Iskra Lawrence Quotes

There’s a direct correlation between media and how we feel about our bodies.

You’re always ‘too’ something.

I started when I was 13 years old by entering ‘Elle Girl”s search for the next supermodel in the U.K. I got to the finals and was signed by Storm.

I had a turbulent relationship with my calves, but I love them now because I realize that they were never the problem.

For me, I feel empowered when I use my body to exercise, play sports, and explore the world. My body allows me to sing, dance, talk, feel – and eat a damn good piece of cheesecake.

Every agency would mention my hips. I remember looking at the other models and thinking, ‘I do not look like these girls.’

You are good enough as you, so delete that Facetune app and step away from that really weird filter that makes you look smoother than Craig David.

I didn’t always have a lot of self confidence growing up.

Any images that I’ve had retouched, I look at them, and I think, ‘Oh I actually don’t want that.’ That’s why I don’t share them on Instagram.

I don’t ever wanna blame my body for not being right.

When I joined Instagram, I began sharing my raw photos along with my raw and honest thoughts and feelings.

Words and images deeply impact the way we view our bodies, and the consequences can be very damaging.

I have heard every negative thing under the sun about my body.

I remember Googling operations to make my calves slimmer, and I ate only ham for a week to try and become skinny.

When I was a teenager, a mean comment would have hurt me deeply, I’ve made it my mission to be a role model for young girls and boys and help show them that other people’s words or opinions have nothing to do with how beautiful they actually are.

You don’t need to be retouched – because the real you is beautiful.

We need to realize that we can do anything with our lives because of who we are.

We need to see real women’s bodies.

Hateful words stand no chance against self-worth and a little of humor.

Oh my goodness – Zac Efron has great abs.

Because I was a swimmer, I felt like sports did help me to realize that my body was more than what it just looked like… and if didn’t eat, then I couldn’t swim fast.

I live by ‘Everything in moderation.’

If you are trying to achieve the ‘perfect body’ or aspiring to be like someone else, you are only going to feel like you failed.

I never want to shame anyone. I love going to the gym, and I feel proud and fit. That, for me, is aspirational. There are things you can do in a very healthy, natural way. This is how I work with my body to make it the best I can be. That’s the shape that I have, just toned and tight. That’s my preference.

Clothing for larger sizes doesn’t have to look frumpy and old; it should seamlessly integrate fashion – like Universal Standard.

I love McDonald’s now and again – not every day.

You should be waking up and being excited about what you’re going to do today, and your friends and your family, and what you’re going to achieve in life.

When you’re happy and at one with yourself and have come to peace with who you are, that radiates.

Everyone has to realize that body-shaming can happen at any size.

There’s nothing wrong with having a bad day. Let yourself feel those emotions because every emotion is validated.

I know, when I was younger, I would look in the mirror every single day and hate what I saw.

Invest in brands that make you feel good and that you believe in.

I’m very much a positive person – I put good energy out there – so I don’t feel like anyone would want to do anything nasty to me.

I think unretouched images are even more beautiful.

Everybody can rock a bikini, swimsuit, unicorn onesie… whatever floats your boat. If you wear it with confidence, you will look hot.

For so many years, I thought I wasn’t good enough.

I’m happy with myself. I respect myself. And I know that no man, no jeans, no scale, and no booker is in control of my future – I am.

If you want to wear something and you feel confident, you are going to rock it. That’s what I love about fashion: it’s your choice and your chance to express yourself.

You don’t always need to be this flawless female with amazing skin and done hair. Perfect doesn’t exist.

If your girlfriend is saying, ‘Ugh, look at my stretch marks, look at my rolls,’ don’t say, ‘Yeah, I hate my thighs, too.’ Say, ‘No, you look really cute today – and I feel good, too!’

My dad always has the best advice!

The focus for me is always about health. That’s why I talk about self-care rather than size or anything like that, because that’s something we can all do that’s relatable – this discussion of being healthy form the inside-out.

I was called ‘fat’ 200 times on shoots and had serious trouble fitting in the clothes at fashion shows. All these things break you down to a point where you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see.

No matter what age you are, your voice should be heard, and you can develop a passion for something and be an activist in your own right, in your own field, for something you feel strongly about.

When we think about our bodies, we often think about the way they look as opposed to what they accomplish for us every day.

It’s easy to forget how powerful our bodies actually are.

Throughout my whole teenage years, I had zero confidence and had to build it from the bottom up.

My long-term dream is to have self-education in schools for mental, physical, and emotional health because we need to learn how to speak to ourselves in a loving way and to each other.

I did not label myself ‘plus size.’ The fashion industry did.

People often ask me, ‘Who is your role model?’ and it sounds a bit cliche, but I’ve been trying to be my own model.

Never think your life isn’t good enough. You only have one, so enjoy every minute.

Instead of waking up and worrying about your thigh gap, wake up and worry about what you’re going to achieve today. What can you do, and how can you give back?

I’ve been trying to be the model that I wanted to see when I was a teenager, looking through magazines and not seeing myself, looking at pictures that were so edited.

I was a ‘straight-size’ model from 13 to 16, but I was eventually dropped by the agency because my hips were too big.

The most important relationship we have in our lives is the relationship we have with ourselves, and we’re not taught about it.

I had a taste for this fashion industry that I loved and wanted to be a part of.

I felt like the sample size was right, and my body was wrong. I basically ended up going into battle with my body, and that’s a daily battle every time you look in the mirror. Every time you see an image of a successful model or someone who you look up to who doesn’t look like you, you think you’re not good enough.

For me, health starts from the mind, and it really does start from the inside out.

My story is one of ups and downs. It’s made up of tastes of success and a lot more rejection.

I just spent five, six years sacrificing so much to try and fit into that one ideal, that one small standard, and I was never good enough. And it was just frustration that turned into motivation… That became my ammunition, all the people that told me I couldn’t.

I feel like I deserve to be loved because I’ve learned to love myself.

We don’t need to be categorized – we are all individual and beautifully unique.

You can’t compare yourself to anyone else. I try and use this advice daily. I didn’t actually fully believe that until I was maybe 21 or 22.

There is a way to disagree with someone, but it doesn’t have to be threatening.

Girls shouldn’t be worried about their cellulite or their rolls. Or anything that makes us real.

The first time I learned about Aerie, I was blown away by how beautiful and confident the models appeared in their ads – and more so that they were un-retouched.

On a night out, I can feel unstoppable with an eyeliner wing and a bold lip. But I also love that I can still feel beautiful and confident without any of that.

The more time I invested in myself and finding out what made me unique and special, the more jobs and campaigns I booked.

I remember doing a commercial one time where I stepped on a shard of glass, and I was hobbling around in swimwear. It was raining and in the commercial, when I saw it, I didn’t look like I had a messed up foot.

I refuse to let something as insignificant as a size or number on a scale determine how I feel about myself. I am grateful for my body, my health, and the life that I have, and no arbitrary number should have any impact on that.

As a model, I feel a great responsibility, and I understand how an image can make a young woman feel.

Phones are interesting objects. Sometimes you wish they just didn’t exist.