PHOTO: Instagram / @palomija

One look at Glossier’s new Body Hero campaign, and you’ll spot some very obvious differences from typical ads. The models are gorgeous, but the images spotlight women with diverse body types shown totally (and tastefully!) nude—which in 2017, is still frustratingly atypical. And the decision hasn’t gone unnoticed: across social media, the brand’s initiative has been met with a hugely enthusiastic, supportive response from women finally seeing themselves on billboards. The campaign obviously struck a nerve—but perhaps with no one more than one of the women literally on the billboard, Paloma Elsesser.

In an Instagram post, the model laid out the personal significance of starring in a nude billboard campaign. “I did this to show that being fat isn’t a burden. Being fat isn’t ugly or shameful. To prove to one person that it isn’t BRAVE to be fat, but bountiful,” she wrote. And while the campaign would have been important even if it had been solely online or in print, the billboard exposure is vital. “[I did this to show] that young girl looking on Instagram, or walking down Spring St, that she is fucking perfect despite the precarious and irresponsible versions of beauty we are urged to digest. I love you @glossier thank you for this incredible opportunity, for clearing the set, for wiping my tears, for playing SWV, and for helping me shed my insecurities in pursuit of greater impact and awareness ? #bodyhero.”

Still, for all the positive messaging around self-acceptance that’s starting to become the norm, the fact remains that it’s tough to let yourself appear exactly as you are, something Elsesser also pointed out. “I cried 3 times before this shoot. I cried because I still feel scared, paralyzed by insecurity at times, and exhausted by an unfettered vulnerability that I want to present to the world. As I paced the upstairs bathroom of @springstudios I chanted to myself,’This isn’t for you Paloma. This isn’t about you. Get out of your ego. Be of service’ over and over until the anxiety subsided and I was convinced of the mantras which guide me through many jobs, most importantly this one.”

If you recognize Elsesser’s face, it’s probably because she’s been everywhere recently, also starring in the campaigns for Fenty Beauty and Nike. As Elsesser told Glamour this spring, it’s a hard-won movement: “The size conversation has been going on for a while, and the same for diversity. But I think that women of color are now in positions to call the shots. These larger magazine and companies have a social responsibility because now we have the Internet for people to fight back and be like, what the fuck? Now there are women of so many colors and so many different sizes who are able to have a voice. And I’m so happy that I’m able to be a part of the conversation.”

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