Quotes from Iskra Lawrence

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

I treat health and fitness as looking after myself.

Labels make us feel worse about ourselves, and I would love for all models, no matter what their size, to be treated equally and called the same thing.

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

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

I need to just be Iskra, and I've got to believe in me, or else no one will.

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

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.

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

Social media should be a true sense of who you are.

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

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

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

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 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.