A plus-size adult film star is using her career as a platform to reclaim the word 'fat' and show the world that all women - no matter what their size - are sexual beings. April Flores, from Los Angeles, made her porn industry debut after the famous adult film star Belladonna offered her a scene in one of her movies. The 38-year-old, who never imagined she would be in an adult film, thought the experience would be a one time thing, but it eventually became clear that performing was something she wanted to dedicate her life to. 'My goal with my work has been to show other women that we can be sexual and feel worthy of desire in the bodies we currently inhabit,' she told Daily Mail Online in an email. 'I want to show other women that they don't have to put off their happiness until they lose [a certain] amount of weight.' Confident: April Flores, from Los Angeles, is an award-winning plus size porn star . Speaking out: The 38-year-old is calling for larger women to reclaim the word 'fat' in the hopes that it will help them to feel more secure about their bodies . Part of April's mission is removing the negative connotations associated with the word fat. In 2013, April starred in Fat Girl, a book of photography shot by her husband Carlos Batts, who died a month after its release. 'Fat is not a bad word. I see it as a description and nothing more,' she said of her book's title. 'I plan to keep using fat in my projects as a way to change the negative connotation to a positive one.' April explained that society is reluctant to view fat women as sexual beings because they are never represented that way. 'Fat is never equated with sexuality or pride,' she said. 'I feel that in media, fat women are usually depicted as over-the-top characters, often filling the role of the punchline. 'It is still acceptable to make fun of an overweight person.' She added: 'I actually think society is reluctant to see a woman of any size as a person in control of her own sexuality.' Not so funny: April believes that it is still acceptable for society to use overweight people as the 'punchline' of a joke . Feel desired: The adult film star believes that women shouldn't have to lose weight in order to embrace their sexuality . April isn't sure there will ever a time when a young girl won't be phased by being called fat, noting that her issue is with those who verbally attack women in the first place. 'How can a girl not react to the way someone is trying to put her down?' she asked. 'The real question we might want to ask is if there will ever be a time people [will] stop judging young women and girls?' April noted that women are 'conditioned top think that think that thin equals desirability' and essentially happiness - a notion that she also fell prey to when she was younger. After losing weight and becoming a 'thin person', she realized she was still unhappy with her life. 'I had the realization that happiness would come from a choice to be happy,' April said. 'I realized that happiness would originate in my brain and not on my scale.' April's late husband, whom she was married to for 10 years, also helped her to learn to love her body. The couple first met in an art gallery where he had approached her about modeling for him. They married three years later. She became his muse and he greatly supported her adult film career. Tough times: Although April wants women of all sizes to feel confident in their appearance, she says it is impossible for a girl not to 'react to the way someone is trying to put her down' Helping hand: April's late husband, whom she was married to for 10 years, also helped her to learn to love her body . 'I was lucky to have a partner who was always very complimentary and genuinely attracted to my body in every state he saw it in,' she said. In the porn industry April is known as 'BBW', which is short for 'big beautiful woman'. She believes that the growing interest in the BBW industry would be less of a niche if more people were honest and open about being attracted to women of size. 'I have met men that are completely out and proud for their preference for fat women,' she said. 'I have also met men that admit that they keep their preference to themselves.' April explained that there are some people who are genuinely not attracted to her body type, which she said 'is fine', but there are also plenty of people who are. 'If more people had this discussion, then the stigma might lessen and there would be a greater understanding of how varied sexual desire really is,' she said. April has had many firsts as a BBW star. In 2014, she won the AVN BBW Performer of the Year award, which she said was a 'huge thrill' because it was the first time Adult Video News added that category to the awards ceremony. She won the award this year as well. Super star: Since starting her career in the porn industry, April won numerous awards and accolades for her performances and her late husband even published a book, titled Fat Girl, which featured risque images of her . Lasting memory: While April's late husband Carlos Batts (R) passed away in 2013, the level of confidence that he helped her to achieve remains . She was also the first BBW start to cover AVN magazine, as well as the first plus-size adult entertainer to have a sex toy molded from her body. April, who is launching her website Fat Girl Fantasies this spring, said she is excited to share her perspective after 15 years of being in front of the camera. She explained that her site will 'feature beautifully created work', which includes all body types, ethnicities, and sexual and gender identities. 'We are constantly made to feel that we aren't good enough from so many aspects of life,' she said. 'I want my work to be a counter to this negativity. I want to do what I can, in my own way to be the a source of encouragement for women to feel good about themselves.' April said that if she can tell women one that it would be that they are 'unique and beautiful just the way [they] are'. 'Life is so short and it can be hard, but we need to enjoy this moment and this day.'
April Flores, from Los Angeles, is an award-winning film star and has starred in more than 15 adult films . The 38-year-old was also the subject of a photography book, titled Fat Girls, which was published by her late husband .