Ashley Nell Tipton, the celebrated winner of Project Runway Season 14, has recently shared her decision to undergo weight loss surgery. Tipton's journey is one of determination, strength, beauty, inclusivity, and creativity, paving her own way in the fashion world.
From Self-Acceptance to Change
Ashley made reference to her own journey of self-acceptance on FB, ” To accept oneself just the way you are is the first step. Not an easy step. “When I realized that my personal power lies in by loving myself the way I am not the way others want me to be was life-changing. By loving myself the way I am allowed me to love myself enough to then change how I wanted to be. I want to be healthy. Not because you want me to look and be a certain way but because I want to! Getting this surgery is a personal decision. Choice I wanted to make for MY health, For my body and for My Life.
A Look at Tipton's Rise to Fame
Ashley has always loved fashion since she was a little girl, learning how to sew from her grandma who is one of her biggest inspirations. Growing up plus size, Ashley often felt very frustrated that there were no clothes out there to reflect her self expression of how she felt on the inside… she longed for clothes to wear that were fun, in fashion, and told the story she wanted to tell about her personality. So since they didn’t exist, she started making her own. That journey led her to Project Runway where she became the first person to win for designing plus size. After winning, she got her own line at JCPenny and was flooded with opportunities… at the same time she decided she wanted to get weight loss surgery to feel better and healthier.
Addressing Health Concerns
Tipton began discussing the option of having weight loss surgery with her therapist, and decided to meet with a surgeon for a consultation. According to People magazine, Tipton began working with a personal trainer two to four times a week, and meeting with a therapist to deal with her emotional issues. “I went to multiple doctors to make sure that I’m taking the right anti-depression medication, and make sure that my blood pressure’s okay,” she told People. “I found out that my blood pressure wasn’t okay and that I had a fatty liver. All these health risks were coming up. “That really concerned me,” she says. “He explained to me how weight loss surgery can re-boost your metabolism and help you eat right. Weight loss surgery isn’t going to make you lose weight, it’s a tool to help you lose weight. Gastric bypass surgery often improves the symptoms of type 2 diabetes, even before patients start to lose weight. “What we found is that the secret for the cure of diabetes after gastric bypass lies in the intestine,” said Dr. Nicholas Stylopoulos, principal investigator at the Division of Endocrinology at Children’s Hospital Boston and Boston Medical School, in an interview with Healthline.
Dealing with Criticism
She said it was very difficult being criticized for this decision and losing deals on top of it bc people thought she was “selling out.” This led Ashley to a period of feeling lost and having to reevaluate.
Read also: Inspiring Weight Loss Journey
Overcoming Health Scares
“Going into the hospital for something that was caused by just being overweight really struck a nerve, “I didn’t ever want to be in that pain again or have another scare like that. I was like, I really need to figure out what I can do to lose weight and get healthier. It had nothing to do with how big I am.
The Importance of Personal Choice
Getting this surgery is a personal decision. Choice I wanted to make for MY health, For my body and for My Life. In the interview, she says, “For a while now I’ve been dealing with depression, and I’ve had this up and down battle with myself, I feel like I’m in such a prime time of my life with everything that’s happening.
Continued Success and Self-Love
We talk about why she started teaching “self love” courses and how she has found her way in fashion making custom masks and offering sewing classes and flower crown courses to teach others how to design and create. After winning, she got her own line at JCPenny and was flooded with opportunities… at the same time she decided she wanted to get weight loss surgery to feel better and healthier.
A Champion for Body Positivity
On Project Runway, Ashley made sure to show the world, that fashion should be for all shapes and sizes. She proved that with her winning New York Fashion Week collection. But fashion for all and living a healthy lifestyle are two different things. I’ve always believed that you can be healthy and plus size. One of the most misconceptions about plus size women and men is that they don’t workout and all they do is gorge on food. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Read also: Bratcher's Weight Loss Story