No.10 - Natalie Laughlin
Risk-averse marketing types resisted using plus-size models for years, but as public criticism against anorexic models grew, it was just a matter of time. Liz Claiborne was one of the first to cave, featuring this brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty as their “Elizabeth” girl. The progressive company even went as far as to feature her on five massive billboards in Times Square.
The Trinidad-born Natalie Laughlin, who fluctuates between a size 12 and 14, has been called “the Cindy Crawford of plus-size models.” A big compliment for this big, beautiful woman.
No.9 - Maggie Brown
This Hawaii-raised hottie got her big break after winning Tyra Banks’ horribly named Thick and Sexy model search in 2006. She quickly signed to Wilhelmina Models and has worked for Macy’s, Mervyns and more. Her exotic, Asian look and voluptuous curves keep this plus-size model busy. She appears alongside Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Carson Kressley on How to Look Good Naked, something many men would love Maggie Brown to give them a real-life lesson on.
No.8 - Barbara Brickner
This popular plus-size model was downright offended when she was first approached to do some plus-size modeling. Luckily, the lure of world travel, huge paychecks and fame convinced her to try. It turns out that was a wise decision, as she got her first big paying gig almost immediately. Since then, this curvy brunette has worked for clients like Eddie Bauer, Target and more. Now, she is focusing her energy on making her true dream come true: becoming a country music star.
No.7 - Crystal Renn
Her name may sound like a porn star’s, but this beautiful brunette is undoubtedly one of the most popular plus-size models working today. Things weren’t always so peachy for this Floridian. As a 14-year-old aspiring model, she was told to lose almost 1/3 of her body weight in order to get work. That understandably triggered a series of eating disorders that eventually drove her out of the business. After some time for reflection, however, she regained the weight and rebranded herself as a healthy, voluptuous plus-size model. Crystal Renn remains the only model in her niche industry to have appeared in all four international editions of Vogue magazine.
No.6 - Kate Dillon
Kate Dillon was once a successful “straight” model (what plus-size models refer to their bony, malnourished colleagues as). There was always a big girl dying to get out, and she constantly battled with her weight. Despite starving herself and living off cigarettes and coffee, she was repeatedly sent home from shoots for being “too fat.” Her “eureka” moment came after she was hospitalized for gastroenteritis. She emerged gaunt and weak from her bed two weeks later, and ran into a colleague from the modeling industry who remarked that she looked “fabulous.”
The beauty from the Beltway (Washington DC, to the uninitiated) got healthy, gained back all the weight she had starved off and used her contacts in the industry to relaunch her career as a plus-size model. The new look must be working, as she was named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People.
No.5 - Emme Aronson
Some girls are just born big and live their lives battling it, and hating themselves in the process. Others, like Emme Aronson, embrace their big, beautiful selves and are that much more attractive for it. Born in New York but raised in Saudi Arabia, she deflected all the criticism usually thrown at big-boned teenage girls (including her own father, who famously used a black marker to circle where she needed to lose weight) and channeled all her anger into sports. She excelled at rowing, eventually earning a full scholarship to Syracuse. After a stint working as an anchor for a TV station in Arizona, she went full bore into modeling and has been wildly successful since.
No.4 - Mia Tyler
When your sister is all-world hottie Liv Tyler and your dad is diminutive Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, there are a lot of expectations when it comes to your appearance. This sexy size 10, however, turns all those prejudices on their ear, flaunting her larger-than-life personality and curvaceous body in Vogue and Marie Claire. Mia Tyler also appeared on Celebrity Fit Club, losing 18 pounds but maintaining her buxom beauty. She has the bloodlines and the potential inheritance that truly set her apart.
No.3 - Toccara Jones
This statuesque black beauty completely obliterates the tired preconceived notion of blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty. She first came into the public eye as a contestant on America’s Next Top Model. Competing against frail, starving waifs, the 5’7” citizen of Dayton more than held her own, claiming the show’s coveted “CoverGirl of the Week” title four times. Toccara Jones was eventually voted off the show, but she parlayed the exposure into a contract with renowned plus-size model agency Wilhelmina.
No.2 - Chloe Marshall
This vivacious Brit is proof of just how far plus-size models have come. No longer content to grace magazine pages or fashion runways, they are now invading beauty pageants too. Chloe Marshall is a finalist for the Miss England title, already having beat out seven presumably skinny girls for the title of Miss Surrey. Miss England will be crowned in July 2008, but Chloe Marshall already has a juicy contract with agency Models Plus to fall back on. She oozes confidence, is as bubbly as they come and has a bright future ahead of her, win or lose.
No.1 - Whitney Thompson
Even though ANTM host Tyra Banks suggested Whitney Thompson was more of a “full-figured model” than a plus-size one, the zesty Floridian has already broken down barriers and paved the way to mainstream success for bigger girls who dream of the glamorous life of a fashion model.
0 comments:
Post a Comment