'They told me I was too fat' - Thalia Heffernan on cruel body shaming aged 14
The model has been established in the UK and Ireland industry since she was a teenager. But the Dubliner opened up about the struggles of modelling and how she has adapted through difficult moments.
Speaking to Dublin based fitness content creator Chris Connolly on his 5K With Chris, she said: 'So I guess it's very stereotypical. But in my job, of course, your physicality is the most important thing.
'So everything I do, I'm judged on based on what I look like. It's tough. I mean, again, since the age of 14 or15 I've just been judged on my face and body. So there's a lot of difficulties that come up with that in that age bracket.
'Anyway, you're always kind of insecure. You're kind of learning about yourself. Then you throw people telling you you're too fat on top. It makes for a little bit of a tricky time.
'But I guess I've spent so long learning about myself and trying to figure it out like, what is it I really want to do? So for so long, I wanted to impress others and be this person for other people fit into their mould, which is my job, and now I realise I just want to fit into my own mould, be my own person.
'And when I took back that power, the weight fell off me. I was able to do more, I was more active, I was more happy, and the people who don't want to book me don't want to book me, that's on them, not on me.
'I'm much happier for it. I think we all put so much pressure on ourselves, and I used to use that as an excuse a lot, because I'd interact with my friends without me to go, 'I feel like sh*t, I'm not getting any work, or I'm not doing this'.'
She said she is 'more than just a model'.
'So as I've gotten older, I've just kind of learned to adapt and change and do what I want to do for myself. And people will, I think, people appreciate that and respect it and realise I'm more than just a model.'
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