I think the real problem is all the negative connotations people have with that term. They think, 'Oh my God! I don't want to be 'plus-size!'' But people attach too much significance to terms. We can't let these terms define us or our beauty. Philomena Kwao More Quotes by Philomena Kwao More Quotes From Philomena Kwao If you call me 'fat,' it doesn't bother me because I just don't care. Philomena Kwao fat me you care Put on your bikini, put on whatever you want to wear, and don't worry about what other people are saying. Philomena Kwao wear saying you people One misconception I think is wrong is that being a larger size means, somehow, that you're neglecting your body, or you don't look after yourself, or you don't love yourself enough to lose weight. We've been saturated with the idea that to be happy you must be thin, or to be healthy you must be thin. Philomena Kwao be-happy yourself you love We have spent so many years looking at images of another beauty ideal and so many years taking in magazine covers and films that represent a beauty standard that we'll never meet. People don't realize that there are makeup artists and hairstylists behind the scenes - even in something as simple as a 'candid' Instagram photo. Philomena Kwao makeup simple beauty people When I finally discovered the 'Sports Illustrated' swimsuit issue, I browsed through archives and saw a picture of an incredibly stunning model, Damaris Lewis. Her images inspired me, and I imagined being in the magazine myself. Never in a million years did I dream it would actually happen. Philomena Kwao picture myself me sports Growing up, I had body confidence issues, not really so much because of size but my skin color. I had trouble recognizing that the depth of my skin tone is really beautiful because whenever people referred to a beautiful black-skinned woman, you'd see Beyonce and Rihanna. Philomena Kwao woman you confidence beautiful My best advice is to celebrate your own unique features and never put them down. There is beauty in individuality, and it's so important to appreciate everything your body allows you to do. It's OK to have a down day - we all do from time to time - but it's not OK to compare yourself to others. Philomena Kwao best day time beauty You can't say you're inclusive when you only have one plus-size, hourglass white model. Philomena Kwao say only you white Fast fashion, whilst having increased the accessibility of stylish clothes for millions, has unfortunately resulted in many horrific practises, such as child labour, that exploit millions of people around the world in poorer, developing countries. This something that has to change, and we can all start by reflecting on where our clothes come from. Philomena Kwao child fashion change people I think that we need to allow words to be words. If my self-esteem and my self-worth linger on words that are used to describe me, then you have a problem in itself. Philomena Kwao words think me you I'm from Ghana, in West Africa, and all the women in Ghana absolutely love shea butter. We use it for everything, head to toe. I've used it all my life. Philomena Kwao my-life women love life As a woman of color and curve model, I never imagined when I started modeling that I would be featured in the pages of 'Sports Illustrated.' Philomena Kwao woman modeling color sports There's not many models in the U.S. that have my depth - like, really dark skin - that are also plus size. Skin color has been one of those things we haven't really, really addressed on a large, widespread scale. Philomena Kwao skin things color dark When you model, you don't really have control over your image. It can be a good thing, it can be a bad thing. It can be a good thing in the sense that, actually, you have to get reintroduced to yourself. You don't always get that opportunity in your normal life. You can kind of hide from yourself. Philomena Kwao yourself good you life Fat is fat. This goes back to the word 'plus.' We describe things. We are humans, and we need to describe things. Philomena Kwao fat need back things If I'm feeling really, really crappy, it sounds so cliche, but if I wake up extra early in the morning and do some sort of physical activity, I usually feel a little bit better. Or I do other things that make me happy. Philomena Kwao feel me happy morning I love technology. I love the Internet. Philomena Kwao i-love internet technology love I've been lucky enough to do a few editorials in the U.K., but I've never even been on a casting for mainstream commercial work. When I try to understand it, I think people are scared to try something new. Philomena Kwao understand think work people Celebrate the things that make you individual and unique, and realize that there's no one in this world that looks like you. Philomena Kwao you celebrate unique world In Ghana, most of the women I know do not identify as sexy, and the reason may be cultural. With imported beauty standards from the West, it seems that many African women feel they need to be fair and slim to be beautiful. Philomena Kwao women sexy beautiful beauty
