Small, Big, Thin, & Thick

We can all recognize the giraffe-like models on the runway jungle year after year after year, and those size -2 models in the editorial magazines we all love to subscribe to while fighting our diet demons, hoping one day we can walk down the street strutting our cellulite-less thighs and swinging our "no-carbs-here" hips and arms while wearing something so risque it looks absolutely fabulous on you because... well... because you're a size 0, too. We love model Sasha Pivovarova for her fierce eyes and bold arms and we love Chanel Iman because she's so darn cute even if she looks like she weighs less than 100 pounds at 5'11. And then there's Gemma Ward, who was once one of the major faces in the modeling industry in the past decade, but in the past year or so had seemed to have gained some questionable weight.


As we all know, any model heavier than a size 2 is a no-go and will be dumped in the business. That is, until model Lara Stone, who was once criticized for her weight gain, came back strong not as a slinky toothpick but as a model with curves. In acknowledgement to her comeback, V Magazine put out a "Size" issue for February to recognize the plus size models in the industry, with model Jacquelyn Jablonski and plus-size model Crystal Renn.

Some people chose to look away from this matter and Karl Lagerfeld was cited to have said, "No one wants to see curvy women. You've got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly..." Ironically enough, he ate his words and worked with Miss Dirty Martini, a burlesque star, for V's "Size" issue, styling her in Chanel head to toe.

Perhaps this turn in the modeling and fashion world is for the good and will keep everyone a little more open-minded. I applaud Lara Stone, Gemma Ward, Whitney Thompson (ANTM's only plus-size winner), and the other plus-size models for their courage to put their foot down to change the patterns and model stereotypes of what is considered the acceptable figure and size of a woman. Women come in all shapes and sizes and believe it or not some of us are meant to be curvier than the stick-figure next to you who never seems to gain a pound even though she stuffs her face with potatoes and pastries day after day.

Year after year, our perception of "perfection" is changing. After the shocking sites of models walking the runway looking so thin they might collapse and die, this country has been proactive about changing the unsightly image and creating rules and regulations so that models must maintain a certain amount of weight to walk the catwalk. Unfortunately Europe and other fashion capitals are not so keen on changing this image. As amazing it is to watch the gazelle-like human beings strut their stuff twice a year, it would indeed be refreshing to see maybe a deer or horse-like human being. I would love to see some more full-figured women in ads and on the runways. I'm only 5'3 short and I'm neither skinny nor fat. I consider myself average who may have weight to lose, and sometimes some weight to gain (depending on the season and my mood haha).

Plus-size models are great and it's wonderful that the fashion world is slowly accepting the idea. But here's where I'm torn. I understand how "inhumane" it seems for models to keep up with the status quo and I am also aware that the body goes under a lot of destruction due to the poor diet and lack of nutrition. It's not fair, it's not right, and it can even cause some to fall into the dark side by a slit of the wrists or by other methods.. use your imagination. The awe in fashion is the entire picture: The brilliant designers who work night and day and night to create collections that make fashion history; The fashion shows that fares the same grande amazement as a circus; And the models who are so beautiful, so leggy, and so unique in appearance that you might wonder if it's possible they are from a different planet. Everything about fashion is amazing because you see an entire production that leads the world in ways you can never imagine. Imagine a runway or an editorial model being a size that of the girl next door, who happens to be 5'10. On average, a woman of that height weighs approximately 130-145 pounds, and can vary by 10 or so pounds depending on your age. Women who are taller than 5'6 are not small women. Size, appearance, and proportion is everything to a model.

Where would the grandeur of fashion shows be without the super-human runway goddesses? Not that I'm against the age of plus-size models. I just can't agree with this anti-skinny parade that a lot of people are ranting about. To me, fashion is a world of fantasy. Anything's possible. And everything can also be v. unreal. It's all about the big picture. What separates models from the rest of us is that they're tall and skinny, and although we can be tall and/or skinny it's not required for us to be so. I'm not sure how far the plus-size concept will move, but all props to ya and good luck.