By Nicole Horton

The idea of celebrating a range of women’s body types, and having representation in the fashion and media spheres, has picked up speed in the past few years. Women’s magazines like Vogue, V, Elle and Glamour have featured “plus-size” models. This year Sports Illustrated had its first plus-size model for the swimsuit edition, when Robyn Lawley modeled a bikini from her own swimsuit line. “America’s Next Top Model” has had plus-size contestants that went on to sign with Wilhelmina modeling agency and have successful careers.

However, former plus-size model Katie Willcox has recently spoken out about how her career and earnings plummeted when she lost weight.
When Willcox dropped from a size 14 to a 10 or 12, which was considered healthy for her five-foot-nine-inch frame, she was no longer considered big enough for plus-size modeling.

Willcox told the New York Post, “[My earnings] went from $150,000 to about $25,000.”
“I was losing all my clients because everyone was saying, ‘Oh, you’re too small now, we want you fuller,’ “ she told People. “I was shocked because I thought I looked great. I was like, why am I not valued when I look my best and I feel my best?”

This proposes a problematic question: does this mean you can only be a model if you fit into size zero, two or 14 and larger?
Willcox went on to say how she tried to lose additional weight to become a catalog model, but found that her mental well-being took a toll. She went on to form Healthy is the New Skinny, which is a lifestyle brand and social media community focused on health and confidence instead of size.
Recently, runway models have faced more criticism for not being diverse enough in terms of weight and curves. In comparison to print publications and advertising, runway fashion appears to be the most difficult area to diversify. At New York Fashion Week, Victoria Beckham faced criticism from fans and the press for models that were deemed too thin. Others advocated on her behalf, saying her models were just as thin as other brands, and referencing the criticism that Beckham has endured for her naturally skinny frame.

Popular supermodel Gigi Hadid fought back against social media critics who said that she was not meant for the runway. She took to Instagram to say, “I represent a body image that wasn’t accepted in high-fashion before…Yes, I have abs, I have a butt, I have thighs, but I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m fitting into my sample sizes.”

This criticism of Hadid shows that the public can applaud body positive, feel-good campaigns, while still having rigid expectations for the idea of a quintessential “supermodel.”

In some cases, embracing plus-size models and natural beauty is merely a business model for fashion and lifestyle brands that are looking to increase sales while not truly living up to the standard.

For example, Dove is owned by Unilever, which also owns Axe. Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” was deemed an uplifting advertisement and overall brand message. In comparison, Axe once ran a shower gel advertisement that read across the page, “The cleaner you are, the dirtier you get.” The man on the left is taking a shower, and seems to be promised the girl on the right, who is spraying whipped cream all over her shirtless chest. Additionally, none of the Axe advertisements feature any women that could be found in Dove’s campaign — only scantily clad size zero or two models. Consequently, Unilever looked to appeal to its differing markets rather than having one cohesive message or standard.

Aerie proposed a similar initiative to Dove when it launched its “Real campaign,” which featured un-retouched models, looking to “challenge supermodel standards.” Like Dove, the models in the campaign were well-received until Emma Roberts was featured as a spokesperson. Some women took to social media saying that choosing Roberts, who fits into sample sizes, goes against the entire message of the campaign. Meanwhile, Roberts said that she was excited about what the campaign represented, and to see the Photoshop-free photos.

This shows that the idea of “real beauty” is still not inclusive because women of different sizes cannot be integrated to represent a brand without questioning its authenticity. There have certainly been some positive advancements, especially in print publications and advertising, to represent these ideas even if they are not dominant. Nevertheless, these new ideas in mainstream media and the fashion industry have produced conflicting messages for a very critical public sphere.