IMAGE Instagram @iskra

If you've ever wondered how some people can look so flawless, it's probably because they've mastered their angles, as well as the art of holding a pose (and their breath) for three seconds just to take the perfect shot.  

In a YouTube video, plus-size model and body activist Iskra Lawrence gets real about "fat rolls," specifically how models learn how to pose with the sole purpose of hiding them. Iskra began, "Why do we feel insecure if we have rolls in the first place? They’re natural. We bend and move… our bodies do things and it needs some extra skin. It's because we don't see them, especially in lingerie and swimwear campaigns. As models, we're conditioned to pose so that we don't see them."

She also posted about it on Instagram:

Your fat rolls are beautiful???? ??I made a video about them (link in my bio)?? And the reason we have been lead to believe they aren't is because we don't see them in the media unless someone's being shamed for weight gain or ridiculed for their body. This is NOT the truth and not OK. Having rolls of skin / fat that are soft / squidgy or big / small does not define your beauty. I wanted to show you how my body looks when I'm relaxed and when I'm posing right next to each other so you can see how easy it is to manipulate how a body looks. (I filmed myself doing this for you on my YouTube) As a model in the industry 13years I've seen nearly all the pics chosen of me for lingerie & swimwear shoots are the ones where my stomach looks flattest. Which for a long time lead me to believe that's how I should look. Because even if I did happen to have a few shots where I'm in a position you can see back fat or rolls someone had decided it's more "beautiful" "aspirational" or will inspire more customers to buy the product if those so called "flaws" don't exist. But things are changing I remember the first time I saw curvier models in editorials with their rolls and back fat and I remember the first time I shot with @aerie and they wanted me to not pose but be real and just myself. Then when I saw my first campaign with them and I could see my unretouched body - pics with rolls / back fat I'm not gonna lie I was shocked. That quickly turned into joy because they made me feel good enough and knew that those "flaws" didn't mean I wasn't beautiful in fact showing that their models didn't have to be "flawless" was incredibly empowering. So thank you #AerieReal and everyone who created the movement it's not just game changing but life changing ILY???? And that's why when I started my insta about 3years ago I created the #everyBODYisbeautiful bc we are more than the sum of our perfections we are all beautiful equal souls living in imperfectly perfect bodies.

A photo posted by i s k r a (@iskra) on Jan 29, 2017 at 9:54am PST

Iskra said, "Because even if I did happen to have a few shots where I'm in a position you can see back fat or rolls, someone had decided it's more 'beautiful,' 'aspirational,' or will inspire more customers to buy the product if those so called 'flaws' don't exist."

We're so grateful that models like Iskra are shedding light on how much work we need to do to make the fashion industry more inclusive and more transparent. 

This story originally appeared on Cosmo.ph.

* Minor edits have been made by the Femalenetwork.com editors.