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Portrait of teenage model goes viral for promoting body positivity

‘I couldn’t be any more proud of myself’

A teen model has gone viral on Twitter after sharing photos of her portrait at an art exhibit.

Natalia Lorenzo struggled with body image issues from a very young age.

When she moved from Colombia to the United States at the age of seven, Lorenzo had to endure an onslaught of bullying.

 

A post shared by Natalia Lorenzo 🌻 (@lordenzo__) on

This caused her self-esteem levels to drop drastically.

For years, Lorenzo avoided any situation in which she would have to have her body on display.

“My friends would say, ‘Let’s go to the beach’ and I’d wear a swimsuit but feel anxiety,” Lorenzo told Yahoo Lifestyle. 

“So I’d hide in the bathroom or wear a T-shirt. I didn’t want to engage with anyone, all because of my body.”

However, by the time she turned 18, Lorenzo had enough of shying herself away.

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With the help of social media, she learnt to embrace her body and slowly but surely, her confidence began to grow.

Lorenzo signed with DAS Model Management a month and a half ago, which led to an impressive modelling gig at the Art Basel December show, .

The show featured a five-foot-tall black and white portrait of the model in her underwear and everyone is enthralled by her beauty. 

Lorenzo shared photos from the exhibition on Twitter, writing about the difficulties that she’s faced in the past.

“At a young age, I developed self imagery issues about my body. It later lead to depression and anxiety which I suffered from for years,” she wrote.

“Recently I finally broke out of my shell & my face and my body is on a canvas at Art Basel this year. 

“I couldn’t be any more proud of myself.”

Lorenzo’s post has since been shared over 50,000 times and liked almost 200,000 times.

Many people have been inspired by her story and connect on a personal level with the mental health issues that she’s dealt with throughout her life.

One Twitter user commented: “Girl you are GORGEOUS and stunning. I’m so happy for you for realizing it.”

Lorenzo feels very strongly about spreading a message of body positivity and acceptance, and plans to do so even more in future through her work as a model. 

“I want to be the person I wish I had in fifth grade,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle. 

“I have cellulite, tummy rolls, and stretch marks, but that’s normal and I’ll keep putting it out there, no matter what people say.”

The Independent has reached out to Lorenzo and her agents for comment