WHITNEY Thompson last night became the first plus-size winner in the history of “America’s Next Top Model.”
And boy, is she proud of that distinction.
“People always say you have to be stick-skinny, emaciated and unhealthy and I’ve kind of stood up for [being full-figured] my whole life,” Thompson told The Post in her first post-victory interview.
“I’m not going to lose 50 pounds – if someone asks me to do that, I’ll go to another [modeling] agency,” she says. “I’ve already heard online from boys and girls all over the world who are dealing with eating disorders.
“They’re thanking me for standing up and saying, ‘I am a plus-size model and I am beautiful.’
“This is what people should look like,” she says, referring to herself, “rather than skin-and-bones, which is disgusting and sends a bad message to people everywhere.”
It’s that outspokenness, along with her obvious self-confidence, that helped Thompson win over Anya Kop in last night’s “Top Model” finale.
Thompson, 20 – from Atlantic Beach, Fla. – says she and “Top Model” host Tyra Banks have more in common than meets the eye.
“I talked to her after everything was over and I think she herself was so thrilled the judges and panel picked me in the end,” Thompson says.
“I know she deals a lot with issues from the media with her weight and she sees the statistics with younger women and their weight, and I think she was probably pulling for me deep down.”
So now Thompson embarks on a round of morning TV appearances (including “Live with Regis & Kelly” and “The Early Show“) and all the perks that come along with winning “Top Model” – including a fashion spread in Seventeen and an Elite modeling contract.
And she says the exposure will help her spread her message.
“I have a 13-year-old cousin who’s so much like me it’s uncanny,” she says. “She’s completely normal-size but she says, ‘Oh, I’m so fat’,” and I’m like, ‘No, you’re not and why would you ever say that.’
“I have the purpose and drive and I’m trying to change the face of fashion and society,” she says. “It starts with a single step.
“The judges saw that I’m here for a reason – and now I have to make that happen.”