In conversation with Maya Hart | Images by Sky Sirens’ Creative Team

Introduce yourself.

I’ve been a student at Sky Sirens for around 18 months! I was first introduced to the studio by a friend who also does classes here. I came in for a Babydoll Lyra class. I was hooked. Since then, I have tried almost every single class that Sky Sirens has on offer. I’ve tried everything from Babydoll Fans to Contemporary Floor to Handstands to Pole. Almost everything. I prefer and tend to do a lot more classes with Lyra - it’s just my favourite out of all the things on offer.

I work in corporate IT, so I really appreciate having an environment where I can just be myself.

The corporate world is very black and white, and you have to fit into a specific mould. The environment is getting better, but it’s just not there yet. I can come to class after work, and be myself.

How do you identify?

I like to describe myself as plus-size or curvy. I try, for my own personal mental health, to focus on the strength and beauty of my body. I focus on saying how strong and curvy I am. In fact, most of the time, I don’t label myself at all.

One thing I really want to talk about is that some people feel like they aren’t plus-sized enough. They fall into a size range that isn’t always identified as plus-size. Some people are a size 14 to 16, and feel comfortable walking into normal stores. Others come in at my size, just above this range, and I can’t find clothing in a normal store. People look at me and think “she’s just a bit fat”.

People in my situation don’t have to lose just a little bit of weight to fit in, just because they’re not seen as big enough by others.

“She’s not fat, she could just lose some weight and be skinny”. No, I am fine the way I am.