In a recent post on her personal account at Instagram, Hunter McGrady, the plus size model who was photographed in a swimsuit for the "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue", urges her followers to love their bodies the way it has been shaped (and altered for most) by quarantine.
So, last month, in a selfie with her underwear, the 27-year-old American shared her thoughts with her 654.000 followers, saying that "I have seen many negative" self-conversations "during the quarantine, especially for our body. "Because no one was prepared to experience this unprecedented situation and pressure, I ask you to be kind to your body, to take care of it, to love it, to respect it and above all to be proud of it." The photo, in fact, managed to gather 42.000 likes.
As she announced at the urging of plus size photographer Anastasia Garcia with this move she tried to put an end to the guilt and shame that is created in women with excess kg, urging them to love themselves and their bodies, even in times of crisis.
For the fourth year in a row, McGrady continues to be photographed in a swimsuit for Sports Illustrated, while she is the "biggest issue" (size 16) that has ever been featured on the cover of the magazine. As she told Fox News, "the magazine's editor-in-chief understands the need for diversity in the media."
It is worth mentioning that Sports Illustrated was the first to host in 2015 on its cover the now famous, plus size model Ashley Graham, overturning previous data and opening new horizons. So with this cover the magazine managed to promote a new philosophy to its 60 million readers, while Graham introduced plus size models to the world and the fashion industry. "Everyone needs to see different bodies. We have to see different races, heights, shapes. "There should be a variety of people in what the media is showing," McGrady told Fox News.
Something that seems to have been perceived by her space fashionable for some years. In 2011 the Italian "Vogue" surprised everyone with the cover with the plus size models -a work of the renowned American photographer Steven Meisel-, to follow three years ago the cover of Ashley Graham in "Vogue" and her dozens of appearances in New York Fashion Week in 2018, in order to open the way and the doors of the fashion industry to the other plus size models.
Following Graham's dynamic presence in the space, non-size 2 models (such as Victoria's Secret "angels") have gained worldwide popularity. Chloe Marshall was the first plus size woman to take part in a beauty pageant and reach the Miss England final, while Australian model Jessica Leahy gained fame by walking the catwalk at New York Fashion Week.
Various international houses have started to approach plus size models, both for their campaigns and for the catwalk, while there are many stores that expand the plus size categories or focus exclusively on them. Although the most famous modeling agencies in America (Ford Models and IMG Models), together with Victoria's Secret, are still accused of encouraging their models to eat a strict diet so that they fit in number 2 clothes, in order to attract more commercial In the interest of the public, there are agencies that "embrace" the plus size models, with women and men signing with leading companies in the field.
The most famous representative of the space is undoubtedly Graham, who from the first moment of her appearance in cover of Sports Illustrated, does not miss the opportunity where he stands and where he is found to talk about how important it is to show the difference in terms of body types and weight of the female body. She belongs to one of the most famous American modeling agencies and redeems her reputation with "golden" contracts for the campaigns of international brands.
Also, a very famous representative of the space is the 29-year-old Australian Robyn Lawley, the first model to appear in a Ralph Lauren campaign, while she has been photographed for some of the biggest fashion magazines in the world.
However, as diversity and diversity make their presence in the fashion industry more and more intense, more and more models are gaining fame and are becoming widely known in the field.
One such example is the 24-year-old model Tess Holliday, who two years ago joined the staff of the MiLK agency. An agency that not only prefers plus size models, but has also hired plus size women as influencers. In fact, those in charge of the office are of the belief that "two models should not look alike".
The exuberant redhead of size 22, with 1,5 million followers on Instagram, is today one of the most dynamic presences in the field, while her agreement with the agency was an important milestone for the fashion industry as it was the first model of this size that ensured representation by a professional modeling agency.
Andy Garcia's 28-year-old daughter, Alessandra Garcia-Lorido, is another shining example of the space, as she has walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana, starring alongside Emily Ratajkowski in a campaign to promote her personal line in swimsuit and beachwear, while he has also starred in Gap jeans campaigns in the fall of 2019.
It's about Women, who not only have millions of fans on social media, but appear on catwalks, pose on the red carpet, are photographed on the covers of international women's magazines, and are the faces for campaigns of popular brands.
As for their profits? These are redeemed according to the reputation of each, with the most highly paid of all being Graham, who in 2017 earned 5.5 million dollars! An amount that included her in the tenth place in the Forbes list among the highest paid models in the world.
For Graham, however, there is still a long way to go before the plus size models are treated on an equal footing with the rest. And this will happen when the reference to their face will be made only by name, without the designation "plus size".
Characteristic, in fact, of the growth of the plus size modeling industry is the fact that it reaches 21 billion dollars, with future forecasts for the coming years to speak of even 100 billion dollars. Combined with the fact that today 68% of purchasing power in America is made up of plus size women, suffice it to conclude that the "plus size" version of women is the rule and not the exception.