Fashioning Fat: Inside Plus-Size Modeling Read online

  I was told my boobs were too big, my hips too wide. I wasn’t booking work and trying to lose [weight] wasn’t working . . . I stopped fighting my body and found a new career in plus[-size modeling].

  As a size fourteen commercial print model, Clarissa booked more jobs than when she was a smaller size.

  In their first stints as models, these formers tried to maintain a thin model body type to the detriment of their own health and emotional well-being, exacerbated by the pressures of working alongside pre-teen models with extraordinarily high metabolisms. They felt like failures as their bodies changed despite their best efforts. Livia admitted that she felt uncomfortable with her body as it began to change: “I believed I had to cover myself up. I was ashamed I couldn’t control it [her body] . . . I failed at my job.” These formers tried to mold their bodies to match the thin model expectation; yet, in that very process of losing weight, they gained insecurity and body loathing.

  Once these former straight-size models discovered plus-size modeling, they found a place where they embraced their bodies and even modeled alongside straight-size models. “When I stopped trying to fit the mold my agency wanted [as a straight-size model],” Clarissa explained, “I entered a kind of happy place. I made peace with my body.” As plus-size models, their bodies, which no longer fit the normative expectation of a straight-size fashion model, were valued for their natural curves.

  Performers

  Another freelance, size sixteen/eighteen model, Janice, agreed with the sentiments of the formers:

  Despite all the problems in this [modeling] industry, I’m rewarded for being myself. I’m grateful for there to be such an industry. I’m honored to take part in this field where I can potentially change minds about beauty.

  She was thankful for the opportunity to work in a field where she could be herself in her fat body. Janice fell within the second type of recruitment—performance artists, such as actors and singers, who were offered modeling work and then decided to pursue additional modeling opportunities. Primarily an actor, Janice earned the much-coveted SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card from, to her own disbelief, booking a modeling commercial. A self-described “chubby” girl, Janice never thought of her body as something useful, let alone something that would bolster her acting career. She understood that to act, she needed to be thinner, but as a plus-size model Janice could be her two hundred-pound self. Armed with the good fortune of receiving union benefits, she focused on auditioning for acting jobs, but admitted that modeling jobs were more lucrative and she intended to continue to model until she got her big acting break.

  Lea, too, an accomplished Broadway performer, began working as a size sixteen plus-size model to earn extra money. She regularly worked in showrooms, parading in next season’s designs for fashion buyers. She recalled, “I thought, ‘I might as well try it [modeling].’ And guess what? I was the right size. It worked out, and I have extra cash in my pocket.” Lea did not expect to continue modeling in the long-term. For her, this was a temporary opportunity that turned into a series of reoccurring commercial print jobs, where she modeled clothes for department store circulars.

  Gail, a size twenty-two commercial and catalog print model and singer from Boston, also found herself thrust into modeling while on a whim to bolster her other performance-centric career aspirations. A fan of a custom plus-size design label, Gail added the fashion line to her friend list on her social networking page. The owners of the fashion label, after listening to a couple of tracks on her profile page, decided Gail’s style matched that of the fashion’s and asked her to model their latest collection in an upcoming advertising campaign. “It was random,” recalled Gail, “but hopefully this gig will help my career with more publicity and exposure. I may try acting, as well.” Gail signed a contract with the fashion label and divides her time between modeling and music.

  Outsiders

  Given the similarity between modeling and the performing arts, it is not unreasonable to consider a professional leap from straight-size modeling or acting to plus-size modeling; however, for some women, pursuing a career in modeling involved an unexpected turn of events. In the third type, the outsider, a member of the fashion community—a designer, boutique owner, agent, or another plus-size model—recruited a fat woman into modeling. Unlike the first two types who have experience in being evaluated on the basis of their bodily capital, the outsider may be unfamiliar with the use value of her body and, consequently, need to overcome an initial resistance to hide her fat body.

