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Authors: Amanda M. Czerniawski
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now-defunct Plus Models Agency in New York and signed with Ford Models a year later to become their top, highest earning plus-size model. 4 She became the first plus-size model to appear in a Times Square billboard with Liz Claiborne’s plus-size line, Elisabeth. In the fall of 1998, Emme made history when she signed a cosmetic endorsement deal with major cosmetic firm Revlon. 5 She, along with the likes of Kate Dillon, who was the first plus-size model to appear in an editorial for
Vogue
magazine, advocated for positive body image and self-esteem by means of publishing books to lecturing youth in high schools and college campuses across the United States:
I have a deep concern for women who wear size fourteen and above. They have no voice. My book and my talks are vehicles to say, “You’re not alone.” Women who’ve read the book call me and cry. It’s the first time they’re hearing a positive, nonbashing message. 6
These plus-size model pioneers relished the limited opportunities presented to them in the beginning. Though, as they were unfamiliar withthe territory, these models faced challenges. According to Barbara, a director of a plus-size modeling division with more than twenty-five years experience as an agent, the models were “awful” in the beginning because “they couldn’t see past what really could be.” Without examples before them, these plus-size models failed to imagine the possibilities; they struggled to book each job.
This lack of vision was not strictly confined to the models. In creating a plus-size division at a large modeling agency in the 1990s, Barbara faced the challenge of convincing clients to hire her plus-size models. She recalled, “Was there resistance in the beginning? Of course! I was hung up on. People were laughing at the idea [of plus-size models].” She began her plus-size division without a single model. By the second day, Barbara secured her first model and her roster continued to grow. In the early 1990s, there were arguably only a total of fifty plus-size models represented between the three largest modeling agencies in New York. Now, each agency represents fifty to seventy plus-size models.
Despite these early challenges, the agents persevered because they desired to change the industry. “I fell in love with the plus girls,” admitted George, an agent since the early 1990s. “Straight [modeling] had been done. I wanted to break though the barriers in plus. I wanted to get into
Vogue
, land major contracts. I fell in love with the fight.” Some of these dreams are coming to fruition. In September 2013, Eden Miller showcased six looks from her designer label Cabiria Style—the debut of a plus-size line at New York Fashion Week. 7 In October 2013, the fashion capital of the world—Paris—hosted its first Pulp Fashion Week where French designers showcased their plus-size collections. 8 Still, these opportunities are few and, like Pulp Fashion Week, often segregated from the main events like Paris Fashion Week. Given the current professional status of plus-size models in the fashion industry, they settle as the faces of designers in the niche of plus size like Lane Bryant, Abby Z., or Monif C., while Target and Wal-Mart pay their bills. “Work is work and money pays the bills,” one agent rationalized.
Plus-Size Dreams
Beyond financial considerations, success, for these plus-size models, is about personal growth and overcoming their body issues, a position echoed by modeling agents. One agent equated her agency’s success with her models’ happiness and touted that her division is “full of happy girls.” Given cultural opinions on fat, unsurprisingly, most of the plus-size models experienced a period of shame about their bodies at one point or another. Not surprisingly, they, like Livia, covered it up with loose-fitting garments and even attempted to correct their “defect” through diet and exercise. Before modeling, they rarely saw the use-value of
Vogue
magazine, advocated for positive body image and self-esteem by means of publishing books to lecturing youth in high schools and college campuses across the United States:
I have a deep concern for women who wear size fourteen and above. They have no voice. My book and my talks are vehicles to say, “You’re not alone.” Women who’ve read the book call me and cry. It’s the first time they’re hearing a positive, nonbashing message. 6
These plus-size model pioneers relished the limited opportunities presented to them in the beginning. Though, as they were unfamiliar withthe territory, these models faced challenges. According to Barbara, a director of a plus-size modeling division with more than twenty-five years experience as an agent, the models were “awful” in the beginning because “they couldn’t see past what really could be.” Without examples before them, these plus-size models failed to imagine the possibilities; they struggled to book each job.
This lack of vision was not strictly confined to the models. In creating a plus-size division at a large modeling agency in the 1990s, Barbara faced the challenge of convincing clients to hire her plus-size models. She recalled, “Was there resistance in the beginning? Of course! I was hung up on. People were laughing at the idea [of plus-size models].” She began her plus-size division without a single model. By the second day, Barbara secured her first model and her roster continued to grow. In the early 1990s, there were arguably only a total of fifty plus-size models represented between the three largest modeling agencies in New York. Now, each agency represents fifty to seventy plus-size models.
Despite these early challenges, the agents persevered because they desired to change the industry. “I fell in love with the plus girls,” admitted George, an agent since the early 1990s. “Straight [modeling] had been done. I wanted to break though the barriers in plus. I wanted to get into
Vogue
, land major contracts. I fell in love with the fight.” Some of these dreams are coming to fruition. In September 2013, Eden Miller showcased six looks from her designer label Cabiria Style—the debut of a plus-size line at New York Fashion Week. 7 In October 2013, the fashion capital of the world—Paris—hosted its first Pulp Fashion Week where French designers showcased their plus-size collections. 8 Still, these opportunities are few and, like Pulp Fashion Week, often segregated from the main events like Paris Fashion Week. Given the current professional status of plus-size models in the fashion industry, they settle as the faces of designers in the niche of plus size like Lane Bryant, Abby Z., or Monif C., while Target and Wal-Mart pay their bills. “Work is work and money pays the bills,” one agent rationalized.
Plus-Size Dreams
Beyond financial considerations, success, for these plus-size models, is about personal growth and overcoming their body issues, a position echoed by modeling agents. One agent equated her agency’s success with her models’ happiness and touted that her division is “full of happy girls.” Given cultural opinions on fat, unsurprisingly, most of the plus-size models experienced a period of shame about their bodies at one point or another. Not surprisingly, they, like Livia, covered it up with loose-fitting garments and even attempted to correct their “defect” through diet and exercise. Before modeling, they rarely saw the use-value of
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