Model Plus One

BBW
Fluffy

Chunky

Thick
Curvy

A Little Extra

A Lot to Love

Fat - there's a lot of euphemisms we use for it but it boils down to being over the ideal weight and disconnected from the established norm of beauty - which we see every season on the runways. I had never heard of plus-size models gracing catwalks unless it was a show specifically for that market but this past Saturday at London Fashion Week, Canadian designer Mark Fast decided to show what his designs would look like on real women.



Known for his artistic skill in knitwear, Fast and his design team made an editorial decision to use three models sizes 12-14 in their Spring/Summer 2010 show. We all know that Glamour's Pg. 194 shocked the world. Everyone was talking, everyone was blogging, everyone had something to say because she was showing her tummy in a fashion magazine. So was Fast just riding the buzz? His managing director Amanda May told reporters: "We wanted women to know that they don't have to be a size zero to wear a Mark Fast dress. In fact, curvier women can look even better in one." I have to agree. The grey dress below looks beautiful on this woman - it smooths out her body yet emphasizes her (sexy) curves. But then again, these are the kind of girls I like to date so I might be biased.



I've noticed the public calling these plus-size models "real women" almost to say that thinner girls aren't "real". I am over-weight. I'm not stupid. But I have never seen myself as not beautiful and not real because of this reason nor have I ever thought that thinner girls were any less real because they are thin. Real women are women who are happy and comfortable in the bodies they have. And healthy. As a diabetic, I know I have to lose weight so I won't lose my eyes or my kidneys, but I will never get down to a model's size. As long as I know I have my diabetes in control, I'll be happy, and I'll be fashionable despite my size.

I really hope Fast really is taking a step in the right direction: encouraging women of different sizes to buy his line. It's what's gonna put money in his pockets.