Nia Vardalos Quotes

Sierra' is me being a plus-size woman.

I have cellulite. I admit it. But sometimes I just say, 'Screw it, I am going to wear a bikini.'

We should celebrate how amazing our bodies are! We all have things that we like and dislike about our bodies, but we need to focus on what we love - maybe it's a great smile, strong legs or curly hair?

I'm done losing weight, I feel great, and I love looking like a woman. I love being curvy and having boobs and hips. It's hot. I don't ever want to be size zero.

Part of the reason I wanted to model was to push the boundaries and challenge the perceptions of what a beautiful body is supposed to look like. Why should I feel any differently about looking good than anyone else?

It's easy to be critical of ourselves and other women around us. We stand in front of the mirror and only focus on the things we hate about our body and our appearance. But I encourage you to change that attitude the next time you are in front of the mirror.

My mother never put an emphasis on looks. She let us grow up on our own time line. She never forced any beauty regimen into my world.

My visibility may have gotten Hollywood to redefine what's attractive.

Reclaiming the word 'fat' was the most empowering step in my progress. I stopped using it for insult or degradation and instead replaced it with truth, because the truth is that I am fat, and that's ok. So now when someone calls me fat, I agree, whereas before I would get embarrassed and emotional.

I don't have all answers, but as far as viewing my body... I'm in a place where I can look at my stretch marks and say, 'Oh, hey, stretch marks!' and I'm over it.

Do I envy Madonna's body? Yes. Do I thank God that she has it? Yes! If you're fifty-something and you look like Madonna, and you put a lifetime's work in the way you look, then flash it to the world!

I want to find a way to reach young women emotionally and also to start providing clothing for them so that they can wear the same things their thin friends can wear. I really want to do evening wear and prom dresses for these girls.

Every woman is not a runway model, nor should she be.

I'm learning to embrace who I am and what I look like.

I am not one of those fat birds who feels miserable because models are thin. Frankly, I feel more insulted by the idea that unless I see other fat birds in fashion magazines, I will be reduced to a sniveling wreck of a human being.

No one wants to see curvy women.

We're all our own worst critics and so hard on ourselves, but for me, my biggest insecurity is my arms. I just hate the tops of them. I work out and they still never look good enough for me. So, over the years I've learned to dress to make myself feel better.

I feel empowered the fact that I can look the way that I do on stage and in photos - I can look that way any time I want. And I feel like it's important message to other women that they can do it, too.

It's important to feel beautiful; it's political to feel beautiful.

I'm a woman, of course I still have curves on me, and that's ok. I had a baby and I've worked hard. And I don't think women should have to feel that kind of pressure. I've done it really healthfully, and I took my time.

My body is my best asset.

I hate running. I know I'm curvier - I know I'm small, but I'm not ripped. But I make a choice to be that way. I realize my arms aren't as toned as Halle Berry's but I don't want them to be.

I'm not nearly as big as I was, but I attribute that to eating healthy. I'm just not a skinny girl, and I just want to give more opportunities to people like me.

My first shoot was on a rooftop in swimsuits with two plus-size models who were curvy and voluptuous and beautiful, and they taught me so much about being beautiful in any shape or size.

Fat is a way of saying no to powerlessness and self-denial.