True Plus-Size Models?
Plus-size models are becoming more and more popular, but is modern culture’s definition of plus-size models slimmer than reality? It seems to be that models labeled as “plus-size” are now a size 12 or 14. How can this be true when the average dress size for an American woman is 14? It seems that a big reason we have plus-size models is to represent women who do not fit the super model mold.
In a survey done by Plus Model Magazine and SWAK, users voted on two images of the same plus-size model. They were asked which picture was they preferred. In one picture, the plus-size model wears a tight fitted dress that shows off her curves. In the other, a more conservative look. The votes turned out to be split down the middle, though many people thought, as PLUS Model Magazine put it, the more revealing picture was “too curvy for comfort.”
As plus-size models are getting smaller and smaller, people are beginning to become conditioned to this type of image. This effectively rules out the foundational role of true plus-size models. Despite how some in the culture may view plus-size models, results show that many plus-size shoppers want to see more representative body types. A 2013 survey conducted by PLUS Model Magazine showed that 91.4 percent of respondents prefer to see plus-size models larger than a size 12 in ads and magazines.
“As the brands to continue to compete for our dollars and mainstream acceptance, they have been hiring and asking the modeling agencies for smaller and smaller models. There are brands that do not use plus size models at all and occasionally will use a size 10 or 12,” says Madeline Jones, editor-in-chief of Plus Model Magazine.
While the battle for true plus-size models continues, it is clear that plus-size modeling advocates are working hard to earn a culture’s respect for a realistic depiction of a woman’s body.
Source: Huffington Post
In a survey done by Plus Model Magazine and SWAK, users voted on two images of the same plus-size model. They were asked which picture was they preferred. In one picture, the plus-size model wears a tight fitted dress that shows off her curves. In the other, a more conservative look. The votes turned out to be split down the middle, though many people thought, as PLUS Model Magazine put it, the more revealing picture was “too curvy for comfort.”
As plus-size models are getting smaller and smaller, people are beginning to become conditioned to this type of image. This effectively rules out the foundational role of true plus-size models. Despite how some in the culture may view plus-size models, results show that many plus-size shoppers want to see more representative body types. A 2013 survey conducted by PLUS Model Magazine showed that 91.4 percent of respondents prefer to see plus-size models larger than a size 12 in ads and magazines.
“As the brands to continue to compete for our dollars and mainstream acceptance, they have been hiring and asking the modeling agencies for smaller and smaller models. There are brands that do not use plus size models at all and occasionally will use a size 10 or 12,” says Madeline Jones, editor-in-chief of Plus Model Magazine.
While the battle for true plus-size models continues, it is clear that plus-size modeling advocates are working hard to earn a culture’s respect for a realistic depiction of a woman’s body.
Source: Huffington Post