Jennifer Atilémile on How She’s Learned to Love Her Curves: ‘It’s Been a Journey’

The 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie opened up on a recent episode of ‘Body Scan’ with ‘Women’s Health.’

Jennifer Atilémile.Ivan Apfel/Getty Images

Jennifer Atilémile, a 2023 SI Swimsuit rookie, appeared on a recent installment of Women’s Health magazine’s “Body Scan” series and opened up about how she struggled with body image issues as a teenager. 

In addition to her work with SI Swimsuit, the Australian-French model has also been featured in campaigns for major beauty brands including Maybelline and Clarins. However, her true passion lies in changing the trajectory of the fashion and modeling industries and proving that “body diversity and inclusivity are here to stay.”

Atilémile explained that when she was a teenager, she found it difficult to love her curves, but they are now her favorite part of her body.

“It’s been a journey finding myself—my body appreciation journey as you would call it,” she shared. “Being able to figure out who I am, who I am as a woman and then love my body as it is, is one of the main reasons that I do what I do but also one of the main reasons that I love my body so much.”

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The Brooklyn resident knows that self-love is an ongoing journey and she admitted that she occasionally still has bad days—even at this point in her career where she is so confident in her own skin.

“I have a love-hate relationship with my thighs. I grew up with my mom and my grandma kind of constantly referring to the fact that [my thighs] were a little bit bigger than what they thought my body should look like as a young girl,” she explained. “And you know, [at some point] on this journey of self-discovery, I realized my thighs weren’t supposed to be really thin. They’re supposed to jiggle.”

Atilémile added that some days she loves her thighs, and other days she doesn’t—but she’s not the only woman like this. Body image changes with time, with age and even just day-to-day with a new outfit, and that is totally O.K.

“I feel like that’s synonymous with women anywhere all around the world. Like one day we love our bodies one day we don’t,” she continued. “It’s just something that we’re constantly working on. And constantly evolving with.  One day I love them, the next day I don’t.”

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