To think most plus size models are not really fat

[Stoppissingonmyheather]

I truly think people of all shapes and sizes can be beautiful and it's what on the inside that counts bla bla bla plus it is great that whilst online shopping I an now seeing a mix of body types and curvy big bums and boobs instead of stick thin anorexic looking 14 year olds BUT they all seem to have perfectly in proportion gorgeous curves yes large thighs etc but their stomachs are flat or ever so slightly rounded no rolls of stomach fat to be seen in their bikini pics I know bElly fat is unhealthy and not to be promoted but if we are being truly representative and inclusive of all women if they are modelling plus size surely we should have stomach fat on show too also the images I see on sites like PLT are mostly women with boobs and hips and hardly any flat chested straight hipped women so just creating more unrealistic images to try and live up to. I want to see real plus size with rolls and real small size with barely any curves too otherwise it's still not real life is it or is it?

[Happycat1212]

Yep it’s the same on boohoo, I can’t believe the pictures of them “plus size models” some of them are really slim looking to me

[BlackDaffodil]

I agree.. there is a certain scale of larger model they use, not too large and not a 12. Exactly Curvy.

I get exactly what you're saying. 🌸

[SisterAgatha]

This is quite normal in the modelling world though, I remember watching a America’s Next Top Model and they said a plus lady would be a 12.

But yeah it’s facking ridiculous. It should have changed in the decade since that’s been on TV and it hasn’t.

[WorraLiberty]

I know what you mean OP. They tend to be overweight but never flabby.

Then again, most models don't look like your average everyday person so I guess that's why.

[BlackDaffodil]

@SisterAgatha

This is quite normal in the modelling world though, I remember watching a America’s Next Top Model and they said a plus lady would be a 12.

But yeah it’s facking ridiculous. It should have changed in the decade since that’s been on TV and it hasn’t.

you're not serious.... 😱

[WorraLiberty]

An American size 12 is a UK size 14 isn't it?

[IHaveBrilloHair]

Stick thin anorexic 14yr olds.
Nice.

[DramaAlpaca]

On ANTM they use American sizing. Isn't an American 12 a UK 16? That's the average size I believe.

The purpose of models is to sell clothes, so the industry goes for a certain body type. It doesn't mean it's right, but models aren't the real world and never have been.

Really big models do exist though, that Tess Holliday (I think that's her name) for one.

[JackieTheFart]

A size 16 when you’re over 5 ft 10 though is probably not overweight. It’s proportional.

And none of them have ‘problem areas’.

I don’t especially mind it tbh. Models are models - they’re all more beautiful than me, with better proportions. Also they’re all mostly over ten years younger.

[HmmmmmmInteresting]

Models have to show the clothes off so they are not going to show people with rolls of fat. They will show larger people, but of course they will have good proportions or the clothes won't look right.

I don't agree that we should normalise obese people. It's not healthy or aspirational.

[BlackDaffodil]

I don't agree that we should normalise obese people. It's not healthy or aspirational.

would you stop making clothes for them too?

[camelfinger]

I think because the models are really tall, they tend to look thin even if they are larger than a size 12. I’m an average height but size 14 and I find it difficult to imagine what clothes would look like on me. If someone managed to design clothes that looked good with a mum tum they would make a killing. But in the meantime it’s just easier for companies to model clothes on people with nice figures.

[Chouetted]

You don't have to be fat to be plus size.

[MonkeyNotOrgangrinder]

Photoshop!
But also, just as "normal" models are of an unusual body type (very tall and very slim) plus size models are unusual: large size but with a flatter stomach and not saggy. And obviously they're young, which makes a lot of difference

[Sciurus83]

stick thin anorexic looking 14 year olds

It's hypocritical to ask for body positivity across all sizes and still describe women this way.

[Theunamedcat]

@SisterAgatha

This is quite normal in the modelling world though, I remember watching a America’s Next Top Model and they said a plus lady would be a 12.

But yeah it’s facking ridiculous. It should have changed in the decade since that’s been on TV and it hasn’t.

American size 12 is different to ours

[Nuffaluff]

The photos are airbrushed! Any flaws are just smushed away.

[zzizzer]

These groups are usually pretty savvy in their marketing - I would bet they've done market testing and seen that even if people say they want more "realistic" representative images out there, they still buy the idealistic ones more.

[Kokosrieksts]

I once read an interview with a plus sized model. She explained that the work that goes into maintaining a plus size, but good shape body can be more difficult than just being slim.
I’m sorry to disappoint, but clothes wouldn’t sell well if they were displayed on average real bodies.

[JustGiveMeGin]

I buy off Boo Hoo and PLT, believe me there are plenty of fat rolls on display! It helps me know what not to buy, if the model looks ridiculous in the outfit there is no chance I could pull it off!

[ketchupandmayo]

Stick thin anorexic looking 12 year olds is by far the cattiest comment I've read here. And very unnecessary.

Boohoo DO have plus sized models, I know because actually at one point, all their advertising was showing plus sized models and I was having difficulty gauging what clothes would look like on non-plus sized models. (Their Facebook advertising is great for plus sized models)

[ShakeaHettyFeather]

You'd think some brands would have realised that middle-aged women with saggy postnatal tummies make up a large proportion of women with money to spend on clothes, just like we do on makeup.

Show me a convincing before-and-after pair of photos of a model in an ill-fitting outfit then one that's flattering, or with and without your brand of control pants, and I'd be hooked.

Though I never seem to be the voice of the people - every single time I've gone to M&S in my life and thought 'finally! Loads of clothes I like!' they've issued a profits warning soon after.

[trancepants]

If they are overweight, they are overweight. Just because society as a whole is getting fatter doesn't mean that someone who is overweight suddenly isn't because other people are fatter. That's not how it works. I reached an obese weight several years ago and thought I was just a bit overweight because I was fairly middling among the people around me. But I was seriously negatively impacting both my day to day life and my long term health. However, as someone with a natural hourglass shape, my fat was even all over and I still had pretty much the same breast-waist-hip ratio that I do now with a 25" waist. I'm far too short to ever be a model but some people naturally put fat on almost completely evenly. (Which I used to think was lucky because it's very forgiving when you put on a few pounds but now realise is a curse because it makes it easier to maintain a delusion about how heavy you are while you pile on unhealthy levels of weight.)

[JorisBonson]

@JustGiveMeGin

I buy off Boo Hoo and PLT, believe me there are plenty of fat rolls on display! It helps me know what not to buy, if the model looks ridiculous in the outfit there is no chance I could pull it off!

Was coming here to say this!

Being larger in size and still trim and healthy are not mutually exclusive. Ashley Graham is my favourite plus sized model, she is incredibly active and fit but could crush a man to death with her thighs. I love her.

[JustGiveMeGin]

@JorisBonson Ashley Graham is my girl crush, she is just so beautiful! When I started out at weight watchers a few years ago I tried to convince myself I would look like her when I lost weight never happened of course!