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" I think the fashion industry and the media industry in general have a responsibility to make sure that they celebrate the rich differences in all our backgrounds to make sure we don't fall into the trap of reducing beauty to one specific mold. "

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" 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

Happy

Morning

Better

" I try and work out as much as I can because when you exercise, it releases endorphins and makes you feel really good. I also make sure I schedule time with my friends, family, and loved ones because I realize that, as well as your physical well-being, you have to look out for your mental well-being, too. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" We are all beautiful. "

Philomena Kwao

Beautiful

" When I started, there was only one other girl that I could name that was even close to my shade. I didn't understand why there weren't more black plus-size models with darker skin tones. It feels like the final frontier of beauty is to be black, to be plus, to have natural hair. "

" No woman anywhere should be denied access to quality healthcare because of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. "

" Beauty, to me, is not a physical thing. It's a feeling. "

" I think it's just that the fashion industry can only accept one thing at a time. It's like, 'OK, well, if we're going to add plus, then let's keep it hourglass and white.' "

" You can't say you're inclusive when you only have one plus-size, hourglass white model. "

" 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. "

" If you call me 'fat,' it doesn't bother me because I just don't care. "

" My journey into modeling began completely by chance. I was in school finishing up my master's degree in health management and policy when a friend entered me into an online modeling competition. "

Philomena Kwao

Competition

Health

" Put on your bikini, put on whatever you want to wear, and don't worry about what other people are saying. "

" 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. "

" You cannot determine someone's health by the BMI alone. There are many factors that contribute to the health on an individual. If we're going to start using BMI to police straight size models, what's next? The plus size industry? To be honest, if it was down to BMI alone, most plus size models - including myself - wouldn't be working. "

" The brands that choose to use me, my agency and social media have given me a face and a voice. "

Philomena Kwao

Media

Voice

" 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. "

" My hair is extremely dry and fragile, so moisture is key. I love black castor oil, shea butter, and lots of water. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" New York City is one of the best cities in the world for walking: it's virtually impossible to get lost. "

" Torrid has given me an amazing opportunity. I can reach out to different girls and help them realize that they are beautiful, too. "

" Women need to be empowered to shape their own livelihoods and become CEOs of their own lives. They must be allowed to take control of important life decisions that are so often decided by others. "

" Before I went to boarding school, I had never read a fashion magazine. I grew up on a council estate in London, and fashion magazines were a luxury item that weren't even on my mind. The closest I got to a fashion magazine was my cousin's 'Top of the Pops' magazines, where we would learn the lyrics to every song and put posters on our walls. "

" I love technology. I love the Internet. "

" 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.' "

" I have to congratulate L'Oreal on its True Match foundation range. It's my go-to foundation, and I absolutely love it. "

" For me, less is more. I don't often wear makeup, but when I do, a little concealer and some powder go a long way. "

Philomena Kwao

Makeup

Long

" Health management is my passion, and I hope to further my career in that area in the future. "