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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 -
I believe I'm beautiful because I'm me. I also believe that if you can find beauty in everything, you can allow that to change your mind-set, and doing so makes you a happier person.
Philomena Kwao
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'Sports Illustrated' has set the standard for what a swimsuit model should be. For a magazine that has that much influence to include models of different body types on their pages shows that they're breaking down old beauty ideals while opening the doors of diversity and inclusivity.
Philomena Kwao -
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 -
Put on your bikini, put on whatever you want to wear, and don't worry about what other people are saying.
Philomena Kwao -
Fat is fat. This goes back to the word 'plus.' We describe things. We are humans, and we need to describe things.
Philomena Kwao -
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 -
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.
Philomena Kwao
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Beauty, to me, is not a physical thing. It's a feeling.
Philomena Kwao -
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.
Philomena Kwao -
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.
Philomena Kwao -
If a brand wants a specific girl, they want a specific girl, wherever you are.
Philomena Kwao -
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 -
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
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It's refreshing to see plus women being treated as part of the fashion community as a whole and not just a separate piece or separate different thing.
Philomena Kwao -
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 -
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 -
The curvy community has really given me a voice because people want to see someone who looks like they do. They want to know their beauty is valid.
Philomena Kwao -
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.
Philomena Kwao -
I love technology. I love the Internet.
Philomena Kwao
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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 -
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 -
Sometimes you never realise how much of an effect you're having on people until you're told, and the fan mail I receive has made me very aware of the positive effects I have on other people.
Philomena Kwao -
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.
Philomena Kwao