Plus Sized Models Make their Appearance Known

By JESSICA ROSS

With the recent Sports Illustrated issue portraying a “plus sized” model, readers voice their opinions about what size 12 being labeled as plus size really means to them. Some people were up in arms knowing that size 12 is considered plus sized while others believe it is heading in the right direction for the fashion world.

On Feb. 5, Sports Illustrated ran their 2015 swimsuit edition featuring Robyn Lawley, a size 12 model. Some felt that portraying a plus sized model in a magazine will play an important role in showing young teens different body types. When it comes to women’s sizes, there are always conflicting viewpoints.

Ramapo College Women’s Center Coordinator, Kat McGee, expressed how seeing size 12 as plus sized is an unrealistic portrayal of our society.

“I think size twelve being considered “plus sized” is an indicator of how skewed and unrealistic the expectations for women’s bodies have become,” McGee said.  “The fact that most women’s bodies in the media represent a body type that is unrealistic for 99% of women is harmful to our perception of self and what “healthy” looks like. Size and health don’t necessarily correlate.”

Should Size 12 Be Considered Plus Sized?

For the first time, Sports Illustrated featured two plus sized women in their swim suite edition.  The first featured is Ashley Graham who is a size 16 model and is shown wearing a black bikini in an ad for Swimsuits for All. The second is Robyn Lawley, who is a size 12 model for the magazine.

“The overwhelming pressure to be thin and disproportionate focus on size result in many mental health problems for girls and women including low self-esteem, disordered eating, and body dysmorphic disorder. Designating certain sizes as “plus size” just reinforces these problems for anyone who is relegated to that category,” McGee said.

According to a recent study done by commonsense.org, negative body image begins at a very young age.  The report shows that with the amount of traditional media and newer media, youth are in danger of developing unhealthy approaches to their bodies.  Common Sense mentions that 48 percent of 13-17 year old girls wish they were as skinny as fashion magazine models.

Genetics Play a Role

While many people believe that considering size 12 as plus sized is a bad thing, there are some who believe it may help younger generations and show that not everyone is skinny, and that genetics play a role in certain areas.

Within the last few years, plus sized mannequins have begun to enter stores. One Swedish store, Ahlens started the craze in 2010 with plus sized, average looking mannequins.

Other stores, such as Calvin Klein have also used “plus sized” models, but do not consider them “plus sized”, rather,  average and ‘in-between’. Myla Dalbesio, a size 10, modeled for Calvin Klein in 2014.

Dalbesio spoke in an interview with ELLE saying, “ I love that after working in the fashion industry for nine years, I have finally found my place, right in the middle. Neither plus, nor straight size, I love that I can be recognized for what I am, a healthy size 10.”

Peter Ross, a New York City photographic retoucher said that people can change their looks to a certain extent through diet and exercise, but only so much can be changed from the “base model” people were given through genetics.

“I think the attention the plus sized model is attracting in the current Sports Illustrated is a positive thing for teenaged girls. Hopefully they will see that attractive women aren’t all hyper slim models,” Ross said.

Ross suggests that young girls should make the best of what Mother Nature gave them.  He says that if someone is plus sized, they should follow sensible eating and exercise plans and be a healthy plus size.

“Beauty comes in all sizes and there is no need to distinguish categories of sizes,” McGee said.