Stay Wild Women - GRACE LATTER

As a brand we are constantly inspired by and in awe of the wonderful women in our community, the women who support us, the women who model for us, the women who wear our swimwear. So we decided to capture these wonderful women on film camera and share some of their stories with you. We hope you fall in love with them all as much as we did 🌊

Tell us a little about you

Hey, I’m Grace. I am a writer, social media manager and encourager (that sounds much nicer than ‘influencer’, no?), and model. I also work a couple of lovely retail jobs. 

We love how openly you talk about body confidence and embracing every body on your social media – tell us about this journey and why you think it's important to share.

Thank you! I was always quite self-conscious and insecure about my body, growing up. As a teenager, I was bombarded with images in the mass media of one type of woman; a woman who was labelled as the epitome of beauty – a woman who didn’t look much like me. Because of this, by the age of fifteen I was convinced I was fat, ugly and unworthy of attention. It’s so sad, because looking back I realise I had nothing to worry about; I was beautiful in my own way. But it wasn’t until I’d reached my twenties and undergone quite a few major surgeries that left me with misplaced muscles and gnarly scars that I truly accepted, and learned to love, my body. Maybe that’s because I’d had the chance to see just how much it could do for me; how much it could cope with, how quickly it could heal and adapt to all sorts of changes. I mean, after going through such a mad journey with this body, how could I not love it, and start treating it with respect and admiration? 

Tell us what Body Love means to you

Being completely and utterly comfortable and content as you are, and if there are any problems, working positively to make it better. You only get one body in this lifetime – why waste time hating it? 

Why do you think community and supporting each other is so important?

I thrive on good feedback and validation, generally – just ask my managers! It spurs me on and keeps me on my path. I also get serious warm fuzzies when I am able to pay it forward and give someone else a good boost. Whether it’s a simple ‘you look bloody amazing’ comment on their latest Instagram post, giving a few tips about tackling algorithms, passing their contact info on to a brand you’ve worked with, or a big hug (and maybe a quick bev) at an event they’re hosting – do what you can and help others get to where they deserve to be. We all need it sometimes, and kindness doesn’t cost a thing! 

We loved shooting with you – why did you want to be part of our shoot and community?

I love what Stay Wild are doing as a brand. I’m very selective about who I work with as a blogger/influencer, and who I model for, because ethics and sustainability are so important to me. I’m a passionate vegan, and these days I’m trying to live waste-free, so when I was approached by Stay Wild I was so excited! Then the day of shooting I was so comfortable with everyone, the team were angelic and I felt genuinely inspired by all the women I met at the studio. 

At Stay Wild we are passionate about the planet and creating a more sustainable way of doing things. Can you describe what the planet and sustainability means to you?

I am so aware how important it is to do my bit when it comes to saving the planet from the mess we humans have made. I have made all the changes to my lifestyle – my own takeaway coffee cup, water bottle, sandwich wraps, plastic-free cosmetics, etc. But I’m also working hard to go the extra mile; I’m shopping small this Christmas, I buy most of what I need from zero waste/second hand shops and have been vegan for two years. I worry that a lot of people think they need to make massive changes in their day to day life, and sacrifice a lot. That’s simply not the case; the world doesn’t need a small proportion of people to do as much as they can, it just needs as many people as possible to make just a few small changes, bit by bit. Things like recycling effectively and being more careful what they eat, etc. Not that hard! And it needs to be done. 

What was your favourite Stay Wild piece and why?

Oh my goodness, you can’t make me choose! Arghh… it’s gotta be The Lunar One Piece. It’s a classic, and unmistakable. 

What’s next for Grace?

Who even knows!? I’m currently making plans for 2020 – I’ve decided it’s going to be the year I move out on my own, put more time into the blog, and pitch myself to more brands and places. I need some new adventures. 

Follow Grace on Instagram: @_gracelatter

Grace’s Website: almostamazinggrace.co.uk