Barbie Ferreira

I'm more than just a curvy girl.

I feel really comfortable and cute in bikini bottoms that have thick sides.

Acceptance is being able to feel beautiful in whatever you feel comfortable in.

I like forming connections with people who follow me on social media because they make me feel like everything is worth it.

Showing young girls' realistically captured bodies in ads lets young girls realise that it's okay to have dimples, stretches, rolls, etc. since we're only human.

Airbrushing has sold such a false idea of what a body looks like to the point where people can't tell what's real and what's fake.

I don't really listen to the media or anyone's perception of beauty, so it makes me almost immune to silly comments about my body.

I'm not overweight. I have and will always eat to nourish my body, and I work out.

People equate health to a picture in a magazine of a 6-foot-tall thin woman with her skin rolls Photoshopped and her waist edited to be tiny, so when they see bodies that jiggle and move around like they do, they assume it's wrong.

I rarely got retouched when I started modeling, and it was crucial to me to show an accurate, realistic picture of me because that's beautiful, too.

There's absolutely no boundaries in dressing for any size, ever.

Black high-waisted bottoms go with everything.

There's so much more to people than their differences.

You were not put on this earth to do everything to be sexually appealing to people.

I just want to make sure girls know they don't have to carry the weight of achieving nearly impossible standards on their shoulders every day.

Don't focus on your body. Love it, but know it'll never be up to society's standards because it's all Photoshop and exclusivity. And that's okay!

Definitely, when anyone asks me what I eat - I think that's the most disrespectful thing. There's no winning with that question.

Denim on denim was my go-to look for most of my high school years.

People claim to be progressive by celebrating curvy bodies - but the standards for those hourglass shapes are equally rigid. They mask that with body positivity - but what about unconventionally attractive bodies?

I used to be insecure about my butt, but I no longer think of clothes as something to make me look skinnier.

I always, always take my makeup off last thing at night, no matter what.

I'm a big runner, and I like to lift heavy. I'm not one for those little two-pound dumbbells - my goal is to be super-muscular in my 40s.

I used to have a recurring black-and-white dream where I would drive in on a hover car and raid the shoe closets of this huge mansion. I don't know what that means at all, to be honest.

There's so much more to life than how you look.

Seeing someone that you can relate to in the media is everything as a child, and a lot of people are not granted that luxury.

I had a lot of difficulty growing up in a society where everything is very closed-minded, especially with beauty.

Looking at magazines and being someone who wanted to act, as a kid, I was very much influenced by things I saw.

The term 'plus size' is so inaccurate. I'm not plus size; I have never bought an article of clothing that was plus size.

My favorite models are always going to be the people who are pushing the boundary and challenging what it is to be a model.

Tradition in fashion is held with such a high regard.

I feel like, growing up, yes, I loved looking at fashion. I loved Tumblr.

I'm completely the opposite of an etiquette icon. I'm brash, and I don't follow any social rules, really. I'm nice, but really, I'm the least-put-together lady in the world.

The lullabies I grew up with were usually Brazilian religious ones, and they still soothe me into sleep.

I like smoothies and things that go down smoothie-cool - when I used to live in Williamsburg, I used to get an acai bowl most mornings.

I typically get 7 to 8 hours, but I'm a 12-plus-hour sleeper. I need to go into hibernation once a week to refuel.

It's always been a dream to be in a beauty campaign. Anything that can show girls they can look ethereal at any size.

The beauty industry is just like the fashion industry - prejudice is ingrained. But with new people coming in with fresh eyes and passion, I definitely am seeing progress.

People try to sell a fantasy with beauty campaigns. Overly Photoshopped, perfect, white, thin figures are a standard that most people still hold as beautiful because the industry says so.

As a young girl who was not confident in myself, I think I would tell girls of all ages that there is no one type of beauty, and looking towards one standard is the most unhealthy thing in the world.

When you surround yourself with really good energy, really good people, you almost don't even think about your body as anything but something to nourish yourself and keep you running.

I just think dieting is something that is run by a billion dollar - a multi-billion dollar - industry that isn't always looking out for your heath. There's healthy ways to do it.

I used to diet all the time as a kid. I started dieting in, like, kindergarten. I don't recommend it, but I also don't judge people who want to do things with their body.

I like girly, colorful bathing suits.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the word 'curvy' or 'plus-size' because there are women who identify as that, and I'm not offended by it whatsoever because I don't feel like being bigger is anything wrong.

I used to hate my legs, but I learned to embrace them. They may be bigger than the average person's, but they're beautiful. I love them, and I wear short shorts all of the time.

I always thought 'plus-size' wasn't a term that was negative - it wasn't something that I felt was something that was making me any different or making me feel like I was lesser than - and I found a community through it.

The way I move, the way I think, the way I handle myself - it might be by accident, but it's who I am, and I've just learned to own that.

I've just learned how to put things into perspective and how to not be afraid of change while making decisions for myself. Also, asking for what I want and demanding what I need and being more confident in who I am and my ability.

'Fat' was a terrible, terrible word for me growing up. When I was able to reclaim it and call myself fat and identify with it, that was the best moment ever. That was the moment I really started to feel free.

I never thrived in high school.