Iskra Lawrence is a champion for every kind of body: thin, fat and in-between. In a new interview with Women's Health UK, the Aerie model shares stories from her body-shaming past, however.
According to Lawrence, her earliest modeling days were plagued by comments about her "fat" body. Although she tried to diet, cutting down her food intake to 800 calories a day at one point, Lawrence's body wouldn't budge. Fainting on set didn't make her healthy, a regular routine of moderation and exercise did.
She says,
Before accepting [my body], when I was 18, I spent four miserable years desperately trying to make my body into what I thought was 'perfect.' I'd begun modeling at 13, but my tall, skinny size 8 (US 4) frame started developing curves.
In other words, fitness and health don't come because you've replaced your entire diet with carrot sticks. Some bodies are just bigger — a lesson Lawrence took years to learn.
She continues,
I developed a healthy lifestyle, having a green juice in the morning (but never calorie counting) and working out three times a week, mainly resistance training, which I still do now.
Lawrence, who's an unrepentant voice battling Photoshop within the fashion industry, says she's pledged to love her body, no matter its size.
The full interview appears in the September 2016 issue of Women's Health, on sale August 3, 2016.
