Matti verbeeck

Our first interview was with a girl full of ambition and body positivity.

"I was hesitating to post this picture, but I really liked this one and it shows again that I stand behind body positivity."

Hi Matti,

Thank you for making time for us. You will be very helpful by answering these questions.

You started your blog “tache-de-beauté” two years ago, what was the purpose of it? How did you get the idea?

"I launched Tache the Beauté back in 2014. It’s the typical story of a little girl that always dreamt of working in fashion, so she started a fashion blog. I always wanted to become a fashion designer, but at a very young age I realized that it’s a very hard process to become a fashion designer and that it’s very rare to succeed in the fashion world.

My first blog was a mess; it was unprofessional, ugly and just ridiculously stupid. I wrote about my daily outfits, but I also wrote about other people’s outfits. I walked around in cities and I asked people who were well dressed if I could take a picture and then I wrote about their outfits and what I loved about it.

While I was growing up and getting mature, I realized that my blog was changing with me. Now I have this good-looking blog with high quality content that I’m very proud of."

You haven’t only a great blog, you also have a lot of followers on Instagram. How do you manage it in your life, because we assume that it must take a lot of your time?

"Instagram absorbs a lot of my free time, more than I actually want. I’m constantly answering e-mails, writing posts, having photo shoots and thinking of cool concepts because I try to be very original and unique. I started with Instagram in 2013 and at that moment I’ve never heard the word ‘influencer’ before. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as ‘Instagram-bloggers’. I posted selfies, ootd’s, pictures with my friends, clothes I bought etc. I was just a normal 15-year-old girl who thought Instagram was nice to share some moments with her friends, but I never ever intended to become an influencer. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but a lot has changed in the previous years. I didn’t only grow on social media, but I also became this completely different person, in a positive way."

Do you have some other current projects?

"I have something I’m working at, but it’s a huge secret, so you’ll have to stay tuned for that. Of course I have some very cool collaborations coming up with some big brands. It’s always very nice to work together with brands such as Prima Donna, Napapijri, Revolve, Ikea, etc. because I’ve always loved these brands and now it’s a dream coming true to work with them."

What do you want to transmit to people with your blog and Instagram-pics?

"I want to show people that there is no problem with being different and with wanting to stand out. I’ve never been a normal high school girl; I always wore these crazy ass combinations (that I now regret of course), but I’ve never been like the rest of them. And that’s what I’m trying to transmit to my followers: “don’t be like the rest of them darling”"

Do you try to bring self-confidence in your shoots? Do you pay attention to which pictures you choose to put on your blog/Instagram?

"Yes of course, I am very picky. When I have a shoot and we take about 400 pictures, I will definitely end up with max 5 pictures. I know that I have the attitude of being very self confident, but I’m not. I’m never happy with how I look. Although I know I give the expression to people that I’m very self confident."

Underneath a lot of pictures on your Instagram you write things like: “embrace your curves, love your body.” You also post a lot of pictures where we can see your beautiful curves. How have you made that decision for yourself? Why is this so important to you?

"The embracing of curves is very important to me; because my whole life people have been calling me fat, even tough I was just a little chubby. I wasn’t obese, I had a good BMI, and so I never understood why I was called fat all the time.

Growing up I heard a lot of similar stories of girls who’ve been bullied, but never were that big. I think it’s important to accept who we are and to embrace what we’ve got despites what people say or think about your body. Everything is fine as long as you’re healthy."

Who or what inspired you to think that way?

"Myself, I took a while to realize it, but it made me a lot happier. Of course I got a lot of inspiration by women like Ashley Graham"

What could we do in your eyes, to feel happier in our skin and in front of a camera?

"Take care of yourself, eat healty, exercise a lot and wear whatever the hell you want.

You just have to see the camera like it’s your mirror, play with it and make it work."

What is your motto or most important lesson in life?

"Vous êtes votre seule limite."

With whom person would you change your life for a day and why?

"My idol: Negin Mirsalehi. She has one of the biggest blogs in the world. She travels the world and she has the cutest dog on earth."

What would you like to tell all girls and women? Do you have some advice for them?

"Always try to be the best version of yourself."

What are your favourites shops and beauty brands to look amazing every day?

"My all time favourite: Monki, I also buy a lot of clothes at Essentiel and Zara.

Makeup: all my stuff is from Sephora"

What are your future projects? Some dreams you want to realise?

"I always dreamt of having an own clothing company. So hopefully within a few years people will be wearing my clothes."

We want to thank you again Matti and we wish you the best!

"One of my favourite pictures of all time. On this picture I’m showing my followers that you should wear whatever you want. "

"Picture for Prima Donna. We had to promote body positivity with the hashtag #odetocurves"

"Here I want to show my followers that you don’t only have to eat healthy and veggie food. There is nothing wrong with a #cheatday."

Go check her out!

Follow her on Instagram and on her blog.