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?

I doubt most of the 'plus size' models are actually overweight, they just look big compared to 'normal' models. I read somewhere UK size 10 is considered 'plus.'

@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!

You're not wrong at all - but this is exactly why most marketeers won't want to use photos like that.

Interesting article

www.byrdie.com/what-is-considered-plus-size

I read somewhere UK size 10 is considered 'plus.'

Its not, take a look at plus size sections on popular websites, their clothes generally start at a size 16 which is fair. The models are definitely not a size 10 either.

Tbh I am actually for BMI limits like some fashion weeks did go curb underweight representation. I think it should be done on both sides of the spectrum for modelling.

They will just have a bigger frame. I am 5' 4 so no giant but at my smallest I'm a 14 on the bottom and a 16 on top. I look pretty slim at that size and probably am not eating much at all, to my detriment. But I am wide and solid and muscly. So these women will be the same - bigger frames and tall probably.
On the other hand I was looking at something on ASOS last week and it said model is 5' 10 and a size 18. Now that model must've been a smaller frame but carrying a lot of fat because she looked v fat.

@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.

A US size 12 is a UK size 16, though.

Most plus size ranges start at about a 16-18.

The ones I see are the ones that are not ‘bent out of shape’ so to speak. They are the ones with perfectly distributed plumpness that if they were to slim down they would have ‘no hanging bits of skin’ and would be able to tone up and have a near perfect shape.

Im bent out of shape by life etc and even when I do slim I have hangers on, and I find cloths do not accommodate for this in the areas of being well cut and are just big: like jeans and the skin apron conundrum.

@JustGiveMeGin she's amazing isn't she!

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

Yes, but as others have said that’s a U.K. 16. One series one of the plus size girls lost too much weight to be considered plus size any more but was too big for non plus size modelling. That article posted earlier is interesting dealing with that issue-why are there no models in between non plus size and plus size?

I remember reading an article about a "plus size" model who was a tall size 12 (so quite slim) and explained that for photoshoots she was made to wear padding to increase the size of her bum and thighs, giving her an impossible figure with a curvy bottom but slim calves, arms, waist and face.

Most "regular" models are pretty far from the average person though (5'10+ , size 8 and under 25) so not particularly indicative of what a 5'4, size 14 , 50 year old will look like in those clothes.

I'm v short but the "petite" models are usually 5'3 or 5'4 which is pretty much the average height for a woman ....

Almost everything (regardless of who its aimed at) is modelled by young ish people. My DM used to have clothes catalogues full of clothes that were clearly aimed at an older market, being modelled by a 30 year old. Ditto ads for stairlifts, walk in baths etc.

Um, that's why they're models. If they just looked normal, no one would hire them, they'd just get randoms. Sure, over time the industry might recalibrate all its systems and gauges of what's attractive, especially if customers genuinely respond well (buying-wise) to having the clothes modelled by much more 'normal' women with fat rolls and 'average' looks, but for the time being, the trade-off for a model being bigger is that she still has to fit other standards such as being in shape for that size, still has symmetrical features etc etc. Otherwise she wouldn't get enough work to sustain modelling as a job (and all the jobs around her - agents, bookers etc), because anyone could do it. No one's going to pay much for a model if they can get the women in the office to do it. Not to mention all the issues with sizing - it's so much about measurements and these women will fit in the samples that need modelling whereas a less 'standard' woman would lead to issues at every shoot.

I think this used to be the case but it's much more usual now to see larger models. Snag tights for example. Also ASOS and Boohoo etc. It is much more helpful to get an idea of how clothes might actually look.

Lingerie models are generally a size or two larger than standard outerwear models. 10-12 rather than 8-10. Generally.

I agree that most plus size models aren't fat at all. But there is a definite shift towards using bigger models and customer models, especially on social media. We have a long way to go before it's totally mainstream all round, but there is a shift going on.

if we are being truly representative and inclusive of all women

Very, very few fashion designers or retailers think this is their goal. And honestly, I’m not sure it has to be.

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

🙄

I do agree that the plus size models tend to be what used to be described as Amazonian strong well covered women all in proportion. The only actual outsize woman I regularly see on TV is Chrissy Metz who plays Kate in This is us . I think she does have a clothing range over in the US obviously.

@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.

Quite agree.

I think you mean something like this?
cacique.lanebryant.com/
Some websites do have different body shapes and no Photoshop but not the majority... Still, It's a start.

I have noticed online clothes models for some stores seem to just be that the pictures are stretched wider, some are very alike other slimmer models elsewhere on the same site! If I can find any I’ll pop back with examples.

The ones on Boohoo are airbrushed to fuck.

@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.

Agree

I know what you mean. I buy a lot of clothes from lucy&yak and appreciate their diverse models- all shapes and sizes and the plus size models actually are plus size.

I follow the odd body po 'influencer' and this is actually a criticism some of them seem have with the models some of these brands use.