Paloma Elsesser

You don't want to be too hot in the club. And ambience is important - no fog machines.

You're dealing with all these foreign agents, foreign brushes, and different time zones. So, you have to put just as much work into taking that makeup off as you do into putting it on.

I had seen images of Crystal Renn and Sophie Dahl growing up, but I didn't really know about the plus-size fashion industry or how lucrative it was or, like, that it was changing or that I was even invited.

Embrace the grease, if any, and look fresh and human. I like to look like a glazed doughnut.

A huge part of my career and how I want to participate in the world is being unapologetically myself and being honest and vulnerable.

We have to tokenize in order to normalize.

I die wearing a bootie for three hours. I'm like, get these off of me!

When I started Instagram, I kind of just did what I like to do or to show the things I like, whether it be sneakers or weird flowers, have the little drops of myself and my style kind of fluidly throughout. That was really helpful in starting and carving out my own place.

I have to remind myself when I'm on a job and I'm feeling a lull in attitude or confidence or whatever, I'm there for a reason. I have to constantly remind myself of these almost corny Pinterest mantras, like 'You are worthy.'

It's really hard not to fall into that trap of insecurity when you're a model. Beforehand, I never looked at myself in a huge monitor with 30 people around it every day.

I think I felt pretty alienated, being bigger, being mixed race, being of lower socioeconomic standing.

It's important to see color. We are not the same. We have very different experiences.

It's not that that I'm not comfortable being naked, but when you grow up fat, you can't take away the shame or embarrassment even though you're a model. It's not just erased.

At times, the curve/fat/plus convo tends be this 'out of the dark' story, like, 'I used to be insecure, but now here I am.' But that is not my reality, and for most of the people, that isn't their reality, either.

I hope that in 50 years I can look back and say I made my most fervent efforts to provide visibility for the unseen.

Beauty means expression and being your most authentic self.