I've got big hips and a big body. I'm double, triple the size of other models - and I embrace that - I own it.
The truth is I couldn’t care less about needing a supposed 'thigh gap.' It’s just another tool of manipulation that other people are trying to use to keep me from loving my body. Why would I want to starve and weaken my natural body size? I’m not saying women who have it naturally are unattractive. But I would have to change my entire frame just to achieve something that seems so trivial.
A healthy body isn't defined by weight or size. It's about so much more.
But it's about health, not forcing my body to be something it's not meant to be.
People use me as a figurehead, and to me that misses the point and is blatantly offensive to thin women - my sister, for one. Curves don't epitomise a woman. Saying, 'Skinny is ugly' should be no more acceptable than saying fat is. I find all this stuff a very controlling and effective way of making women obsess over their weight, instead of exploiting their more important attributes, such as intellect, strength and power. We could be getting angry about unequal pay and unequal opportunities, but we're too busy being told we're not thin enough or curvy enough. We're holding ourselves back.
The last thing I would want for my future daughter would be to starve herself because she thought a thigh gap was necessary to be deemed attractive.
I'm normal size... I wish we could all be known as models rather than plus size.
Most of the brands that have used me don't say I'm "plus-size" - and there are other plus-size girls doing really well. But there is still a gap in "normal size" girls being represented. There are so many size 8 girls in shape; they look hot, but there is a lack of diversity for them. At the moment there's an extreme on both size sides. But it's changing, and that can only be seen as positive.
People say, ‘How is she a plus-size model?’ and I’m like, ‘Exactly, this is the point, how am I a plus-size model?
America is really tough on mothers, especially going to work again. A lot of women have to breast-pump, and they can't do that at work, and they only have two weeks' maternity leave. I'm very lucky that I get to pick and choose. And it helps that all my agents are women, and very protective of me. But for other working mothers here, support from their employers is not good enough. It shouldn't even be an issue. It's really important to be able to raise your kid without a fear of losing your job.
Since there is an assumption that a lot of models ‘starve themselves’ to stay thin, I always find it both funny and shocking when people ask me if I ‘overeat’ or am ‘fed better’ on photo shoots to help me stay a ‘larger size.’ While I may be a total foodie and enjoy cooking, I simply eat when I’m hungry and finish just before I’m full.
