Victoria’s Secret angel and Sports Illustrated swimsuit supermodel Heidi Klum may be the last person you’d assume would have a healthy self-image. But at 53, after adding a few pounds to her former size 24 figure, she’s loving the woman she sees in the mirror. “What makes a person sexy is knowing their self-worth and knowing who they are,” she told Us Weekly. “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.” If it all sounds like she’s just reading a Post-It on her bathroom mirror, this mom of four practices what she preaches. The host of “Project Runway” and “Germany’s Next Top Model” recently opened up about Ozempic culture and whether or not she would ever consider using GLP-1s in cult-like solidarity with the rest of Hollywood’s shrinking celeb set. While she asserts that she supports others who use weight loss drugs to feel good about their bodies, for her, the answer is a definite no. “I’m not interested at all,” she explained. “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.” It was her husband, German pop-rock musician Tom Kaulitz of the band Tokio Hotel, who convinced her to eat a sandwich, so to speak. “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. When I look back at photos, I’m like, ‘He’s right!” Proportion-wise, I look better bigger.’” Klum launched her modeling career in the early ’90s at a time when ultra-skinny “heroin chic” was en vogue. Klum didn’t fit the mold. At 5’9,” she was labeled as short, too “bosomy,” and “heavy.” She was even criticized for her “stupid” smile. She still beat out 25,000 other women to win a television competition called “Model ’92” and has enjoyed massive success ever since. “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 says.  “I had photo shoots back in the day where photographers would make me cry,” the TV personality 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.”    But no amount of industry accolades could protect her from backlash in the press. Once she appeared with extra curves, some called her fat while the bobbling skeletons of Demi Moore, Olivia Wilde, and even Oprah were propped up and praised for being fit. Someone commented that Klum looked “pregnant” at the Venice Film Festival in 2025, and others seemed to suggest she was letting herself gain fat because of her age. Making matters worse, she’s openly happy about maintaining a healthy weight for her age. The nerve. It’s a stark contrast to the time society spoke obesity to power during the so-called body positive movement of the 2010s. Weren’t we just saying all bodies were beautiful?  Klum’s take on her weight feels more balanced and middle-of-the-road than much of what Hollywood is currently trying to pump into our veins. Perhaps it’s an indication that the extreme pendulum swings of diet culture have left most of us wanting something realistic to believe in. Something more akin to good health. While she seems to be enjoying married life with her much younger hubby (he’s 36), for Klum, the bigger story may have something to do with hormones. With most women entering menopause in their early fifties, Klum could be experiencing the symptoms of musculoskeletal syndrome as her body loses muscle with every passing year. Noting that women often notice a weakening in muscle mass and strength, orthopaedic sports surgeon Vonda Wright, MD, said, “Although it’s critical at this time of life to make muscle, we make it less effectively.”  Hormone replacement therapy, targeted nutrition, and weight lifting can be beneficial in maintaining muscle as the body naturally loses estrogen. Wright even recommends low-dose testosterone to her female clients. “I encourage all of my patients to go on hormone optimization with estradiol [and] … with micronized progesterone,” she explains, advising that your own doctor can suggest the best intervention. “Women just want to feel like themselves and do what they’ve always done.” For the record, it seems that Klum is doing what she’s always done, and more. She regularly strikes a pose for major brands including L’Oreal Paris, hits the red carpet whenever she can, and judges aspiring fashion designers within an inch of their lives. Squeezing into a size 24 no longer fits into her packed schedule, and that’s okay with her. She even collaborated with German brand Funny Frisch for 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.”