Iskra Lawrence Quotes

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.

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

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

My dad always has the best advice!

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.

I tried the maple syrup diet. I tried the protein-only Atkins diet.

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.

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.

I spent so many years being repeatedly rejected and told I wasn’t good enough. It took a huge toll on my self-esteem until I realized I am more than my body and that, actually, our beauty comes from diversity.

Obviously, breast cancer is very much out there but cervical cancer isn’t talked about as much because there’s a bit more of a stigma around it. Certainly that’s something I want to make sure that young girls know.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

I got told I wasn’t good enough and that I could never make it. And then Aerie told me I was beautiful because I was me.

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

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

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

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

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.

I had had my own trials and tribulations with body image. I had gone through a lot starting from my teenage years.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

My thighs are great!

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

Social media has been both damaging and beneficial in terms of how we view our bodies.

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

We need to see real women’s bodies.

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

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

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

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

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.

Change the conversation you’re having in the mirror with yourself… if you hear someone who is saying something that is bringing them down, stop it. Don’t be passive. Actually, take action and say, ‘I wouldn’t speak to my best friend like that.’

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.

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.

Like virtually all of the women I know, I spent my teenage years battling with my body and feeling I wasn’t good enough. A lot of that negativity is because I was pursuing a career in modeling and was told countless times that my body was too big. My hips and thighs were too wide.

I think unretouched images are even more beautiful.

Aerie builds you up, and it makes you feel positive. Why don’t more companies do that?

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 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.

A brand is only going to want to be more inclusive if they feel like it’s going to be good for business as well as making the consumer feel good – so we have to encourage people to do that. Consumers have to stand up and say, ‘I have power: my pound or dollar is how I vote.’

I dreamt of being an Aerie model before I came to New York. That was one of the main reasons I came to New York and wanted to get signed.

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.

After so many years of being rejected and having my body scrutinized… for Aerie to come along and basically say, ‘We accept you. We don’t care about your size.’ To see those pictures on a Times Square billboard, and they were completely unretouched, I just was like, ‘Wow. I finally feel good enough!’