We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olivia Simmons. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olivia below.
Hi Olivia, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
If you were to go to my Social Media platforms, you would not think that the girl in those pictures suffered with HEAVY low self-esteem as child all the way up to adulthood. I was never the one who felt high of herself because I knew that I didn’t fit into the society’s view of beauty. I always hid behind the big and older looking clothing because that was my way of staying in the shadows. People would always say that I had a pretty face or pretty smile but that was it. They weren’t looking at the entire package and I allowed them to make me feel that way because of the low self esteem I had of myself.
I began to come out of my shell and slowly started seeing a new version of me. It wasn’t until February 2022 when God allowed something amazing to come to my doorstep. I had a photoshoot to celebrate my birthday and I decided to wear clothing that was outside of my norm! I ordered leather pants and a see-through top for one outfit from a brand that I had been wearing for years and a sequin crop-top and tulle skirt from another company I had just discovered. When I posted the pictures on my Social Media Platforms, I tagged both of the companies in my photos. The leather pants photo company sent me a message asking if they could post me as part of their Customer Highlight. I was excited because I had been wearing this brand for years!
I saw all of the love on Instagram but on Facebook, I began to experience Cyber Bullying from strangers talking about the way I looked. I had my share of supporters but I could not help but see all of those comments which took me back to my days of being bullied in school. As I was getting bullied on one site (the company ended up shutting the comments off and sending a No Body Shaming Post the following day) here comes the other site of whose pictures I posted. This company I had only discovered two months prior to my photoshoot.
This company shared my photos and a few months later, I posted another photo with a product that I purchased and tagged this company. I was contacted by this company (XPlusWear) asking to come on as their FIRST OFFICIAL BRAND AMBASSADOR due to the amount of traffic that my one picture created on their website. A few months later, I had my first official Try On Haul Review and within 6 months, this reel produced OVER 1 MILLION VIEWS!
I’m a firm believer in God’s Word when it says in Psalm 139:13-16MSG “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God-you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration – what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an opened book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”
Being a Brand Ambassador opened up the door for me to walk into the Plus Influencer Community and never in a million years would I thought that the once shy, bullied and quiet girl would be one that you would see on clothing websites, giving fashion advice and encouraging women from all ethnic backgrounds and sizes to learn to love the skin that you’re in.
I want to encourage whomever may read this article to LOVE what you see in the mirror because you were created in the image of God and everything that He creates is BEAUTIFUL!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a Brand Ambassador with XPlusWear which allows me to showcase various clothing and to bring more light to the Plus Size Community.
I’m an Author in which I released my first book in 2018 entitled 8 Minutes With God (Prayer Devotional) and my newest book entitled “My Sister’s Keeper: The Joy of The Journey” comes out October 2023 (article says 2024). This book is about my sister who passed September 12, 2019 and the other half of the book is about my life since she passed. I give you a transparent look at her life as a mother, sister, worship leader, sickness and the day she passed. I share with you my journey of how Jesus + Therapy healed my life, Sisterhood and so much more!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back over this journey, what was most impactful was my faith in God, amazing support system and speaking affirmation daily into my life.
If I were to share advice, I would say to not allow the status quos of this world take you to a place in which you forget who God says that you are. Speak affirmation into your life everyday and be your authentic self especially when God begins to open up doors that you didn’t see coming.
Keep God as your center and He will continue to guide your steps.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to love and serve God with my whole heart.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: i_am_oliviasimmons
- Facebook: Loving The Skin You’re In, Olivia Simmons Plus Size Influencer
Image Credits
Gabrielle Hicks of Gabrielle’s Gallery
