Plus Size Model Khrystyana Is on a Mission to Teach Everyone to Love Their Bodies

We all have moments when we question or struggle with parts of our appearance. Plus size model Khrystyana is a former America’s Next Top Model contestant who is now an Instagram star, and she has had struggles on her journey to self-acceptance. She now uses her platform to share her story and inspires others to love their bodies through both emotional and funny content.

At Bright Side, we believe that everyone is beautiful in their own way. So, we’re sharing this powerful story of acceptance and self-love to inspire you to love yourself just as you are.

She grew up in a small town with her single mother.

When Khrystyana was growing up, her family was very poor and even relied on their own gardening to stay fed. But her mother started her own business and grew it from a market stall into a successful shop. Khrystyana credits her mom’s resilience, strength, and resourcefulness as a huge inspiration to her.

They moved to the United States to start over.

When her mother married again, they moved to Hawaii to start a new life. But the young Khrystyana struggled with the beauty standards she saw in America.

Here, her mother also became a role model because of her appearance, as the young Khrystyana saw that her mom fit more into traditional beauty standards. Khrystyana struggled with self-loathing and being unable to accept her body, even after she signed a contract with her first modeling agency.

Being honest about her difficulties led to her big break.

When Khrystyana was at her lowest point, she decided to be honest with her social media followers and start a conversation about inclusivity and the real diversity of beauty. The post led to her being scouted by the casting director of America’s Next Top Model.

Her journey inspired her mission in life.

She now uses her Instagram to speak about the importance of treating your body with love. She opens up about the moments in her career when she had to go to extremes to look “beautiful.” She also shares modeling tricks, like how different angles can change how your body looks, and she speaks out about filters and photo retouching apps to teach people that what they see online isn’t always the truth. She is an advocate for everyone striving to have a better life, from embracing body inclusivity to understanding mental health and skin care.

As she said in the caption of the photo above: “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe she used an app.”

She was inspired to bring people together to celebrate self-love.

This is when she started her non-profit organization, The Real Catwalk. Through this, she organizes events to celebrate empowerment for all. Her catwalks have been held in iconic places like Times Square in New York City. In The Real Catwalk events, she invites people of all ages and backgrounds, different sizes, races, genders, disabilities, and sexual orientations to walk and celebrate true diversity and inclusion.

She has healed not only others but herself too.

Today, Khrystyana’s confidence and bold personality shine through online and inspire many people. But it has also changed the way the model sees herself. She is happier in her own body, and her career is blossoming. Her passion is still inclusivity, and she even speaks on panels and at events about self-love and empathy, and she continues to use her online platform to spread her message.

And her message is simple: “Self-love is not a luxury. Self-love is a necessity. Self-love is a priority. Self-love is a fundamental right.”

What do you love about your body? If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Let us know in the comments.