Beauty Comes in All Sizes, And This Model is Living Proof

by N/A, 10 years ago | 9 min read

Bye haters.

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This is the gorgeous, plus-size model Rosie Mercado. Formerly 410 pounds, Rosie recalls the day when she hit "rock bottom," which inspired her to make some serious life changes... and drop 200 pounds.

The former makeup artist used to get calls from top modeling agencies that received her headshot, but would then refuse to work with her once they found out her size.

"[Modeling agencies] would contact me after seeing pictures of my face and upper body, neither of which were big, yet were shocked at my 65-inch hips… It was disheartening," she told the New York Post.

The mother of three turned to fast food for comfort during her hardships with her children and divorce.

"I hit rock bottom about eight years ago, and started gaining a lot of weight. My son was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, my marriage fell apart. Everything that could possibly happen happened," she told PEOPLE.

But Rosie had enough in June 2011, when she was told by a flight attendant that she would need to purchase two seats on the flight she was taking from Las Vegas to New York.

This was a series of embarrassments that Rosie endured. She dealt with hurtful comments from strangers on a regular basis, and even hired a nanny to take her three kids to Disneyland because she was too big to go on the rides.

With that, Rosie signed up for a weeklong "Unleash The Power Within" class in LA, which inspired her to get on a healthy path.

She ditched the junk food and began running small distances.

Now, Rosie hits the gym six days a week for an hour a day.

"It has not been the easiest journey, and I've had my ups and down," she admits. "But when I compare my quality of life now to how it used to be, I know it was worth it."

She notes that the best part of her weight loss has been having a better relationship with her children - and she was finally able to take them to Disneyland herself!

"They believed in me and supported me every step of the way," Rosie gushed.

After her transformation, in which she went from a size 34 to a size 16-18, Rosie signed with True Model Management in 2014 and was named the face of IGIGI's holiday campaign.

In fact, she's had a number of high-profile modeling assignments for plus size fashion companies, including IGIGI and Ibbi World.

"I'm proof that, if you follow your vision, your dreams can come true," Rosie now confidently says.

You go girl!