Miss Universe contest’s first “real-size” model spoke out against social media shaming with personal account of “accepting who you are, where you are at.”
(Video: Fox News Digital)
Bankruptcy woes and transgenderism madness may have rocked the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, streamed Nov. 18 in El Salvador, but that didn’t stop 22-year-old Jane Dipika Garrett from making her own headlines for being the first plus-size contestant and making it to the top 20.
Miss Nepal recently spoke with Fox News Digital about the life-long goal of being a model, the body positivity struggles that came along with that dream and living with medical conditions that make conforming to a preconceived standard a challenge. She also spoke out against those quick to judge and criticize her in “cruel” ways without knowing anything save for her appearance.
“I see things like, ‘Oh, she’s a whale,’ or ‘…that’s disgusting. I’m gonna vomit.’ Or like, ‘She’s promoting obesity…Why don’t you go to the gym?’ And things like that,” Garrett told Fox News Digital. “And it’s like they don’t even know my story. They don’t even know what I’m going through.”
The model explained her polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS, and how in addition to menstrual irregularities, acne and unwanted hair growth, another symptom resulting from increased production of male sex hormones was weight gain.
“So it’s very easy for us to gain weight. Even if we just look at a piece of cake, we can gain weight,” she told the outlet as she clapped back at those “just judging me from social media. And that’s their problem. I don’t let it bother me…Society can be very cruel. People can be very cruel sometimes.”
“Recently, I’ve gained a lot of weight because of my hormonal issues. And that’s also really taken a toll on my mental health and my self-esteem because I thought I wasn’t good enough or that I wasn’t beautiful enough,” said Garrett. “But I really had to get the validation for myself and learn how to have a positive mindset and to love myself despite not feeling my best self.”
“It’s about being confident in your own skin and accepting who you are, where you are at,” she asserted.
On her experience at the contest itself, the model recounted, “I really did not expect to get that much applause on the stage or that much spotlight. And I wasn’t expecting anything. I was just there to represent my country and to represent women all over the world. And that was my goal.”
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“I came with a humble heart … but when I won on that stage, I got the loudest applause from the whole entire audience. And that felt so good because it was like a breakthrough moment for me and for society that they see something different, that they see real size beauty,” described Garrett.
After growing up with “a lot of eating disorders and mental health issues” from her desire to be a model, she reinforced the importance of living a healthy lifestyle no matter your body type rather than simply having body positivity built around harmful choices.
“…I think there should be a balance. Body positivity for me basically stands for whatever body that you’re in. You accept it, you love yourself, you are embracing what you are, but you’re also going towards a healthy lifestyle,” she explained.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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