I agree that a lot of girls and women watching will be thinking something along the lines of, “Well, if SHE’S plus-sized, then I must be a freak!” I think it’s naive to say, “But they should know that the industry standard is to have women model plus-size clothing who aren’t actually plus size!” Not only will most viewers not know that, but the ones who are least likely to know it are the same ones who are the most likely to be hurt by it–their youngest viewers.

re: tink insisting that there’s “no way in hell” that Sarah Hartshorne is an 8–well, I guess according to Sarah herself she’s actually a 10, although she can wear an 8. But I’m not too impressed with people who think they can tell someone’s size just by looking. tink mentions a 28-30″ waist corresponding to an 8–well, Sarah says that she has a 28″ waist. Meanwhile, I have a 30″ waist, and I usually wear a 14. So even when you have a waist measurement, that alone doesn’t tell you too much about what size someone is.

My measurements are: 37-28-40. I wear a size 10, but can fit into an 8 or a 12. I am a plus sized model, although perhaps not a plus sized woman. To be honest, I am a small plus-sized model, and that has worked out to my disadvantage.

While on ANTM I lost less than five pounds. I am active and healthy. I eat well, exercise regularly. I am regularly pressured to gain weight in order to succeed. I am regularly passed over for jobs because I am not big enough. In terms of dealing the with problems young girls have with body image today this, to me, is like treating a patient with a broken right knee by breaking his left.
I appreciate the need to create a sense of fantasy and unnattainable beauty in fashion and advertising: the ideal female has drastically changed over time but it has always existed. That said, the division between traditonal fashion models and the plus-sized industry is one based on exclusion. It comes from both sides and it isolates huge populations of girls and women.

I agree with a lot that has been said, and I disagree with a lot more. But it is the dialogue that is more important. I’m really honored by your comments and presence in this conversation. So, thank you.
http://www.Twitter.com/sarahhartshorne

‘Plus size’ is just a category. It frustrates me that we are all so judgemental and stereotypical. If someone wears a certain size then they are automatically labelled a plus size and like it or not plus size IS associated with ‘fat’, ‘overweight’,'bigger than normal’ etc. Its just the way we are forced to think by the industry, media, ourselves. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are any of the above, just that they are not what is desired in this industry, i.e. a stick.

Its not just in this area that these problems arise, its like if you went back to school. Sterotypically speaking what do you have? The Nerds, The Tarts, The Jocks, The Stoners… etc. As much as everyone is different it is so easy to just categorise someone based on there looks or actions and loosely label them as some group member. Everyone is different. Whats not to say a Jock smokes weed? whats not to say a Tart is really intelligent?

Whats not to say a plus sized model is not in fact fat, and is just proportional to a certain size?

I’m definitely not saying that models should always be stick thin, in fact i dislike that they are as they give a horribly wrong image to every woman striving to be something she isn’t. But, it is going to take a fuck of a lot to get the industry to actually do something different. How many fashion shows have we seen that show women of all shapes and sizes? Like, in the one show a varying size and not just the same blank looking size 0 models with big eyes, pursed lips, long straight dead hair? I can’t stand that all the models seem to look the same. I guess this highlights that they are ‘coathangers’ as it has been said or that this highlights the clothing that the designer wants them to portray. But i have to say clothing is so much more memorable for me when the models have some variety and I am very interested in fashion and I do study it so I see a fair bit.

I guess its really hard to make oneself completely clear on this issue as it is big and impacts so many different areas.

In conclusion i guess what I’m trying to say is that so many people have gotten angry because this model was labelled plus size because she is not a stick. this does not mean she is fat, rather that she is in proportion and over the average MODEL size not the average HUMAN size. Yes, models depict a small population percentage. Its just sad that the average normal size woman does not represent a larger part of the fashion percentage.

But then there is the issue of normal. And the ever, unanswered question of ‘What is normal?’

Media presents a lot of fantasy, I understand that. But why is the fantasy so universal? If this fantasy were held by a discreet group it would be considered a fetish but b/c it is valued by so many it is “normal’? The culture at large expects people to live up to this fantasy or as close to it as possible to be acceptable, or at least shop in the mainstream brick and mortar stores.

Anne Marie – I will try to make my point as gently and respectfully as possible. When you said: “If you are unhappy with yourself change. Don’t look for validation that you are “okay” because deep down you aren’t, or you wouldn’t have had these feelings in the first place. I’m a size 10 right now. I don’t like my figure and have started to lose weight again. I much prefer being a 6. I felt healthier, stronger, and made better nutrition decisions. “

I don’t know you and I am trying hard not to be condescending but that was my thinking exactly. Except that was really my eating disorder at its worst. I have worked so hard to get away from that kind of thinking and I am still working on it. It is a myth that we can change our bodies and will them into the shape and size we want. Most diets fail but it is the dieter who is made to feel like the failure. These beliefs caused me great amounts of pain. Looking back, I was the least happy at my smallest size. We shouldn’t look at attaining a certain size as a great accomplishment. Achieving a goal or helping other people and living our lives as if we are entitled to be in the world and be happy “as is” are what I now call an accomplishment. Likewise, eating “too much” of the “wrong food” is not bad. It is eating. Nothing bad about eating. Pushing a frail person to ground on the way to rob a liquor store, now that is bad. I am not saying you have an ED, but your comments are very familiar. EDs are only about food and weight on the surface, at the core they are about self-acceptance. Just something to think about.

Lastly, it irritates me when these models, who are likely all above the age of 18, are called girls. Would anyone refer to a college foot ball player of the same age as a boy? I doubt a male model of 18 would be called a boy.

I think even if there was a contestant on there that was a size 10, 12, or 14…there would be women going, “Omg I’m that size and she looks huge, I need to lose weight.” I’ve already seen it happen with a few of my friends in commercials. So really, what are they supposed to do? No one is ever going to be happy. People wil always find some excuse to complain.

I think if there were more women of every size on TV, people would think they looked huge at first, but subsequently get used to seeing women of every size as beautiful and vibrant.

But the big corporations would lose money if people quit hating themselves for stupid reasons, and we can’t have that.

And how many teenagers do YOU know who have had a heart attack before the age of 50? Way to buy into the commercially-funded hype, there.