Man who was bullied in school becomes plus-size model

John Savoia, 31, says he has been overweight for all of his life.

But after years of relentless bullying during his school years, his attitude towards his own body image took an unexpected turn in adulthood.

He ditched his self-loathing for self-love by becoming a plus-size fine art model.

Savoia, from Boston in the US, not only gained confidence after getting together with his wife but by exploring photography, which he soon found to be a passion.

In 2006, he broke his leg, which left him bed bound. During his recovery, he experimented with a point-and-shoot camera, and his interest in the medium developed from there.

At first, he took photos of life around him. But he soon began making himself the subject of his shoots.

“Photography helped a lot. It gave me something I felt I was good at,” Savoia told The Independent.

“Not just the portraiture or exposure therapy of seeing myself but a way I could connect to people. From behind the lens it didn’t seem so intense.

“That was really the first time I confronted my own image in a way that was deeper than just seeing my reflection.”

Now, Savoia promotes body positivity through his modelling work, and has accepted that being fat “is not bad”:

“My body does what I want it to do and I treat it well. I am so much happier in myself,” he continued.

“There are shades of grey and moments when I feel shame and self loathing, but I know on the whole I am so much more comfortable in my skin.

“I love who I am and what I’m doing.”

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