Supermodel Heidi Klum is pushing back against Hollywood’s obsession with extreme thinness, revealing she’s gained weight in recent years and feels better than ever about her appearance at 53.
The Victoria’s Secret angel and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, who once wore a size 24 jean, told Us Weekly that she’s added pounds to her former figure and has no interest in joining the celebrity rush toward weight loss drugs like Ozempic that have swept through the entertainment industry.
“I’m not interested at all,” Klum said when asked about GLP-1 medications. “I’ve gained weight over the years. I’m no longer a size 24 jean. But I think with age, we look better when we’re not as skinny.”
Husband Encouraged Her to Gain Weight
The shift in perspective came partly from an unexpected source: her husband, German musician Tom Kaulitz of the band Tokio Hotel. At 36, Kaulitz is 17 years younger than Klum, but his advice ran counter to everything the model had heard throughout her career.
“He said, ‘You should eat more; you would look better if you had more meat on your bones.’ I was like, ‘What?’ This is not something you’re told in the industry, ever, because you’re always supposed to be skinnier than you are,” Klum recalled. “When I look back at photos, I’m like, ‘He’s right!’ Proportion-wise, I look better bigger.”
The “Project Runway” and “Germany’s Next Top Model” host emphasized that true confidence comes from within. “What makes a person sexy is knowing their self-worth and knowing who they are,” she explained. “When people are looking at every measurement of their booties, [or] at cellulite, it’s like, ‘Is this really what makes me who I am? There’s so much more to me.’ It’s about feeling great in your skin and knowing what you can do.”
A Career Built on Defying Industry Standards
Klum’s willingness to challenge conventional beauty standards isn’t new. When she launched her modeling career in the early 1990s during the “heroin chic” era, industry insiders criticized her for being too short at 5’9″, too “bosomy,” and “heavy.” Some even mocked her smile as “stupid.”
Despite the criticism, she beat out 25,000 competitors to win a television competition called “Model ’92” and built a decades-long career that has outlasted many of her critics.
“When I looked in the mirror, I was like, ‘I don’t know what the heck they’re talking about. I don’t look fat.’ I wore a size 24 jean, and I’m 5-foot-9-and-a-half; how is that fat? I never understood the size zero thing. You don’t exist if you are a size zero,” Klum said.
The early years weren’t easy. “I had photo shoots back in the day where photographers would make me cry,” she recalled. “You can’t please everyone, and not everyone is going to like what you do, but you have to look in the mirror and be happy with who you are. I did find my niche, and look who’s still here.”
Public Scrutiny Continues
Even with her current confidence, Klum hasn’t escaped criticism for her decision to embrace a heavier weight. After appearing at the Venice Film Festival in 2025 with visible curves, some commenters suggested she looked “pregnant,” while others implied she was “letting herself go” due to her age.
The reaction stands in stark contrast to the praise directed at dramatically slimmed-down celebrities like Demi Moore, Olivia Wilde, and Oprah Winfrey, who have been celebrated for their weight loss.
The criticism also represents a shift from the body positivity movement that dominated the 2010s, which championed the idea that all bodies are beautiful regardless of size.
The Health Perspective
While Klum embraces her current figure, medical experts note that women in their early fifties typically experience significant hormonal changes. Orthopedic sports surgeon Vonda Wright explained that women going through menopause often notice weakening muscle mass and strength, a condition known as musculoskeletal syndrome.
“Although it’s critical at this time of life to make muscle, we make it less effectively,” Wright said, recommending hormone replacement therapy, targeted nutrition, and weight lifting to maintain muscle as the body loses estrogen naturally.
Wright encourages her patients to consider hormone optimization with estradiol and micronized progesterone, and sometimes recommends low-dose testosterone for female clients. “Women just want to feel like themselves and do what they’ve always done,” she noted.
Living Life on Her Own Terms
Klum shows no signs of slowing down professionally. She continues to appear in campaigns for major brands like L’Oreal Paris, walks red carpets regularly, and judges aspiring fashion designers on television. She even partnered with German brand Funny Frisch to launch her own line of potato chips.
“I love being with my husband on a beach, eating and drinking … and swimming through the water. I feel so free,” Klum said. “I’m 53 and just getting started.”
While she made clear she supports others who choose to use weight loss medications to feel good about themselves, Klum’s personal choice represents a departure from the prevailing trend in Hollywood, where rapid weight loss through pharmaceutical intervention has become increasingly normalized among celebrities.
Source: www.dailywire.com โ https://www.dailywire.com/news/heidi-klums-refreshing-take-on-body-image-rejects-absurd-weight-loss-culture