Letter from Stine

A few years ago I had a brief gig as a model in the fashion industry. It ended abruptly when I got booked for and unfortunately participated in, a “plus-size” show during fashion week. A plus-size show… I was a size 36 – I was 10 kilos lighter than I am today.

The second I stepped onto the catwalk I felt misplaced, objectified and categorized. But worse than that was the disappointment on the faces of the women in the audience. For once they were going to be represented, and then I (!) was the one who set foot on the catwalk. By being on the catwalk I felt like I contributed to a twisted body ideal – I felt really embarrassed and wanted to head out as fast as I could.

I quit modeling the next day and made an effort to get back to my natural body weight.

I changed my focus and stopped wasting time striving for the “perfect” body. I began expressing myself independently of other people’s opinions, by exploring with tattoos, piercings, and crazy hairstyles. And getting one compliment from someone who's inspired by my body artmeans so more to me than a thousand people telling me I have pretty facial features from a certain angle after spending 30 minutes in a makeup room.

I changed my focus and stopped wasting time striving for the “perfect” body. I began expressing myself independently of other people’s opinions, by exploring with tattoos, piercings, and crazy hairstyles. And getting one compliment from someone who's inspired by my body artmeans so more to me than a thousand people telling me I have pretty facial features from a certain angle after spending 30 minutes in a makeup room.I’m very proud to represent Moons and Junes and other brands who feature healthy models and who work to show people that there is much more to beauty than being skinny. Cause it’s actually quite simple, beauty is simply being comfortable in your own skin and owning your “imperfections” whether it’s unshaved body hair, stretch marks, pimples or fat. I’ve never loved my body more - with a muffin top, armpit hair and cheap tattoos.