5 Powerful Quotes From the Model Who Showed Off Her Stretch Marks and Cellulite in a Bikini
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While there's been lots of talk about dropping the "plus" from the term "plus-size model," Denise Bidot, who's got a gorgeous figure at size 14, brushes all that aside. Her personal mantra — which was the focus of her recent swimsuitsforall campaign, for which she proudly displayed her cellulite and stretch marks — is: "there's no wrong way to be a woman."
Bidot doesn't care what the industry calls her; she's just happy to be a part of it, showcasing her fierce bikini body and baring her midriff in crop tops on the red carpet. But while she's stylishly sophisticated and very successful, it's Bidot's confidence that we admire most.
Read on to learn what the supermodel had to say about the rapidly changing fashion industry, the life of a plus-size model, and the best swimsuit styles for showing off those curves.
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Why Denise Gave Up Photoshop For Her Swimsuit Campaign
"I'm proud of my stretch marks. For so long in my life, I thought those were things I needed to hide or things that made me imperfect, and I came to realize that those are the qualities that made me unique.
It is about time we reprogram the way women think, and I think it is important to push that toward women who need to understand that beauty is not one-sided.
As a model, it is easy to forget what you look like in campaigns. I have been doing this for eight years, and I always had these beautifully retouched images, and I was always like, 'Oh my god, I look wonderful,' but the reality of it is, this is what I look like. I am strong enough to show the world who I am, regardless of Photoshop, and it was so freeing as a woman."
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The 1 Outfit That Makes Her Feel Sexy and Confident
"I love a good high-waisted pant, and I am so excited high-waisted shorts are back because I am on the hunt for the perfect ones. I love a good pencil skirt and a crop top. I think it is really just about confidence and that is what makes you feel sexy. It's like my uniform, I love it."
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The Best Style Advice She's Ever Received
"I am a Miami girl. I don't know if you have heard anything about Miami girls, but they match their shoes to their purses to their belts to their jewelry. Everything is supercolorful. I am so thankful I have entered the world of fashion because I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing stylists. I am in the right career to learn how to dress myself . . . Now I am in New York, and I have made full use of the black on black and black and white, and I learned minimal sometimes is more."
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Why We Don't Need to "Drop the Plus"
"I don't mind being plus size because when I am shopping, I am shopping plus size! I am honored to have a place in this industry and to have the opportunity to be breaking boundaries and shifting the way people perceive beauty as a whole. If you need to call me plus size to put me somewhere, thank you for showcasing me at all.
You are never going to make everyone happy. There are always going to be people criticizing you no matter what, and you just have to stay in your lane. Luckily for me, I am a plus-size model and I am a plus-size woman, so it works."
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The Best Swimsuits For Showing Off Your Curves
"The sexy snow leopard underwear bikini. The way that everything just sat on my body was amazing. I felt supersexy and confident, and it was really flirty with the pattern. I love everything high-waisted, and swimsuitsforall has a million high-waisted bikinis so that you can find your perfect shape."
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"[This black swimsuit] was so sexy in its own right before it was cut out; it felt very scuba with the criss-cross in the back, and then they cut it up [for the shoot], and I was like, 'Oh my god.' I am busty and I couldn't really look down to see what he was doing, and when I watched the video, I was like, 'Holy crap, those scissors were right there!' . . . It was like a piece of art on a swimsuit."