Plus size model and blogger Tess Munster recently became the first woman over a size 20 to be signed by a major modeling company—in this case Milk Management—and needless to say, we’re ecstatic. But if you’re one of those people who thinks plus size ladies have been an active proponent of the modeling world for years now, you’re only partly right.
Sure, the public has been relentlessly discussing the size of models lately. What was once the ideal of female beauty—think Twiggy or Kate Moss—came under fire when photoshopped versus original, unretouched pictures of celebrities and models alike surfaced. As self-image became a touchier topic, the unrealistic expectations young girls placed on themselves to look the way women in retouched photos did prompted some change. Since then there’s been a movement for healthier, more diverse body types in the modeling industry, but maybe not to as much avail as many think.
We absolutely applaud companies like Aerie and Dove that have vowed to show us real, often unretouched varieties of women in their ad campaigns. It’s beyond inspiring to see giants such as these declaring their support of a healthier body image for all women and eliciting confidence in those who need a little nudge to love their physiques.
We’re also completely onboard with plus size models like Crystal Renn, who overcame an eating disorder to become a beautifully, curvy size 12. But, if you’re thinking that a lot of average-sized (and not plus-size) women wear a 12, you’re completely right. And Crystal has even admitted to being photoshopped to look fuller.
While we appreciate the steps that have been taken in the past few years to represent more body types in the modeling industry, we still have a long way to go. And we think signing an actual plus size model like Tess to a major agency is a wonderful start. Though we’re not saying that Kate’s size zero and Crystal’s size 12 don’t represent real body types, we’re begging for a larger quantity of ladies in all shapes and sizes!
Are you as thrilled as we are to see Tess signed to Milk Management, collegiettes?