In an era dominated by perfection, Phaith Montoya is breaking barriers with a story rooted in resilience, authenticity, and bold self-expression. Along the way, she’s navigated the highs and lows of being a visible advocate for body inclusivity and mental health in the beauty and fashion industries. Her voice challenges systemic fat-phobia, inspires representation, and promotes self-love as an act of resistance. However, she’s not just a content creator but a mentor and a beacon of representation in the beauty and fashion spaces as a Latina and person of color. Keep reading to learn more about Phaith Montoya’s story.

Where are you based?
Jersey City, New Jersey.

What inspired your interest in building a career in social media?
Although I had no intention of having a career in social media when I started posting my hair growth videos, I saw how much my audience felt inspired by me. That’s when I knew it was bigger than just the hair growth and more about me showing up on the internet in a bigger body without having shame about it. I guess you can say that my audience inspired me to start, and, truthfully, they inspire me to keep going till this day.

This crazy ride all started with you shaving your head. Can you tell us your story to stardom?
2020, that post-grad depression, moving to a new city with no friends, and fresh off an earth-shattering breakup. Lost my job due to schools being fully remote and I was a wreck, broke, living in my cousin’s basement on government assistance. Then my cousin who was a nurse passed away and I think that’s when I knew I was at rock bottom. I had read a magazine once in high school that said every woman should shave their head at least once in their life and I thought what better time than now when I felt like I had nothing left to lose. I documented my hair growing back weekly, and after eight months I gained a million followers. By that time I also made other videos about the different facets of me and saw how much impact that had on girls and women around the world. It fueled a fire in me to keep doing the work and being that representation.

Before becoming an influencer you were considering going to med school. How has your life changed since becoming an influencer? Do you think you still might pursue medicine?
Whew, how has it not changed? I sometimes sit in awe and think I’m living in a dream, waiting for someone to wake me up. I used to work 60-plus hours a week in college and could still barely afford to get by, now I work a lot less and make much more. That financial freedom at such a young age gives me the luxury of time. Time to enjoy hobbies, to travel, and to get to know myself better. Those may seem insignificant but growing up I prayed for those little luxuries, so I’m just eternally grateful to be currently living in those answered prayers.

As for my pursuit of medicine, I do have dreams of going back. If this career change has taught me anything it’s that you can be whoever you want to be. So I do hope one day to continue that path. If not, I’d also really love to teach again. Being around children brought me so much joy as a substitute teacher. It took everything for me to leave that field to pursue content creation full-time, I definitely dream about the days I could potentially go back.

As a plus-sized woman, body inclusivity has been a major topic for you on your platforms. The fashion world has come a long way but still has a ways to go. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly?
I’ll start with the ugly. Fashion and society in general are extremely fat-phobic to the point where it is actually harmful and life-threatening to fat people. There is nothing I do on the internet without people degrading me about my size and/or telling me I won’t live past 30. The bigotry fat women face on the internet is deplorable. The bad? Are the little micro-aggressive things being done or said that allow that fat-phobic society to thrive. Like photographers refusing to take photos of me or brands editing my body for campaigns. The way people hide behind the guise of caring about your health when in reality they just want reason to ridicule your size. Those little things may not seem like much, but they do in fact contribute to the pipeline of violence fat people face in this world. Now for the good, I walk around and see more and more fat people free from the shackles of what society seems appropriate to wear. Whenever my followers come up to me, I always see how they’re dressed and could genuinely cry off that alone. The choices I had were so limited growing up, but now I see these fat girls in crop tops and mini skirts and I feel the future is bright.

In our ever-changing world, there are some wonderful body-positive brands out there! We hear you are currently a brand ambassador for PrettyLittleThing. How did that partnership come about, and what does it mean to you to be featured on billboards for the brand?
I had worked with them before prior, but they approached me out of nowhere about an edit. I was over the moon, PrettyLittleThing has been a brand I’d worn all through college. They gave me access to cute pieces in MY size and that meant everything to me. Doing this collab was such a full-circle moment for me.

For this editorial, we worked a lot with Eloquii, a fashion-forward plus-sized brand. What do you love about their styles?
I love how Eloquii gives plus-sized girls high-quality elegant options. I had to get my prom dresses made from scratch in high school. That’s how limited our special event options were. Eloquii will always have a fan in me for that reason alone and every time they invite me to an event it is such a safe space. Can’t say the same for a lot of other brands.

How would you like to see the fashion industry continue to grow to better include all bodies?
Hiring more diverse models and extending their sizing. It’s not enough to extend the sizing if you aren’t going to actually attempt to market them by putting them on the bodies the clothes are intended for. I’m not just talking about ecom either, I want to see these diverse models in whole creative marketing campaigns. Sell me the fantasy of why this outfit will not only look good on me, but so many other women. Give me more models that are dark skin and not always hourglass. We can’t just be doing the bare minimum when it comes to inclusivity anymore and wonder why it’s not working.