  The majority of the models interviewed in this study were of this third type, the outsider who was urged by others to pursue modeling. While there were those few women who previously worked as straight-size models or in other related performance fields and then transitioned into plus-size modeling, most of the women entered the field by chance. Whether scouted by an agent, recruited by a designer or boutique owner to model fashions, or approached by another plus-size model, these women were introduced to plus-size modeling through someone connected to the industry. For example, size fourteen/sixteen model Stephanie was approached by a makeup artist while she was clothes shopping:

  I was in the checkout line, just chatting, when she suggested I try plus[-size] modeling. I hadn’t thought about it before but she made me think. If an established professional in the biz says I should do it, why not?

  In ethnographic studies focused on cultural producers within an aesthetic economy, researchers found that a greater proportion of fashion models were “discovered” by agents at random and others entered the field by chance.3

  This was the case of size fourteen freelance model Becky, who, while shopping, was approached by the owner of a Connecticut plus-size boutique to participate in a showcase:

  A woman just came up to me and asked me to model the clothes in a fashion show for the store. I figured since I already wear these clothes, it wouldn’t hurt. . . . Of course, I was nervous, but it turned out fun. I guess I can say that I am now hooked.

  That first taste of the modeling experience enticed Becky enough for her to make the leap to New York City, where she attended modeling workshops to learn how to walk the runway and pursued other modeling opportunities. Grateful for the introduction to modeling by that boutique owner, Becky confessed, “If she hadn’t approached me, I wouldn’t know that I could model. It’s not something I could’ve imagined.”

  Similar to the hesitation I experienced while waiting to see the agent at my first open call, these outsiders, like Becky, were initially unsure or simply unaware of their place in the fashion industry before an insider showed them the way. Size sixteen/eighteen model Joelle began modeling after attending an open modeling call with her friend who worked as a plus-size model:

  At first, I didn’t want to go because of my body issues. She basically dragged me to the casting. But it was the best thing I could’ve done for myself . . . After the casting, I saw myself differently. I looked around the room and saw a group of plus beauties. I belonged. “I could do that,” I thought to myself. I really did believe it . . . Finally, I appreciated my body instead of hiding from it.

  Mary, too, was recruited by another working plus-size model who urged her to pursue a modeling career. “I was shocked by the suggestion,” she admitted. “I thought only anorexic girls modeled . . . I spent so many years hating my body that the idea of selling it was foreign to me.” After a few months of what Mary described as “researching modeling agencies so I don’t get scammed” and essentially “psyching myself up for the challenge,” she approached a few plus-size agencies and eventually signed with one. As a result, she worked steadily for a couple of years as a size fourteen fit model with a few designers. Given the normative expectation of fashion models as young, tall, and thin, it is no wonder that these women had trouble envisioning a place for themselves on the fashion boards. All of these women, who were already in their twenties when they began modeling, were older and larger than the traditional fashion model.

  Self-P
romoters

  The fourth type, the self-promoter, was a fat woman who entered the field of plus-size modeling of her own volition without a network connection to aid in her pursuit. Without this help, she was left to her own resources, cold calling agencies and sending in blind submissions.

  For some women like Willa, modeling was thought to be an unattainable dream, but as Willa discovered, it only took a few courageous steps:

  I had been told that I should look into modeling since I was a little girl, but didn’t think anyone would be interested in hiring me. Last year, I finally took a chance and sent my pictures to “Curvy Clothes,” and I’ve been modeling with them ever since.

  Willa was considered lucky to have booked a job on her first try. After working steadily as a size fourteen/sixteen catalog model for a reputable plus-size retailer, she signed with an agency specializing in fit modeling and hoped to expand her modeling career. Rachel, who worked as a size eighteen fit model for a few local companies, had a similar start:

  I had thought about modeling for quite some time and finally took a chance and entered a contest through a department store to do one of their runway shows. I was put in touch with an agency and have been working since then.

  Rachel hoped to expand into commercial print work in the near future.

