No matter what you do, where you belong, and whatever you accomplish, there will always be a few eyes in this world who will look at you with a downward stare. There will always be those few who will say or think ill about you no matter how successful you get in life.
But then again, there is always that extra bit of happiness involved in defeating those who look down upon you. As we struggle to fit into the societal standards of being ‘perfect’ and in a certain shape something which is tall, skinny, and flawless, some women are breaking these stereotypes by embracing their beautiful bodies and redefining standards.
They are teaching us to celebrate our bodies just the way they are. While ‘thin’ still continues to be the most desirable body type, plus size fashion is catching up. It’s about time we see beauty for what it is and not what we think it should be.
And today, we will talk about a few women who are taking the lead and are at the top of their modeling game. Some of these have been trailblazers who brought forward the revolution of plus size models being recognized, some of these models are up and coming and they are taking the revolution forward at a frantic pace.
Ashley Graham
Starting with the biggest and most popular plus size model that this world has seen. A supermodel who managed to be the first plus size model on a Sports Illustrated cover and did it with so much grace that she bagged another three covers right after.
She is associated with Vogue, British Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and many other big names. The American model continues to redefine the way a woman’s body is looked at and is a body image activist leading positive body movements, indeed making a difference.
She has been featured in Vogue’s ‘30 Under 30’ list and is also part of the ‘25 Most Intriguing People’ in 2016. Ashley took it to the next level by writing a book titled ‘What Confidence, Beauty, And Power Really Look Like’. An inspiration in the most real sense.
La’tecia Thomas
This 27-year-old Aussie beauty has made headways in the business and is looking at a long and highly successful career ahead of her. La’Tecia was first discovered when she was 15 in her hometown Melbourne.
She is now one of Australia’s most famous plus-size models. La’Tecia previously competed in fitness modelling competitions as a size 10, but struggled with mental illness and body confidence.
Now a size 16, La’tecia is content with her body and feels that plus size modeling is a liberating experience. In the beginning of 2018, La’Tecia took to Instagram to post a comparison between a retouched and unretouched photo, to remind women that not everything in the media is the truth.
The body-positive model feels that the industry should drop the terms ‘plus size’ and ‘curvy’ modeling, and promote women of all sizes.
Jessica Leahy
Jessica Leahy is an Australian supermodel who made her debut at the New York Fashion Week. She never dreamt of making it in the modeling industry, but she was one of those women who were extremely comfortable in their bodies.
She is a true believer in the need for a genuine conversation about body types and positivity. She propagates the need for women to be truly unapologetic and comfortable about their bodies. Another model who has a long career ahead of her.
Precious Lee
Precious Lee was the first black plus size model to grace the pages of American Vogue and Sports Illustrated. As a face of Lane Byrant’s body-positive #IAmNoAngel and This Body campaigns, Precious Lee proudly advocates for diversity in race, size, and gender in her field.
Lee believes in encouraging self-love and a healthy body image in young women, earning her a spot on our list of top plus size models in this world. In a world with cutthroat competition dominating everything, Precious Lee is a breath of fresh air in the current times.
We are more than confident that we are going to see a lot more of this young lady in the coming years and we are all for it.
Chloe Marshall
An English supermodel, she won the Miss Surrey title in 2008 and was also the first plus-size model to make it to the Miss England finals.
This gave her and the idea of plus size a lot of mileage. It opened up opportunities for her modeling career and also made her conviction to spread the message that you do not always have to be thin and tall to be considered beautiful stronger.
Chloe later moved to New York and took up modeling assignments and did a lot of campaigns for Project Runway, Macy’s, and Torrid, a few of the brands that specialize in plus size clothing.
Mellisa Aronson
One of the pioneers of the plus size community entering the world of fashion and one who has spoken a lot about body positivity moments, Mellisa Aronson is among the great plus size models of all time.
Known as just “Emme,” Aronson is more than one of the best plus-size models. She is a social reformer and body image advocate who gained fame as the first full-figured model chosen for People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 1994.
She was also one of the highest-paid plus-size models of the Nineties, as well as one of the plus-size modeling pioneers in the industry who laid the foundation for the young models of today.
Throughout the time plus size models made their mark on the industry and until right now when they are dominating the market, it seems like a long time has passed since the first plus size models decided to embark on this epic journey.
Through this time, they have faced a lot of ups and downs, a lot of criticism, and drawn a lot of flak. However, they have stood tall amidst all of this and managed to make their mark and pave the way for a bright future for aspiring plus size models.
