Born in Mozambique and growing up in Maryland, where pretty was synonymous with white and skinny, curvy and brown-skinned Carmen spent most of her middle school days in the bathroom at school trying to “fix” herself in the mirror. Eventually, the homogeneity Carmen was surrounded by created so much self-hate that she turned to cutting herself in order to find relief from the alienation and sadness. It wasn’t until she came to New York City, where Carmen began to see her likeness, both on the streets and in other bigger sized role models in the media, that Carmen began to love her body. Recognizing that she felt the most insecure at her skinniest, today Carmen feels beautiful like a Renaissance painting, with her rolls, thick thighs, and overall “squishiness.” Feeling “not too fat for anything,” she is now smashing the status quo as a model herself and continuing the up and down journey of healing her wounds.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to sponsor, Mad Hippie, for supporting our movement and helping to bring this episode to life. Cruelty-free and committed to reducing the world’s carbon imprint, Mad Hippie believes that high-quality ingredients should be affordable and that taking care of your skin should be protective, nourishing and restorative. Like StyleLikeU, Mad Hippie was born with a “buck the establishment” manifesto and the belief that we must treat ourselves and our fellow beings with love and respect, regardless of gender, race, orientation, age, location...or even species. For one month following the release of this video, Mad Hippie is offering StyleLikeU viewers 20% off of their orders by using the coupon code STYLE at checkout. https://www.madhippie.com/ If these stories are transformative on your own journey towards acceptance, please consider becoming a member of StyleLikeU on Patreon so that we can build a world where everyone feels comfortable and safe in their skin. To join the movement, head over to https://www.patreon.com/stylelikeu And if you know anyone who would be empowered by this story, please share and be a part of spreading the message that true style is the result of radical self-acceptance. FOLLOW STYLELIKEU: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/stylelikeu Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/9wJ_b Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylelikeu/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stylelikeu iTunes: http://bit.ly/WUStyleA Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2l894E9 Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2HNthb1