W hen the dance instructor and body confidence advocate Trina Nicole was asked to describe the decades of vibrant, eclectic and feather-filled memories she has collected from Notting Hill carnival since the tender age of two, one word came to mind: freedom. “Carnival was a space where I felt like I could be free, feel liberated and feel comfortable in my body,” Nicole, 32, said. “For me, Notting Hill carnival was the first place where I got to experience and see so much diversity.
” Nicole is one of thousands of people participating in the 56th annual carnival in west London this weekend. The three-day event is expected to attract a million visitors, who have gathered to witness bedazzled revellers as they descend on a three-mile parade in a celebration of Caribbean heritage, culture and art . For Nicole, who is of Caribbean descent , the carnival has symbolised more than just a chance to party and enjoy.
Rather, she said the carnival has played an important role in her own personal journey of self-love, acceptance and belonging. “I grew up seeing women of different sizes, different shapes, wearing their costumes in the streets, dancing so freely. It was the first time that I got the opportunity to really experience body positivity before it was a trend, before it was a hashtag.
I had that privilege of seeing that as I grew up,” she said. It is this sense of liberation that Nicole, a body inclusivity champion, hopes to replicate for others with the creation of the .