Are the industry’s requirements of Plus-Models unrealistic?  

Some say that the industry's requirements of plus-models, are completely unrealistic.I recently asked a number of plus-models, the challenges they’ve encountered trying to enter into the world of plus-size modeling, and
the similarities were amazing.

FAT or P.H.A.T?

Are the industry’s requirements of Plus-Models unrealistic?

 I recently asked a number of plus-models, the challenges they’ve encountered trying to enter into the world of plus-size modeling. The similarities were amazing, but the two that stuck out to me were;

- Designers inability, to appropriately dress the plus-size figure

- Agencies/Designers with unrealistic physical requirements

I’ve come to find that every plus-size model at some point in their career will not only encounter these issues, but also try and figure out a way to work past them. For all who don't know agency standards for plus-size models, well here you go: Models must be at least 5'9, between a size 10-16. Even though according to some studies done in January 2011, the average woman is 5’4 and a size 16-20. Seems to be that they base their standards on above-average women.

We’ve all seen the not so paper-thin models in print ads and runway shows representing what the industry believes plus-size modeling should look like, which we all know couldn’t be further from the truth. No one takes into account the natural process that comes with maturity; weight fluctuations, pregnancy, hormonal imbalances, and physical signs of aging.

 Am I saying that they need to pick the first “fat” woman they see, slap a designer dress on her, and throw her in a Prada ad?  Of course not!
I’m saying it’s about time for a realistic representation of real women.

 Being a former plus-size model myself, I sympathize with these women. When I began modeling, the market hadn’t long opened up so we weren’t as popular, as believed. Even though I met all the physical requirements, I was still told that I was too “BIG.” I was in it for about two years and hadn’t yet developed a thick skin, ultimately I succumbed to my consistent criticism and in-turn developed an eating disorder. Bulimia and laxatives were my diet of choice, accompanied with excessive exercise. The end result was me waking up in a hospital bed, suffering from severe dehydration.That was the day I ended my career, and began to focus on myself.

 
I don’t want to give the wrong impression; I am not advocating obesity and the health issues associated with it. Nor am I stating that this industry will have the same affect on everyone, as it did on me. I am merely expressing how it feels to look through countless pages of books, and magazines and not see one person that looks like you.

  I truly believe that if clothing companies and designers took a more realistic approach when hiring plus-models, the dream of having a successful modeling career, wouldn’t seem so unattainable.  True, we’ve come a long way since the market first opened up, but we still have a ways to go.
Because of women like Fluvia Lacerda, Rosie Mercado, the late Mia Amber Davis, and Crystal Renn, we now have a place in this industry.  
If plus-size modeling is your dream, then pursue it whole-heartedly. You never know… Your passion may bring about change.