You have been very open about promoting self-love and celebrating all bodies. How do you hope to inspire others through your content?
Life really is so short and I’ve lost years of my life hating my body. I’ll never get that time back and neither will all the women that are currently shackled to that self-hate society has conditioned them to have. So I hope I inspired others to free themselves from it. Time is so precious, which is why I don’t want anyone wasting another second hating their body. From my page, I hope they see what self-love has given me, like opening so many doors career-wise, a beautiful relationship, and a happiness that I’ve never felt before.

You are also known for your advocacy for mental well-being. How did your personal journey with mental health shape the way you engage with your followers on these topics?
I grew up not knowing much about mental health. It’s a very taboo topic in POC communities. So when given the platform it was immensely important to me to give them access to that knowledge that I hadn’t been given till I was afforded the opportunity to go to a college. Some people may never get that opportunity, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t deserving of the information that could help them and that is why I’m an open book.

How do you see your role as a POC in the beauty and fashion space, and why do you think representation matters so much?
I think there are never nearly enough diverse creatives in these spaces and it’s important for me to advocate for those that are still missing. Colorism and my racial ambiguity play a huge role in how I am able to navigate through this space. I get the privilege of not having to make every single thing about my identity even though when most people see me they know I’m something, just never entirely sure what that thing is. There is a privilege in that. I try my best to utilize that privilege to constantly speak in the absence of other POCs. Especially being Latina and advocating for the mono-racial inclusion of indigenous and Afro-Latinas. Representation matters so much after living through decades of not having any. It’s what inspires others to see themselves in these spaces and one day can go on to fill them.

Your social media presence has grown immensely since you first started. What do you think is the key to connecting so deeply with your audience?
I’ll never be too good to like or respond to my comments. In fact, I like most of them. It really does make their day to be acknowledged by someone they admire. I know it does for me. I’m very intentional and remember their handles especially when I’m doing giveaways. Those are my GIRLSS, like even at times when I’m stressing I’ll hop on live and have 1000 girls helping me solve whatever I’m going through. It’s real love both ways. I think the internet has this ability to bring such amazing hearts together and I’ve gotten so lucky to have so many beautiful human beings that support me. I’ll never take it for granted.

Can you tell us more about NAMI and your partnership with them? What do you hope to achieve with this collaboration?
NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness and it's a nonprofit organization that helps bring people suffering from mental illnesses an array of resources. I hope to bring even more awareness to these resources and conversations I know my community desperately needs. Especially when it comes to my eating disorder and binge eating disorder. It’s one that is not very spoken about or depicted in the media at all. Even if I help one person get the answers they need to take the next step into recovery that will be a win in my book.

Can you tell us a little bit about your own struggles with mental health and what has helped you?
I’ve struggled with high-functioning depression and it’s a form of depression that often goes overlooked. Although I get a lot of pushback from people that don’t truly understand it, the diagnosis has helped me manage it a lot better. I went to therapy for a few years and learned a lot about compartmentalizing my days to not get too overwhelmed. Small tasks like checking in with myself, getting out of bed, or even eating three meals a day are my goals, and giving myself grace on the days I am unable to complete them as well.

How do you balance using your platform for advocacy while maintaining authenticity and staying true to yourself?
I really think there’s no balancing act on my end cause my mere existence on the internet acts as its own advocacy. Being my true authentic self is an act of resistance to a society that thinks I should not be happy, successful, or even in love till after I’m a certain size. I can post the most innocent photo of myself doing an activity or with my boyfriend and somehow the internet will turn it into a think piece on why I should or should not be able to exist this freely. It does get exhausting when you realize existing in your body is “controversial” but it also motivates me even more to keep going. One day I hope bodies like mine getting everything they deserve in life won’t be seen as controversial.

What message would you like to share with those who feel unseen or struggle with body image and mental health?
That it doesn’t have to be the bane of your existence. There are some days where I’m not the most confident and insecure about having a mental illness, but I remember that those are just facets of me. They aren’t all there is to me. I am so much more. I bring love and light into every room I walk into. Don’t let it define you.

As you continue to grow in your career, what types of projects are you most excited to pursue in the future?
I’m excited about potentially more long-form content like podcasting. Also hopefully bringing representation into other forms of entertainment like TV and film.

It has been a crazy past few years, how have you been staying positive?
I’ve been leaning on my support system. My friends, family, and partner are my saving grace. Also, my community reminds me that so much goodness in the world exists.

What is your motto in life?
Keep moving forward. It’s from one of my favorite movies, Meet the Robinsons. My biggest goal every day is to put one foot in front of the other and just moving forward regardless of what obstacles lie in front of me.

To learn more about Phaith Montoya please follow the links below:
Instagram: @phaithmontoya
X: @phaithmontoya
TikTok: @phaithmontoya
YouTube: @phaithmontoya

Team Credits:
Photographer: Kira Bucca
Stylist: Kristopher Fraser
Make Up: Janine Francois
Hair : Breanna Davis

COVER - Pulling in the New Year with Phaith Montoya