Model and activist Denise Bidot is a leading figure in the fashion industry and a dedicated advocate of body acceptance and diversity. In 2014, Bidot made history as the first plus-size model to walk multiple runways during New York Fashion Week. Although she was a plus-size model, she broke barriers by modeling for straight-size brands, as well. The versatile, accomplished model has worked for a variety of well-known, plus-size and straight-size brands including Forever 21, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Lane Bryant, Target, Lilly Pulitzer, and Levi’s Jeans.

As a child, Denise watched her mother continually struggle to achieve unrealistic body expectations. Denise was struck by the fact that her mother, a beautiful woman whom she admired, couldn’t see her own beauty. Now that Denise is a mother with a daughter of her own, she is even more dedicated to promoting body positivity and acceptance.

She encourages women to be kind to one another, and to themselves, by recognizing there’s more than one way to be beautiful. Denise launched her own lifestyle movement, called "There Is No Wrong Way to Be a Woman," to encourage women to embrace their unique beauty and individuality.

Source: Instagram

Model and activist Liza Golden-Bhojwani hopes that, by sharing her personal journey, she can help others overcome issues with body image. Golden-Bhojwani began modeling simply to earn a living and maintain her independence. Before long, though, she came face-to-face with the harsh reality of sacrificing her health and well-being in order to make a living as a professional model. Her natural shape was different from the fashion industry ideal, as she had a wider waistline and fuller hips than the supposedly ideal female figure.

To succeed as a model, Golden-Bhojwani resorted to the crash diets and extreme exercise popular among the models with whom she worked. Because of her body’s natural shape, she could only achieve the “ideal” 34-inch waist by starving herself and restricting her diet to a mere 500 calories a day. This extreme deprivation made her lose nearly 20 pounds in two weeks, but the dangerous diet caused her to feel miserable, shaky, emotionally unstable, and constantly on edge. Her face sunk, she had black circles under her eyes, and one night she fainted, a terrifying experience that made her realize her obsession with being unnaturally thin was damaging her body and putting her in danger. Mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted from the strain of striving to achieve unrealistic body expectations, Golden-Bhojwani took a break from modeling before re-entering the spotlight to speak out as an advocate for body positivity. She hopes that, by sharing her message with others, she can inspire other women to feel comfortable and accept themselves for who they are.

Source: Instagram

Body positivity advocate and former plus-size model Leah Kelley has shared her story of struggling with body-image issues to help others dealing with these issues. When Kelley first started modeling at age 19, she lacked confidence in her natural size and consistently felt ashamed of her body. She had to purposefully gain weight in order to succeed as a plus-size model. As an accomplished plus-size model, Kelley felt confident about her appearance for the first time. However, in order to maintain the desired weight for a plus-size model, Kelley needed to alter her lifestyle by avoiding exercise and eating unhealthy foods, which took a toll on her health.

Although she was more successful than ever, she constantly felt tired and sore and realized that her efforts to gain weight were harming her physical and mental well-being. After committing to a lifestyle change that involved working out and eating healthy, Kelley went back to her natural weight and is healthier and more confident than ever.

She recognizes that, although the fashion industry still has a long way to go when it comes to body acceptance, there have been steps in the right direction: she can now work at her natural size without needing to gain or lose weight for jobs. By sharing her story, Kelley hopes to encourage women to feel confident and happy regardless of their size.

Source: Instagram

Saffi Karina was raised in London by a family of naturally curvaceous women who taught her that a healthy body is a beautiful body. When a former manager demanded that she lose weight to fit the expectations for a straight-size model, Karina refused to compromise her values and decided that, as long as she looked and felt healthy, she would never lose weight simply to conform to anyone’s prejudicial expectations. She took a break from modeling to complete her studies in fashion design and photography at the London College of Fashion.

She returned to the modeling industry as a curve model and appeared in a number of high-profile campaigns for L’Oréal, H&M, Macy’s, and Lane Bryant. She also appeared in an editorial for Elle Sweden and was a runway model for designer Christian Siriano’s fall 2017 fashion week show. Karina is a body-positive activist who founded a body confidence program, Curve Project London, where she and other fashion industry professionals mentor women ages 16 to 60 to help them develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the plus-size modeling industry.

Source: Instagram