  There are opportunities for those without prior experience to enter the field. Many plus-size fashion labels, from large-scale plus-size retailers like Torrid and IGIG to smaller, independent labels like the one in Gail’s case, recruited models directly from their customer base by advertising model searches online on their retail websites. Using actual customers without previous modeling experience as models in advertising campaigns is an increasingly popular trend in retail. Besides plus-size retailers, Abercrombie & Fitch and American Apparel regularly use store employees in their advertisements. Casting calls, themselves, can be an opportunity for a sale. At an open modeling call where I met Gail, the owners of the fashion label were selling t-shirts and tickets for a raffle, where the prize was the option to buy any item in the collection for five dollars. The models at the call jumped for a chance at a greatly reduced garment and bought raffle tickets by the handful.

  Career Prospects

  None of the models, whether freelance or represented by an agency, depended upon modeling as their main source of income. At a casting, I met Nicole, a size sixteen, freelance model, who had been modeling for two years and found it difficult to live on her model salary. “Shit,” she exclaimed. “I couldn’t afford my apartment on what they [modeling clients] pay me. That’s why I have a real job.” Her insistence on having a “real” job echoed much of the sentiment expressed by other plus-size models, for whom modeling was a fun opportunity but not income-yielding, reliable work.

  Though there were a few plus-size models, such as Crystal Renn, Ashley Graham, Tara Lynn, Fluvia Lacerda, Jennie Runk, and Robyn Lawley, that commanded substantial salaries of up to $10,000 a day and booked national beauty campaigns and runway shows for Elena Miro in Milan, these were rare opportunities. As size fourteen/sixteen model Marilyn explained:

  Plus modeling is very competitive. There are less jobs and lots of women vying for them. So, therefore, there are only a handful of plus models that are able to solely support themselves by modeling. Think of how many retailers there are of straight-size clothing—literally thousands. How many plus retailers are there? See what I mean?

  With limited paid modeling opportunities, these models sought regular employment outside the fashion field. Some worked in related artistic fields, such as performance, design, or sales, while others held jobs in the healthcare or legal professions as nurses or paralegals, for example. Others worked as personal assistants or in temporary clerical positions, positions that offered flexible hours and accommodating schedules for those last-minute calls about upcoming castings and fittings.

  In modeling, success is financial security, but, these extroverted, attention-seeking individuals also find public recognition—fame—desirable. These fashion professionals want to break barriers. During the 1990s, Emme Aronson paved the way for the current generation of models as the first well-known plus-size model. Emme first worked with the 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 with the 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 a fat body and, like Becky, never imagined that they could work successfully as models due to their size. They honestly believed that their bodies needed to be hidden a
nd covered up. The overall level of body loathing and insecurity present in these women before they entered modeling highlights the effects of stigmatization on fat women. Their fat was their scarlet letter. As with Mary who spent years hating her body, these women initially saw only their unwanted, undesirable fat. Yet, once they discovered plus-size modeling and this built-in community to which they could belong, they, like Clarissa, began to see their bodies in a different light and changed their course of action.

  After Dana, a size sixteen runway and showroom model, gave birth to her son, she questioned whether she could continue modeling after the pregnancy; however, her fellow model friends encouraged her to carry on:

  My friend told me, “What’s your problem? Put on a great bra and Spanx and you’re ready to go.” She’s right . . . When I came back [after the pregnancy], it was like a family reunion. Everyone wanted to see pictures of my son. Everyone has been so supportive. I love these girls.

  It took the support of other similarly motivated and bodied women for Dana to be at ease with her changed body. When all else failed, she was able to find relief in shapewear.

  For these women, a reactionary process—of experiencing shame to attempting to cover up their bodies to final acceptance—that involved the actions of an outside force, such as the boutique owner, another plus-size model, or “friending” someone on Facebook, shifted their understanding of fat and beauty. Like Stephanie and the makeup artist or Joelle and her plus-size model friend, these women responded to positive encouragement from the authoritative voice of a fashion insider. Without this encouragement, most of these women would never have imagined modeling as a career option. Thankful to the usher who convinced her that she could be a plus-size model, Janice acknowledged, “It’s nice to be paid for having this body of curves. Too many girls have eating disorders. I want to be another type of example.” These models began as women who entered the field of modeling as part of a larger reactionary process that hinged on an active break with conventional interpretations of the social identity of a fat woman.