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" I try not to assign labels to myself. Sometimes I shop in the plus section, and sometimes I don't. I feel we attach too much significance to labels, and ultimately, it doesn't really matter. "

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

Philomena Kwao

Amazing

Beautiful

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" I grew up in the U.K. and now reside in the United States, and my family is from Ghana. "

Philomena Kwao

Now

United States

" 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

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" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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.' "

" Much noise has been about size diversity but not enough about skin tone diversity. It's time for this to change. "

" There is beauty everywhere. But if I had to narrow it down, I absolutely adore Beyonce. She's the ultimate icon for me. I also love Naomi CampbelI, Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls, Daria Werbowy, and Genevieve Nnaji. "

Philomena Kwao

She

Ultimate

" Everyone needs to realize the responsibility they hold and realize where they can make a difference. "

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

" By being present and being true, I believe that, in my own way, I am promoting diversity. "

" Fat is fat. This goes back to the word 'plus.' We describe things. We are humans, and we need to describe things. "

" 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 am from Ghana, and although Ghana is celebrated as a relatively peaceful country in a historically war-torn region, the issues of development and recovery are still apparent. "

" Because of social media, it's bridged the gap between the advertisers and fashion and allowed people to find their group. It really widens what people are viewing and allows brands to see what the public wants to see. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

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

Philomena Kwao

Media

Voice

" Women of all ethnicities, complexions, and sizes want to be able to wear makeup and nice clothes. No one wants to go out and feel like they're substandard or that there's only one mold that they don't fit. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" My mom and my sisters have helped me to be comfortable with who I am. It's a process of loving yourself as you are. I can say that it's been a journey. I see the changes little by little. "

Philomena Kwao

Yourself

Mom

" It isn't hard to see how the lack of representation affects the self esteem of many women world wide. "

" War and armed conflict disproportionately affect women and can turn what is supposed to be a joyous and beautiful experience - childbirth - into a horrific or even fatal one. "

" While education is hugely important, the ways in which women are portrayed in their communities are equally important. Portraying women as victims keeps women in a captive space and denies them of their agency: their ability to fight back and take ownership of their situation. "

" Celebrate the things that make you individual and unique, and realize that there's no one in this world that looks like you. "

" I've inherited so much culture, beauty, and love, and I'm the perfect mix of Philomena. "

" Plus-sized women have been told for so long to cover up. Whether it's with a one-piece, a tankini, a bikini with a skirt, high-waisted things, we're always told to hide these things that society calls flaws. "