CK's 'plus size' model

CK's 'plus size' model

Meet Myla Dalbesio. She is a model for Calvin Klein's new 'Perfectly Fit' campaign. She's been described as a 'plus size' model. Seriously!?

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The magnificent 27-year-old is a UK 10 (US size 14) and describes her body as 'in the middle' size wise. 

But on Twitter, and in a recent interview with Dalbesio, Elle Magazine described her as 'plus sized': 

"Booking an underwear campaign for such an iconic brand would be a coup for any model. But it’s especially notable for Dalbesio, who, at a size 10, is what the fashion industry would—still, surprisingly—call 'plus size.'" the story reads. 

Twitter went mad - slamming the idea that she should be described as a 'bigger girl'. 

Dalbesio has since released a statement. Here's some of how she has responded to the uproar: 

"I love that as the conversation on the internet explodes and brings greater awareness, I am receiving emails from 15 year-old girls, telling me that I have given them hope and that sharing my story has made them feel less freakish, less weird, and that they can accept their size 8 or 10 frame.

I love that I get to be a part of this conversation, about size and body image and that I get to represent a brand like Calvin Klein. They didn't introduce this campaign for shock value, they simply included what some would refer to as a "normal size" girl in their advertising, right next to other girls of varying sizes and shapes." 

 

I am so used to being bombarded daily by images of what we 'should' aspire to look like. This is yet another dangerous pigeon holed example. 

Can you imagine making your living in this face value perception of your body and constantly striving for acceptance in a board room of suits wearing only your panties - and told to survive on cotton wool and thin air?

I wonder if we will ever see a world where it's OK to be of a different shape and weight. 

In the words of John Mayer... "waiting on the world to change".

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