Vicki Mooney...plus-size model and model agent

Vicki Mooney and her grandmother, Angela Roe.

Angela Roe in her youth.

Vicki Mooney pictured in 1998.

thumbnail: Vicki Mooney and her grandmother, Angela Roe.
thumbnail: Angela Roe in her youth.
thumbnail: Vicki Mooney pictured in 1998.

"'My size doesn't define me'... That's what I think when I look at this picture of me in 1998. I was 21 years young and I spent every day absorbed by the idea that my weight, size and the label on my jeans defined who I was. I had no confidence and felt overwhelmed with love because my partner adored me exactly the way I was. I didn't perceive myself as beautiful nor merely pretty. I had a very negative view of my body. I thought I was ugly because I carried weight.

"If I could go back and have a few moments with myself I'd tell a very young and naive Vicki that her body was astoundingly beautiful and the negativity was only in her mind; to look at all that is beautiful about herself; that her beauty on the inside shines through to the outside. No, you're not like those girls in magazines - even the girls in magazines don't look like that in reality. You've a sparkle in your eye, an infectious smile and, most importantly, you're a young woman with years ahead to experience falling in love with your body, so start now.

"Sixteen years later and I'm still a curvaceous woman, but I now realise that it's not what's in the mirror that's important. It's feeling comfortable in the skin I'm in, being healthy not only in my diet and physically, but in my mind. You're not beautiful for something as temporary as your body and looks; it is deep down where true beauty comes from."

Angela Roe

Vicki's grandmother

"This photo was snapped in Paris in 1957. I was so pleased with it as I was with every photo I was in because I was a young women. 21-years-old, full of confidence and on honeymoon! As I look at it now I still love it. It holds lots of good memories and I absolutely loved that suit. I only wish I had the same body but I think that's impossible 57 years later!

"How do I feel about myself now? Well, naturally my body has changed over the years. Sometimes the extra weight can be an issue but I'm still a confident women surrounded by very confident women: my daughters and granddaughters. I really do consider maintaining your appearance to be so important as it makes you feel good.

"I am so pleased when I see the young women of today exude body confidence and embrace their curves. In my day, if you hadn't got the figure of Marilyn Monroe, the only style you could wear was basically shaped like a sack. It's so good to see all these beautiful curvaceous women looking so stunning. I say 'go for it, girls'."