Former Miss Barbados Zoe Trotman is so sure of the woman she has become that nothing can break her spirit. She is focused, happy, and living her best life.
Zoe rose to local fame when she won the Miss Barbados World title in 2014, and since the local franchise only returned to the island in 2017, she had an extended reign.
She told EASY magazine she had thoroughly enjoyed her time as Miss Barbados World and was happy to finally pass on the baton.
“I’m 26 now, so I’ve grown a lot more and have experienced different things. I’ve evolved a lot more. Now that my reign is officially over, I don’t really feel anything, but I’m genuinely happy for the new queen.
“Miss World is a very unique experience and it’s up to you to take away as much from it as you can. To have someone else go through that journey and to walk on the same path I walked is always very endearing. I’ll encourage her and I’m definitely happy for her. It’s an experience she will never forget,” Zoe said.
She said if there was one thing she had learnt from her experience as Miss Barbados World, and participating in the international pageant, was how to be pioneering.
Zoe in Brussels. (GP)
“I think more than anything else what the world needs now is strong, ambitious, brilliant women who are sure of themselves . . . sure of what they want to achieve . . . who just want to make a difference in the world and not just for themselves. For me, what I do is not about helping myself. I get a lot of gratification out of knowing that I can bring joy to a person simply by being able to give them a job and so on. I want to be able to provide opportunities for young women in my community who from learning a new skill can then take that skill further,” she said.
In an intimate early morning interview from Dubai via WhatsApp, Zoe brought EASY up to speed with what exactly she’s been up too.
Over the last two years, she has been living the life she has always imagined and loving every minute of it. She moved to the Middle East and has been steadily working at building her brand. She works full time, and is also spearheading two businesses of her own.
“I’ve been pretty good with where I’ve been in life these last few years. I’ve been working on developing myself and developing two new businesses that I’ve been spearheading from a far. I’m trying to be a bit more of a businesswoman during this stage of my life moreso than a pageant girl.
“One of the businesses is in the process of being developed further and I don’t want to reveal it yet. The other one, an online boutique called Dina Bazaar. From travelling so much and being influenced by fashion all over the world, I felt very compelled to bring some of that home and make everything readily available to share.
“I remember growing up in Barbados and having such an eclectic taste in fashion and feeling like I wasn’t able to fully find everything that I wanted. I feel like my store gives a window into the fashion in that part of the world. It’s very new for me. I learn every day about it but it’s a labour of love,” she explained.
During her time in the Middle East, the tall, sassy young woman has grown into an even more confident self-assured woman who is ready for any and everything.
Zoe told EASY magazine if there was one thing that changed about her would have to be her sense of self.
Zoe in Argentina. (GP)
“I’m a lot more sure and sound in who I am as a woman. Coming from a small community, small island, small family, you tend to be heavily influenced by the views of what other think. I used to go through life thinking of lots of things, thinking I was too thin, too dark, too outspoken because people shared those views about me. And then when I grew a little bit and when I moved here, I didn’t realise how timid and how unsure I was of myself.
“Everything I knew about myself I adopted from what people said or thought of me and that is completely disheartening and that is something I don’t want my daughter to ever go through. I think now at this age I am a lot more unapologetic, I’ve grown into a very outspoken and sure woman,” Zoe said quite confidently.
So sure of herself, Zoe said there’s nothing that could come her way that could shake her, including negativity. While reflecting on how far she had come, the former beauty queen said she was very proud of the woman she is now.
“I think what’s more liberating at this stage in my life is that there is nothing anybody, anywhere can say about me that can cause me to be shaken in my sureness of self. I’m so proud of who I am. My life is far from perfect, but there is beauty in every single stage, mistake and learning experience that I’ve gone through. I think true nobility comes from being superior to your former self,” she added.
And while she may appear to be at height of living her dreams and experiencing success, Zoe noted that this was just the beginning and things could only go up from here.
“In five to ten years I definitely see myself being a mogul. I’ve always been a big dreamer. I remember being in first form telling people I would be Miss Barbados. Little did I know it would happen. I’ve always had this fervent tenacity to achieve anything I put my mind to. I’m very ambitious. Sometimes I’m even afraid to share my goals with people because it may seem far-fetched,” she said while adding that she hoped to become a mother soon as well.
As far as pageantry goes, Zoe said at some point she would love to give back.
“I think my purpose in pageantry has always been to be a performer. I can be open to mentoring young girls who want to compete. I have been approached about coaching, but because of where I am in my life right now it’s a little difficult to really contribute significantly to the development of girls in Barbados. But from afar it would be nice to mentor someone when it comes to public speaking. I would definitely be open to mentoring a girl,” Zoe added. (DB)
