My Say : "Plus Size" Models

Recently I read an article on cosmopolitan.com, which is rather ironic now that I've decided to write this post, anyway the article was called "Things you should never say to a fat girl". I came across it on Pinterest and took the bait thinking I'd end up with interweb rage, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a rather accurate and honest list of things that have the potential to really piss a fat girl off. The one that really had me nodding was this

I mean really? Nail head? Laura Beck totally hit it with that one with both points! Anyway, where was I going with this, oh that's right, I saw something on Facebook today that made this article even more profound for me.

Australian Cosmopolitan - March 2014

Can you see the irony yet? This is Australian Cosmo's March 2014 cover. It was all over Facebook about how wonderful and fabulous it was that a mainstream fashion mag had finally put a "plus size" model on it's cover. Now Robyn Lawley is stunning, do not mistake what I'm about to say as sledging this beautiful woman. My issue is with the fashion industry, society and the "fatshion" circles that are ok with calling this beautiful size 12 woman plus size! 

As a fat woman, I want to see the brands that I buy using models who are my size. I want to see what their clothes look like on an apple shaped size 24 woman, not on an hourglass shaped size 12/14 gal. But it really irks me when I see women like Robyn touted as "plus size". Do you know what message that sends to women and especially young girls? Imagine being a young impressionable girl who's a size 12 and already slightly subconscious about her body, because lets face it society paints a very clear image of what is "beautiful". Imagine then seeing this woman, this beautiful, real woman referred to as "plus size". Can you imagine what comes next? That one short statement has just added a shit load of pressure, insecurity and self doubt to an already overloaded young mind.

Lets look at the alternative scenario. Imagine being a fat woman who's spent the better part of her late twenties learning to love the body she's in, trying to undo all the negative thoughts, views and habits that have been thrust at her all her life. Imagine the kickback that comes when seeing Robyn referred to as "plus size". Imagine the negativity that sneaks through the cracks, the hard work that starts to unravel, the lingering self doubt that looms large.

You see it doesn't do anyone a service to label models by anything other than a size. Size is fact, everything else is open to interpretation and that's where the damage occurs. Robyn Lawley herself wants to be referred to as a model, plain and simple. Regardless of her size, she is a model, just like Miranda Kerr and Tess Munster are. Why do we, the societal we, have to put a label on everything?