and the Viva team has taken me to see some historical places, like the famous Fort Jesus, which I had only heard of,” she tells me. It’s my first time here and it’s a beautiful place, she says.
Dorothea says she’s excited about the cosmetic surgery and she can’t wait to open up a lingerie shop when she goes back home. “You see, I’m not very comfortable in my body and I’m always wearing body shapers and corsets to ensure everything stays together,” she explains. “With a beautiful new body, I will be more confident and even be able to model my own lingerie line!” she says.
After I delivered my baby in 2014, I never lost the baby fat and my tummy completely defied everything I did to reduce the size, says Dorothea. I tried juicing and would religiously take lemon water with ginger and evening runs in an attempt to drop the kilos in vain. I also tried exercising but I would just shed weight temporarily and it would all come back, says Dorothea. She confesses that a sagging tummy at a young age caused her to lose her confidence as most of her friends have nice firm bodies. She had earlier dropped out of school in Form Two due to early pregnancy and had resorted to casual labour. “I lost my parents early in life and most of my relatives had given me a wide berth after I became pregnant,” she says.
My confidence has dwindled drastically, especially because I cannot confidently wear figure-hugging dresses. When I dress up, I look good because I wear body shapers, which give an illusion of a small waistline though deep down I know I’m living a lie. Every night I remove my corsets, it leaves me feeling bad and I decided, why not do a complete make-over and look good always? I feel like two different people when not wearing my body shaper and when I remove it. It affects my interactions with others as I’m self-conscious and always feel like everyone can see my bulging stomach. It’s such a turn-off!
Dorothea Adam is excited about her date with the surgeon and is counting down the hours …
