In an ideal world, we all aim to be like Iza Calzado—unbothered and empowered by her "imperfections" Case in point: She crushed the fear of showing her stretch marks in public and becoming vilified because of the so-called flaw.
The Cosmopolitan's Women of Influence 2024 awardee had nothing but powerful words to say during her chat with Cosmo. "I was done fearing a photo coming out that was unretouched, that would show my stretch marks, and then having some troll from the Internet use that as a weapon against me and make me feel bad about myself," she boldly declared.
She admitted that she worried about a lot of things in the past. Iza even emphasized that she once would agonize over how she could even have a successful run in showbiz because she had always seen herself as someone "big."
"[Making it in this industry] was a big fear. Because I was big, I considered myself very different from the other people I would see on set. I had all these body issues. I didn't see myself, maybe even in the way others saw me. I had such low self-esteem I didn't even know I could act, and that was something I needed to really build the talent for this. I remember one time, I felt fat, and I was crying to my then-boyfriend and PA at that time, 'How will I ever make it in this business?'" Iza recalled.
With much grace and talent, Iza is thriving and blossoming in her craft as an actress. "22 years later, I'm still here. I'd like to think I'm thriving in my own way, and somehow, I think I've done a good amount of work," she tells Cosmopolitan.
Now, she is championing body positivity in all ways. She has always been a symbol of women empowerment and she continues to do so. Taking in from her own experiences, the actress and mom is now doing everything she can to help others realize that they are not alone and they are appreciated no matter how they look.
"I also wanted to help others feel seen that they are not the only ones struggling," Iza proclaimed.
Iza Calzado co-founded She Talks Asia
Together with a group of bright and beautiful ladies, Iza co-founded a women's empowerment platform called, She Talks Asia. Her main advocacy? #BodyLoveRevolution!
"I still look at [other women] and say things like, 'I wish I had super amazing tight skin with no stretch marks,’ and I'm still on that journey. But I now look at my body with a sense of wonder and appreciation of what I've been through. The stories that these scars tell are just so rich and powerful that, to me, makes it even more special," the celebrity reflected.
Iza furthered, "What I realized was that even the most beautiful people around me were conscious of something or dealing with some kind of body dysmorphia, an eating disorder, or insecurity. So I thought, 'let's just share it so that we all feel like we're in this together.'"
As she received the Cosmopolitan Women of Influence award on March 21, 2024, Iza couldn't be any happier to celebrate all forms of women empowerment. Iza is soaring high with a purpose and she's never letting go of that purpose, ever.
"Now, being able to use it for a purpose beyond myself, to hopefully inspire, another, even just one 19 or 20, 21-year-old who was just like me back in the day, to really believe in herself, to love herself more, and to also know that I'm still a work in progress, and I am such a long way to go—[it] really is a gift," Iza declared during Cosmopolitan's Women of Influence Recognition Dinner last March 21, 2024.
