TheSports Illustrated Swimsuitmodel opened up about the challenges she faced to make space for herself in the modeling world.
But growing up, I never would have thought this was the path my career would have taken.
I was never known as being the “bigger girl.”
In fact, I was actually what most people consider “skinny.”
At six feet tall, I only weighed about 114 pounds.
Still, at home, I hated what I saw when I looked in the mirror.
I became extremely depressed and developed severe anxiety around my weight and what I was eating.
I was consumed by what others thought about my body.
That perseverance led to landing my first modeling gig when I was 16 years old.
When youre teenage girl, youre like a sponge.
All the things you hear said about yourself, you believe.
So I put all my effort into trying to drop more pounds.
But the way I was living wasn’t sustainable.
The rock bottom came just a year after that first “break” into modeling.
That day, when I walked away with tears in my eyes, I knew something had to change.
But that realization didnt happen overnight.
In fact, healing from the damage due to all the bullying and body-shaming took years.
(To be honest, its something that’s still an occasional struggle.)
I had taken several years off and at that point, my body had changed.
How could I make it with this new body; my real body?
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But then I heard about plus-size modeling.
I was perfect just the way I was.
It felt so empowering to finally be accepted and embraced without having to change a single thing.
But thats not the case.
Body-shaming and unrealistic expectations are daily occurrences for me and the other plus-size models.
Inspiring Women to Continue Fighting for Change
Right now, I couldnt be happier with my career.
Its unfortunate, but non-straight-size women still face tremendous barriers.
