Looking at Kate Upton, it’s hard to imagine anyone criticizing the model for being overweight.

But the once-Sports Illustrated cover girl revealed she was told to lose weight “all the time.”

“At first I tried to diet to become their image, but eventually I realized that it wasnt realisticthat this is just the shape of my body,” Upton told Glamour magazine. “So I had to block them out. I think that the people who are the loudest about wanting to change you are the people with the least amount of vision and creativity.”

At first, the criticism was too much for the model-turned-actress.

“In the beginning it was so hurtful,” she admitted. “But I have to say, the other day I was reading some negative comments, and I was thinking they were really funny. So I guess they dont [bother me] anymore.”

The 24-year-old has since come to terms with her body and curvy figure.

“A couple of years ago, there was a switch for me,” she explained. “I used to work out to have my hips be a certain size. Now I do it for myself, because I want to be strong. I want to have energy. In my mind I feel like I can beat someone up I really want to be able to do it! Oh, and I want a nice butt, and if it’s a quarter inch bigger than the modeling-world standard, that’s fine.”