Plus Sized??? Seriously??

Tonight I was scrolling through my Facebook and saw that Calvin Klein has signed their first Plus Sized model…. Typically I would congratulate such an influential company for making this leap, but I have to say I was confused when I saw the model.

She is hardly “Plus Sized,” or even what I would consider to be plus sized. She’s not “too” skinny as previous models have been… But she is not what I would imagine when they say “Plus Size.”

As a “plus sized” woman myself I feel the term has less negative connotation as it did when we were first using it. It should never be used negatively. That being said, those who are actually modeling “plus sized” clothing for stores like Forever 21 and H&M are closer to what I think the term represents. This model, Myla Dalbesio, seems to represent more of an average girl. She still fits into the regular sizes at stores, rarely has to put clothes back because they make her look fat, and has minimal rolls when she bends over.

She is very beautiful, fit, and possibly a size 10 (8)

because she has wide hips. She would never be called “curvy” because she has some extra meat around her mid line or hips. To me it doesn’t scream what a plus size model is.

All of that being said, why do we have to label models with the term Plus size? Why can’t we just put a girl who is a size 14 in CK clothes, take her photo, and encourage woman of that same size to wear the brand?!  When we shop at clothing stores why is there a separate section for curvy woman, they should just make their regular clothes in larger sizes! I realize that some clothes would not look the same on a size 2 and a size 14, but they should still allow the option for buyers. Not every plus size woman is built the same but still require a larger size than just a large (or what stores label as large).

This battle is one I’m sure we will be fighting for years to come, but it still infuriates me that we have to label sizes and body types when making clothing and seeing models in ads. I would really like to see woman represented in all brands and sizes without labels. Companies and magazines say they sign these “plus size” girls to seem more relatable, and likely to have more buyers, but they aren’t actually representing what they are trying to sell.  Editing still happens and ideals are still skewed. 

I also did some research on Myla and found her wikipida page which states she is now a size 8 and no longer holds a title for “Plus sized”

PPPS:

I enlisted the help of my husband to help me take photos… real plus size. If Clavin needs help with this definition he call me and I’ll be happy to help.

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Model vs. Normal

PPPS: My photoshop is a bit rough....