'Queer Eye' 's Antoni Porowski Felt 'Self-Conscious' About His Body When He Started Dating Men

Antoni Porowski is opening up about his struggles with body image.

The Queer Eye cast member recently sat down with Glamour UK to discuss his new cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen, and revealed that his relationship with his physique changed with his sexuality.

“I was most comfortable with my body when I was in a relationship with women,” he admitted. “There wasn’t a sense of comparison because we were different. It was my first relationship with a guy where I looked at myself and I was like, ‘Oh my biceps aren’t as big as his, I wish my legs were longer, I wish my torso was longer.’ I got really self-conscious and it was the comparison.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” he added, “Women and men have all kinds of societal pressures. Sometimes they’re self-imposed and the idea of perfection — whatever the hell that is!”

And it wasn’t just dating men that impacted the way Porowski sees himself. Being on camera with the Fab Five has taken a toll on the chef’s self-image as well, he told the outlet.

“Since the show came out, I have seriously cut down on dairy,” he explained of his time on Queer Eye. “That’s changed my body a lot. I’m somebody who loves cheese but also when you’re on camera all the time, you see yourself at an angle and you can drive yourself crazy sometimes.”

While Porowski admits he can be hard on himself about his body, the culinary expert said it has never dramatically impacted his relationship with food.

“I do love to eat and it’s not something I stop because I do enjoy it so much that I’m not going to starve myself,” he said. “I have days when I wake up, feel like human garbage and eat plant-based and go to the gym twice a day and then I have days where I feel really good about myself and destroy two burgers in a day with a pizza and a milkshake and maybe have a chocolate bar.”

“I have two sides of me and that goes with anything,” he added.

The star also said that lending a hand to others has helped him feel better in his own skin, encouraging his fans to adopt the method in their own journey towards self-acceptance.

“Self-love can also be taking care of someone else as well. That’s a trick these days,” Porowski said. “All these people talk about self-care but it’s also equally, if not more important to be of service to someone else. You feel good if you take care of someone.”