Nia Jax, WWE star and cousin of the Rock, wows crowd in 'amazingly empowering' fashion show

Elise Solé

Nia Jax, WWE star and body-positive advocate has added another skill set to her ever-evolving resume: Runway modeling.

Nia Jax walks the runway during the Dia&Co fashion show and industry panel at the CURVYcon at Metropolitan Pavilion West on September 8, 2017 in New York City.
Nia Jax walks the runway during the Dia&Co fashion show and industry panel at the CURVYcon at Metropolitan Pavilion West on September 8, 2017 in New York City.

The 33-year-old professional wrestler (whose real name is Savelina Fanene) walked the runway at theCURVYCon fashion show on Friday — alongside fellow curvy models Liza Golden, Precious Lee, and Marquita Pring — while wearing a navy blue-and-white top with blue jeans and a cranberry-colored hat, and also a black, lace top with a black bra underneath.

The runway show, powered by plus-size sample box brand Dia&Co, debuted four new collections by Nanette Lepore (sizes 14-24), Girl with Curves, (12-32), Molly & Isadora (14-32), and East Adeline (14-32).

Pro wrestler Nia Jax models new plus-size styles at theCURVYCon. (Photo: YahooStyle)
Pro wrestler Nia Jax models new plus-size styles at theCURVYCon. (Photo: YahooStyle)

Earlier this week, Jax relayed news of her fashion debut with her 646K fans, captioning an Instagram photo, “I am beyond pumped, stoked, excited and HONORED to share that I will be participating in this amazingly empowering event….Being a proud & confident Curvy woman, I cannot wait to strut my stuff in their fashion show and mingle with some incredibly influential #BodyPositivePeople! I will be sharing my whole journey, stay tuned!”

WWE wrestler Nia Jax walks the runway in the CURVYCon’s first-ever fashion show. (Photo: Nia Jax via Yahoo Style)
WWE wrestler Nia Jax walks the runway in the CURVYCon’s first-ever fashion show. (Photo: Nia Jax via Yahoo Style)

Jax also posted Instagram videos while prepping for a photo shoot with her glam squad and squeezing in a squat workout.

Watch the show:

But while Jax, who is a cousin to Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, has long been in the spotlight — she was a plus-size model in her pre-wrestling days — baring her body isn’t that intuitive. The 6-foot-tall beauty often hits the wrestling ring in a suit that covers her entire body, a sharp contrast to the glittery bikini costumes worn by her competitors, and she’s admitted to struggling with body acceptance.

I am beyond pumped, stoked, excited and HONORED to share that I will be participating in this amazingly empowering event hosted by @diaandco! #theCurvyCon is running alongside New York Fashion Week this year. "theCURVYcon is a two day event that brings plus size Brands, Fashionistas, Shopaholics, Bloggers and YouTubers into one space, to chat curvy, shop curvy and embrace curvy." Being a proud & confident Curvy woman, I cannot wait to strut my stuff in their fashion show and mingle with some incredibly influential #BodyPositive People! I will be sharing my whole journey, stay tuned! #NotLikeMost #BodyBeautiful

A post shared by Lina Fanene (@niajaxwwe) on Sep 5, 2017 at 1:01pm PDT

In April, Jax posted an Instagram selfie wearing a black, low-cut one-piece swimsuit. “Posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit is VERY hard for me,” she wrote. I have never been one to show off too much skin, and it’s not just because I’m a larger woman…don’t get me wrong, there have been many occasions where I wished I could be thinner or have a different nose or hairline to fit in, but I realized that fitting in is not always as important as it seems; I realized that I love standing out in positive ways!”

Posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit is VERY hard for me. I have never been one to show off too much skin, and it's not just because I'm a larger woman. After this amazing #Wrestlemania weekend I had a chance to speak to a bunch of young women & men. Most, if not all of them, mentioned that my #BodyPositive mindset had helped them to be able to find confidence within themselves, which really touched me and even brought me to tears numerous times. Thankfully I have always had a family that has supported me and has always reminded me that my beauty comes from within, especially my mother. She constantly reminded me that "no matter how beautiful you are on the outside, if you're insides are ugly, that will be what everyone sees & feels." Don't get me wrong, there have been many occasions where I wished I could be thinner or have a different nose or hairline to fit in, but I realized that fitting in is not always as important as it seems; I realized that I love standing out in positive ways! • I love sending a message of self-confidence and getting to share that with people. Self-confidence also goes along with being healthy! I work out all the time, I eat healthy & try (emphasis on TRY) to get as much sleep as I can. There are obviously times where I love to pig out and enjoy myself, but I always make sure to never lose my focus on being healthy, because no matter what, your health is the number one most important thing in life. We aren't meant to look the same, but we are all meant to be healthy. We are all beautiful in different ways. Staying healthy adds to beauty. Even more importantly, it will increase your self-confidence. That's been my experience at least . #JaxJungle #NotLikeMost #PowerOfBeingYou

A post shared by Lina Fanene (@niajaxwwe) on Apr 6, 2017 at 10:48am PDT

Founded by plus-size bloggers Chastity Garner and Cece Olisa, the third annual conference is hosted by plus-size subscription styling service Dia & Co and celebrates size-acceptance via panel discussions with bloggers, designers, and celebrities such as This Is Us’ Chrissy Metz, curvy Project Runway winner Ashley Nell Tipton, and Whitney Way Thore, star of TLC’s “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.”

theCURVYcon takes place on Sept. 8 and 9 and will be live-streamed exclusively on Yahoo Style.

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