I've always been able to fake my way into confidence. Sometimes I put my own fears aside to make sure I'm being of service to others. To clarify - hell yes, it was brave of me to step out in my lingerie for the commercial compaign, not because I'm plus-sized, but because I'm a human being. People get it confused. I'm brave because I'm not afraid of what people are going to say about me. It's not an easy thing to do, but it is something that I will always challenge myself to do. I don't want to be held back by my body because someone tells me I should.

Honestly, I haven't always been into fashion because I wasn't seeing myself reflected in the fashion industry ... Clothes are such a big part of who we are, they really show our personalities. I wasn't finding that.

I feel beautiful when I watch the commercials or see myself on a bus. But it's not only because it is me on a bus, it's also what we represent - telling the world to get out of these social norms of what it means to be beautiful.

There are brands out there, plus-size brands, that all they want to do is sell their clothes and be done.

My struggle now is with these red carpets. It is still really hard to get people to design for me. It's frustrating because you feel like you're the minority. You feel this pull of what it means to be "sample size" and you're not that and most designers don't have anything that fits. It's so important to continuously put billboards where people see curvy women and know that we are here and we deserve to be designed for. We deserve to spend our money on expensive stuff if we want.

I go by my own standards, and I will be the voice of the curves for the women that feel like they can't stand up for themselves.

I don't have to accept what you think I should look like and I do not accept what you think I should look like.