When you hear the term plus size, do you think of her?
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Or do you think of them?
All three of these women are beautiful, but there is a problem with how society portrays plus size models. The top picture I showed is Ashley Graham, a plus size model who has been seen on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Yes, she is bigger than your average model, but is it OK to call her plus-sized?
Popular stores carry plus size sections, and in these sections the sizes you may see can contradict the stores' plus size designation. Forever 21 carries sizes from 24 to 31 (zero to 12) in most denim jeans. For their plus-sized section their sizes range from size 12 to size 20. The sizes overlap. So someone may be considered both regular and plus-sized, a contradiction in itself.
What are the requirements to being a plus-sized model? According to PlusModel magazine, companies look for models who are between 5'9" and 6' and fit a size 10/12 and 14/16. The magazine mentions that most models don't fit this criteria and some companies will hire people who are a size 6 as a plus size model. Was a size 6 even remotely close to being in a plus size clothing section? No. So how do we say these models are plus size if they don't even shop in the plus-sized sections?
What society is doing is toxic to girls who read these magazines and go on the internet. Just last week I was on my Twitter when a tweet popped up about Calvin Klein...
This model is nowhere near the looks of plus-sized. This tells girls who are actually plus-sized that they are way over what plus size should look like, which potentially develop eating disorders and low self-esteems.
This issue could be solved in many ways, one being actually casting girls who are plus-sized and wear sizes that are offered in the plus size sections of the store. Another way to make our world a better place is to have no plus size. What I mean is if a store can make a section of clothes, why not just put the clothes with all the others? Why make them feel different than everyone else and potentially shame them? Let's put every size out on the floor. Let's mix size zero with size 18. Let's accept all and not shame people.
Everyone is beautiful no matter what size they are. But if we're going to separate people by the way they look, let's do it right and accurately.
