To be a model, you must have to be pretty confident in your looks. Think about it, one moment your prancing down the catwalk in minimal clothing, the next you're in front of a photographer being told to deliver your best duck face. You're front and centre all day, every day and if you lose confidence in your appearance, you might as well give up your career there and then.
However, one supermodel who has admitted that she has been less than comfortable with her looks up until now is Brooke Shields. Brooke - who shot to fame at the young age of 12 when she nabbed a leading role in Louis Malle's film Pretty Baby in 1978 - has been in the modelling business for over 40 years, but recently revealed that she got the confidence to post pictures of her in her most revealing bikinis only recently.
In a personal essay she penned for Instyle, The Blue Lagoon actress implied that she used to spend as much time comparing herself to others as the next person, but claimed that she now wants to promote body positivity for one important reason: her daughter.
"We all have different body types and we spend so much of our time comparing ourselves to others," she wrote. "But I've found if you look at your individual physiological structure and play up the strong points, it's empowering. It's not in my DNA to be waif-like, so I ask, 'What do I have?' and then highlight that."
She went on to say that she was never particularly concerned with being in shape when she became famous as she was only 15 and "hadn't developed yet". However, she claims that when she started working out later, she realised that she was doing it wrong.
"To be honest, I was never concerned with being in shape on the set of [1980’s] The Blue Lagoon because I was only 15 and hadn’t even developed yet," she explained. "When I began working out later, it was about high-impact carb burning — the more I’d sweat, the better I thought I had exercised."
In the past year, however, the actress changed her mindset, saying: "Only recently, while meeting with a trainer in preparation for knee surgery, have I become fully cognizant of how to strengthen my muscles. That's why I was so proud to post those bikini pictures on Instagram: I had worked so hard!"
Now being stronger and more confident than ever before, Brooke has been able to pass this positive message down to her daughter. "I used to wear these bathing suits that practically came to my knees," she wrote. "My oldest daughter would say, 'That makes you look so big and uncomfortable.' I realised I had to be confident in my skin to set the right example for her."
It's good to hear that even world-class supermodels have doubts about their appearances - just like all of us. But even more great to learn that Brooke has shunned her doubts and accepted her fabulous self as she is.
