Every Body celebrates inclusivity and the representation of human beings in every shape and form.
Marquita Pring may not be a household name (yet), but the runway model is sharing how she came to love her curvy body in an essay that sheds light on her personal revelation that not every person needs to be thin.
Writing in Redbook, Pring says that growing up she was “the tall girl,” which made her feel out of place. While she felt awkward, she tended not to let it bother her, until someone called her, “a fat, hairy gorilla.”
It wasn’t until the Lane Bryant model found basketball that she realized her bigger body was amazing, and she could use it to do incredible things. “I began to feel confident and comfortable in my body. I felt proud to be the tallest girl on the court,” she admits.
When her mother moved the family to the diverse borough of Brooklyn, Pring says she had a revelation.
“I realized that my strength was sexy. Where I had grown up, being skinny was something to be admired,” she admits. “Here, I realized that being skinny wasn’t everything like I had been conditioned to believe.” Having this epiphany helped guide Pring into modeling and feeling fierce.
“It doesn’t matter where you find your confidence,” she says, “but find something that makes you feel good on the inside, and use that feeling as a starting point to feel confident in all areas of your life.”
Where do you get your confidence? Tell us @BritandCo!
(h/t Redbook; photo via Cindy Ord/Getty)