TAKE 10: MENYOTA MOWOE

Words: Nhlanhla Masemola | Photography: Nadia von Scotti | Videography: Maxime Thaysen

This Body Moves is our sport campaign celebrating all of the big and small ways that our bodies carry us. This body adapts, struggles, learns. This body endures, it accomplishes, it has what it takes. This body soaks up the stories that make up a lifetime of living with its own identity, heritage, failures, capabilities and wins. This body sets its own pace. This body sets its own terms.

Meet Menyota Mowoe. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, on Victoria Island, Menyota moved to South Africa when he was eight years old – first moving to KwaZulu-Natal and then the Western Cape shortly after his 16th birthday. He’s currently completing his undergraduate degree in mechatronics at the University of Cape while freelancing for a specialist engineering firm abroad and working as a model. Menyota is young, focused and ambitious and his fitness is a reflection of all of that. He believes his body is capable of incredible things and wants everyone else to feel the same, regardless of what the rest of the world may think.

My body is a good place to be because...

It’s strong and it can do some pretty amazing things, which is how everyone should feel, whether or not they meet society’s flawed standards of beauty.

What do you like to wear while being active?

If alone, nothing at all. If not, a pair of shorts and trainers, even though I still prefer to wear nothing.

What can I say? I’d like to think of myself as a purist.

What do you eat before you work out?

A bowl of oatmeal with full-cream milk and a freshly baked chocolate croissant. Although I often work out on an empty stomach. It’s quite exhilarating and allows my body to consume any energy that’s left.

What or who has been the biggest inspiration in your life?

My father, hands down. He shares that title with my mother, though. Both are full of light, love and wisdom, without fail.

What does health mean to you and how do you define it? 

A constant state of mental and physical composure, which are rooted in self-love and reflected as overall wellbeing.

What misconceptions do you think people have about fitness?

That abs are made in the kitchen. That machines are better than free weights and that free weights are better than bodyweight training.

What was your favourite moment while shooting the Superbalist Sport 2019 campaign?

Dancing with the other models on set and watching everyone just let go and have fun, including the camera crew.

Has your body size changed or stayed the same over time? 

In general, I have roughly maintained the same form, body fat percentage and frame for the past seven years. However, my body is highly responsive to physical exercise, which is why I opt more for callisthenics than weight training.

What do you love most about your body?

My back.

And the least?

Perhaps my smile.

The songs perfect for working out?

Jazz

Mick Jenkins

No Favors

Big Sean featuring Eminem

Hair Down

SiR featuring Kendrick Lamar

The Greatest

Sia

Nonstop Drake

Fukk Sleep

A$AP Rocky featuring FKA twigs

Be Honest

Jorja Smith featuring Burna Boy

Vossi Bop

Stormzy