As long as you are being true to yourself, you will always find happiness.
When I receive letters from girls that say, 'You give me confidence,' I think, 'Wow, this is amazing.' That's my goal: to let people know it's truly what's on the inside that counts.
Being the person I am, you know, the size I am, being a woman, being a black woman, there's not a lot of roles for us.
I am so girly. I love dresses.
Not having a private life is hard.
I always say as a celebrity you have two choices - you can be a celebrity, or you can be a role model. You can choose to just go to parties and do the red carpets and all that, or you can choose to be an example to these people.
I never wanted to play a character that hated herself. I wanted people to know that those aren't the only roles for people like me, normal girls.
I've always been comfortable with my size.
I want to encourage young women to stand up for each other and speak up when they see others in a tough situation.
I auditioned for 'American Idol' at 17. They told me, 'No.'
I haven't personally experienced bullying, but when I was in high school, I had a best friend who became a bully. I took a stand and took it upon myself to separate from her. I couldn't be associated with her because it wasn't the type of person I wanted to be.
Everyone needs a creative outlet to express themselves, and the arts in school provides that.
I love myself.
I dreamed really big when I was little.
My parents always instilled knowing that your beautiful, that your fearfully and wonderfully made, and that you know who you are.
I don't ever feel like anybody knows who I am.
Back in high school, I went on dates, but I was too focused on my career. My parents were like, 'It's nice to have a boyfriend, but it's even nicer to own your house when you're 21.'
As a kid, I was super skinny.
I love, love, love Michael Jackson.
I worked at Ikea as a customer service rep for two years and loved it.
