Hey Hey! It’s Model Monday! We’re WAY excited to bring you Megan McCormack. Megan is a model, advocate, and influencer. She’s also one of our fabUffiliates!
“I’m an advocate for body positivity and inclusiveness. Learning to love and accept my body has been a long and difficult journey that started when I was about ten years old. As a woman in her 30s, I feel like I’m finally learning to reject my internalized fatphobia, and it’s been incredibly freeing. I want to help others to see how rejecting and fighting against fatphobia will not only help themselves but others as well. I started modeling a year ago to challenge myself to let go of all that heavy pressure society has placed on me to conform to a narrow idea of beauty, and it’s not only an act of self-love but also of rebellion. Also, I’m love learning new things, teaching, experimenting with DIY projects (like making my own perfume), and traveling.” – Megan McCormack
WOW! Let’s check our her links below
Website/Blog: https://pearandthyme.wixsite.com/pearandthyme
Instagram: pear_and_thyme
“My type of modeling is all about promoting body positivity and having fun as a plus size woman! I got started through Curve Watch with modeling in swimsuits. I’m also a teacher, and lately, due to the quarantine, I’ve been working from home from 8 until about 3:30. Before the quarantine, any modeling I would do around my teaching schedule (usually on the weekends). With the quarantine, I’ve been trying to find ways to post modeling content on my own. Curve Watch has also done a couple of virtual modeling opportunities that I’ve been a part of.” – Megan MacCormack
fabUplus Magazine: Describe your personal style. What are some of your signature colors, styles, and accessories?
Megan McCormack: I love color and quirkiness! I feel like my style is a combination of band.o and ModCloth. I love rainbows and glitter and vintage styles, but I’ve also loved more monochrome and high-fashion styles, too. I always love trying out new styles because I like being challenged. I will say, though, that I’ve noticed a lot of my fashion choices have been very pink-focused lately. 
fabUplus Magazine: What are some tips you’d like to share with aspiring influencers or models?
Megan McCormack: If you want to do it, DO IT. I used to tell myself, “I could never be a model. I’m too awkward, and who would want to see that content anyway?” I’ve also been getting into influencer work, too. Five years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me I’d be modeling in swimsuits and attending influencer events. But one day, I was wondering why I wasn’t going for it. I listed a lot of excuses, like a bad phone camera, I don’t know how to model, brands won’t want to work with me because I’m inexperienced, etc. But all models and influencers have to start somewhere. You have to be vulnerable and brave. Don’t agonize over every little details of your content when you are just starting out, otherwise you’ll never get it out there!
fabUplus Magazine: If you could go back in time and give yourself advice as a little girl, what would you tell her?
Megan McCormack: I would tell her that she is powerful, smart, and unique. She doesn’t have to pretend to be anybody else, and that the bullies that torment her do that because they are jealous and because they are hurting from their own issues. I would tell her that it’s okay to be comfortable in her own skin and body and that she is loved.
fabUplus Magazine: For our readers who struggle with being comfortable in their own skin and wearing what they want, what are some practical things you would recommend they do to help them get to the level of confidence you have?
Megan McCormack: This is an everyday struggle for me, but what helps me is evaluating any negative self-talk that comes up. I ask myself, “would I say these things to a friend? What would I say to a friend that’s saying these things about herself?” I also recommend making yourself wear the short shorts, the bright lipstick, the large hat, or whatever it is that you think you can’t “pull off,” and wear it anyway. I’ve heard women tell me, “Oh, I love that jumpsuit on you! I wish I could wear one, but I don’t think I can pull that off.” I used to tell myself these things, too! I told myself I couldn’t wear red lipstick, or short shorts, or a bikini (I could go on and on with things I told myself I wasn’t allowed to wear), but guess what? Now I’m not only wearing whatever I want, but I’m modeling in those same things I thought I couldn’t “pull off!” We tell ourselves these messages because we are scared of what others think. But why should you let that hold back what could bring you happiness? Wear that bright red lipstick because life is too short to care about the haters.
fabUplus Magazine: What does life look like for you outside of blogging or modeling (day job, hobbies, family life, etc)?
Megan McCormack: I’m a teacher, so a lot of my time is devoting to guiding my students. Especially with the quarantine, I’ve had to spend a lot of time finding new ways to reach my students. I love learning new things and challenging myself, so I can easily get very absorbed in DIY projects. I’d call myself a life-long learner! For example, I recently learned how to make my own perfume. I also love knitting, weaving, baking, cooking, and gardening. I’m also a big video game nerd, too. And, although we can’t really do this right now, I love traveling so much! Being in a new place and learning and experiencing a new area is so exciting for me. One of my recent favorite places to travel is New Orleans because of its architecture, nature, music, food, and history.
fabUplus Magazine: What does being an influencer or model mean to you? What do you hope it means to others?
Megan McCormack: For me, being a model means pointing a big middle finger to the fatphobia present in our society. It also means having fun and playing around with different styles. It is also an act of self-love and body acceptance. If you had asked me when I was younger what being a model meant, I probably would have said that it was a pointless thing for shallow people. I see now that that isn’t the case. Modeling, while fun, is also a lot of work, and I’ve met so many amazing, smart people who model. It’s a great way to combine my love of fashion, art, and body positivity all in one! I hope for others it means that, too—a way to showcase the hard work of others through art with a meaningful message behind it.
fabUplus Magazine: How has your body image and self-esteem changed over the years?
Megan McCormack: My body image and self-esteem has changed tremendously. When I was a kid, I hated my body so much, and when I became a teenager, this only became worse, especially when puberty started. I thought I was disgusting, and I told myself the meanest things about my body every day. I was my biggest bully! I could always find something wrong with myself. That whole process was exhausting. But, as I started learning more about feminism, and I made friends with confident people, the layers of self-hate started to melt away. I realized so much of my self-hatred was internalized misogyny, and I was tired of that. Lately, I’ve been learning about the body positive movement, and that’s opened so many doors for me. I feel like I’m learning something new about body image and self-esteem every day! I do still have my days where my self-esteem is super low, but I’ve worked hard over the years to develop tools to deal with those days so I can get back to loving myself.
fabUplus Magazine: From where do you draw inspiration for your work?
Megan McCormack: I think about who I was several years ago, and how inspiring it was seeing plus size women having fun with modeling and posting content. Growing up, plus sized women were not represented very well—if they were even represented at all. The “f” word—“fat”—was like a death sentence for me when I was younger. I think I would have been much happier, especially when I was a teenager, if I had seen more plus size women being represented in positive ways. So, when I model, I keep that in mind. I wanted to show others that you can be a plus sized woman who can wear and do what you want. It empowers me to think of modeling as a subversive act.