Escaping body image discrimination, female student wins fashion scholarship in UK

(Dan Tri) - Overcoming the fear of being discriminated against for his appearance, Khuat Nguyen Bao Chau is determined to "hunt" for a British scholarship with the desire to pursue his dream and use the beauty of clothing to help women become more confident.

Once self-conscious because of her non-standard appearance, Khuat Nguyen Bao Chau (born in 2004, Hanoi) is a former history major student at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. Bao Chau is pursuing her dream of becoming a fashion designer at Westminster University - one of the 10 most famous design universities in the world. Chau also received scholarships from leading fashion universities in the UK and Australia such as: Anglia Ruskin University, Istituto Marangoni Institute, Northampton University, University of Technology Sydney. Bao Chau has had a passion for drawing since she was a child, and she once dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. To nurture her dream, Chau often joins art clubs and does personal projects in her free time.

Portrait of Khuat Nguyen Bao Chau. (Photo: NVCC).

However, at the age of 14, Chau went through a difficult period in pursuing her dream because of discrimination against her appearance. "At that time, I was a girl with a non-standard appearance. I was taller and more muscular than my peers. That made me quite shy when standing in front of a crowd, and my self-consciousness also increased day by day. Negative thoughts about my appearance made me have very few friends. I used to hate myself so much that I didn't want to look in the mirror or refuse photo invitations. I was angry and hurt by rude comments from my friends. But I felt lucky to be able to turn the hurt into motivation to overcome. At that time, I tried every way to improve my appearance and develop myself such as losing weight, learning makeup and drawing. I lost more than 10kg thanks to persistent exercise," Bao Chau confided. After overcoming the trauma, Bao Chau realized that fashion is a humanistic industry because it helps people become more confident about their appearance, breaking many prejudices in life about gender, body, and skin color. "Fashion has changed my life. I hope to become a designer and create outfits that suit everyone, helping the wearer become more confident about themselves," Chau said. Having experienced verbal violence and body shaming, Bao Chau hopes that before saying bitter words to hurt someone, people should really learn about them. Having failed the scholarship twice, Chau wanted to study abroad since grade 9, but it was not until grade 12 that she began her journey to conquer the scholarship. "To achieve the desired results, I prepared my transcript, IELTS, an essay and an interview (depending on the school) to apply. In addition, due to the nature of the fashion industry, I need to submit a portfolio (art profile) including works on fashion and art to express my own personality," Chau said.

Bao Chau, representing international students at the University of Westminster, welcomed Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to the UK on the occasion of the coronation of King Charles III. (Photo: NVCC).

Chau confided that she chose the UK as her next destination for her studies because London is one of the four largest fashion capitals in the world. The UK is also one of the countries with a developed education system in all aspects and cultural diversity. Thanks to that, Chau can learn and develop herself more. In addition, Chau chose to study abroad in the UK because this is a country that allows students to work 20 hours/week. Therefore, the female student can work to earn extra income and help her family. To pursue her dream, Bao Chau went through a difficult and arduous journey. In 2022, the female student felt discouraged and disappointed in herself when she failed the scholarship twice. However, she regained her spirit when she realized: "Being rejected from a scholarship is normal, sometimes not necessarily because you are not good but because you are not suitable for the school's criteria". During the time she failed the scholarship, Chau was at risk of "missing out on education". The female student felt discouraged and skeptical about her dream. "Fashion is an art industry, it is difficult to clearly express, so I was quite vague about my abilities as well as my future. I once intended to give up and change to another major, but my determination did not allow me to do that. Later, I became more determined with my passion and continued my journey to conquer my dream," Chau confided. Learning to stop comparing herself to others Bao Chau said that her experience studying abroad in the UK helped her mature and learn many valuable lessons. "I learned to be tolerant of myself after meeting and being exposed to a new environment. I no longer feel inferior and pressured by my peers," Chau said. "Exposure to new people and diverse cultures made me realize that each person has a different "timeline". My university classmates, although 40 years old, were still determined to study again because they realized their dreams later than their peers. There was also a friend who was only 27 years old and was about to finish his doctorate. However, that does not prove that one person is more unsuccessful than another. Since then, I have had a more tolerant view of myself, am ready to accept failure and stop comparing myself to others," Chau confided.

Image of Chau welcoming autumn in Hanoi before coming to the foggy land. (Photo: NVCC).

Ms. Dieu Thu, Bao Chau's mother, confided: "From childhood to adulthood, Bao Chau has always been the pride of the family. I hope she will try to pursue her dream to the end and become a talented designer, achieving many successes in the future." Receiving sweet results after a difficult time, Chau hopes that young people will always be steadfast in their dreams and stop comparing themselves to others to avoid double pressure.

Dantri.com.vn