Fashioning Fat: Inside Plus-Size Modeling (9 page)

It was clear from audience reaction that viewers did not perceive Whitney to have the traditional body of a fat woman; however, from the fashion industry’s perspective, she was, indeed, plus size. Tyra Banks, creator, host, head judge, and executive producer of the television series, alluded to the distorted body standards ingrained in the modeling industry when she argued during a judging session that Whitney was not considered “big” except when judged as a fashion model. Whitney was a woman with curves and a “juicy booty,” whose mere presence classified her as plus size.

The dichotomy between Whitney and the other contestants (none of whom were considered plus size) competing to be
America’s Next Top Model
was striking in their coexistence during training sessions, photo shoots, and judging. The judges applied the same criteria in their evaluation of all the model contestants—the ability to take great photos and walk the runway like a model. Whitney demonstrated her comparable skills in these areas, but it was her differing body shape that made her stand out. Whitney stood out as plus size because she was cast against thirteen other potential models, all of whom possessed the body type more similar to those seen on models in fashion magazines and the runway. In this case, Whitney’s “juicy booty” made her different.

Whitney Thompson. Tyra Banks crowned Whitney Thompson the first “plus-size” winner of
America’s Next Top Model
. Her prize was a feature in
Seventeen
magazine, July 2008. Text reads, “When I wear a size 14, it doesn’t matter, ’cause I look
good
in a size 14!”

Whether a size eight or fourteen, Whitney lay somewhere on the spectrum between a fat chick and a skinny bitch. Did Whitney’s crowning as
America’s Next Top Model
make a difference and aid in plus-size models becoming more mainstream? Despite winning against straight-size models, Whitney’s career remained on the margins of fashion as she served as spokesmodel for plus-size specific brands. What about the photo spread featuring twelve naked plus-size models in
Glamour Magazine
and
Elle France
’s curvy issue featuring Tara Lynn? All of these events have brought plus-size models greater media attention, as well as increased scrutiny. Yet, none have received greater scrutiny than Crystal Renn.

Crystal Renn began her modeling career at the age of fourteen as a straight-size model. Under increasing pressure to lose weight, she developed an eating disorder, which eventually forced her to stop modeling. Once she received the treatment she needed, she returned to fashion seventy pounds heavier and turned to plus-size modeling. Fluctuating between size twelve to sixteen, Crystal was the face of Lane Bryant, Torrid, and Mango, graced the covers of
Harper’s Bazaar
and several international editions of
Vogue
, and strutted the runways of Elena Miro and Jean Paul Gautier, among many other accomplishments. She represented a new kind of plus-size model, as Crystal appeared on
Oprah
to talk about her body battles and published a book titled
Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves
about her journey to achieve a more positive body image.

But Crystal Renn did not remain plus size. At the 2011 Chanel Resort show, Crystal revealed her dramatic weight loss and became a target of criticism by the plus-size community. How could plus-size modeling survive if its poster child lost weight? In response, media reports quote her as saying:

This picture that people have created in their mind about what “plus size” actually is. At this point in my life, I would have to have another eating
disorder to live up to that expectation . . . Because of my size currently, I straddle this line between the two worlds—I guess you could say I’m a plus size straight size model. I am four inches smaller than a plus size model and four inches bigger than a straight size model.
²

Incidentally, her dramatic weight loss down to a self-reported size eight, initially resulting from a hiking trip in Patagonia and fueled by a return to exercise and yoga, catapulted her career. With her thinner physique, she booked a steady stream of high-profile jobs, working with the likes of Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Zac Posen, and Jean Paul Gaultier. She appeared in national campaigns for retailers Ann Taylor Loft and White House Black Market. She was also featured in the 2012 swimsuit edition of
Sports Illustrated
. As Crystal dropped the pounds, her publicity and hiring potential increased.

In light of a contemporary cultural climate where “thin is in” and fat is something that should be reduced, melted, sucked out, flushed, smashed, and generally absent, plus-size models face challenges in establishing their place in the fashion industry. So, when a successful plus-size model, such as Crystal Renn, loses a substantial amount of weight, she threatens the legitimacy of the group as a whole. In a media interview,
PLUS Model Magazine
Editor-in-Chief Madeline Jones lamented:

Once she got down to a size ten she lost the support of a lot of people. We’re disappointed because she was our star fighting for equality and fashion for us, and now she’s going to their side. It is sad that she’s turned her back on us.
³

This sharp criticism even applies to plus-size celebrities. As one model who championed herself as a feminist pointed out to me with disgust, “Have you seen her? Jennifer Hudson lost weight. She has sold out.” Hudson’s dramatic weight loss bothered many in the plus-size community. In particular, many criticized her “I Can” campaign with Weight Watchers for perpetuating thin privilege, i.e., the often invisible and unearned advantages granted to those of the desired body size that manifest in weight discrimination. In the commercial, the Oscar winner stated that before her partnership with the weight-loss chain in 2010, her “world was can’t,” but after her weight loss, she was liberated. Viewers received the message that you cannot be a success unless you are thin. Missing from the ad was the revelation that she won an Academy Award for her portrayal of a fat Effie White in the movie musical,
Dreamgirls
, in 2007.

Left
: Crystal Renn Before Weight Loss in
Glamour Magazine
, May 2009.
Right
: Crystal Renn After Weight Loss in
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition
, 2012.

Jennifer Hudson is another in a long line of celebrities who suffered from Celebrity Wasting Syndrome—a trend identified by Sondra Solovay and Marilyn Wann in which fat celebrities lose weight as they gain success. According to Beth Bernstein and Matilda St. John, these fat celebrities:

specifically exploited their size to appeal to a perpetually underrepresented audience—fat women. Their subsequent frantic efforts to reduce
their size, coupled with their pathologizing comments about weight, both negated their initial positive impact and left their fat fans feeling used, duped, and rejected.
⁴

As Hudson achieved success in her career, she abandoned her ceremonious role as fat icon. In doing so, she alienated the original fan base that supported her burgeoning career—fat and all.

In sharp contrast, when Queen Latifah signed on as a celebrity spokesperson for national weight-loss chain Jenny Craig in December 2007, she was careful not to offend the plus-size community:

If anything, I was worried about alienating my big girls. I didn’t want them to think, hey, she’s leaving us. But if I can be an example of loving yourself regardless of what you look like, I can be an example of loving yourself and being healthier.
⁵

Unlike previous campaigns that featured the dramatic weight losses of spokespeople Kirstie Alley and Valerie Bertinelli, her campaign offered a new angle to weight loss—the emphasis on small changes in weight, measured by percentages of total body weight rather than pounds, and behavior to improve overall heart health.

These plus-size models recognized that they fight for every job and media appearance. They struggle to gain acceptance of their work. They hope to expand their presence in fashion. At a casting for print work, I met Wendy, a size eighteen model who worked primarily in runway and showrooms but was aiming to branch out into commercial print modeling. While we sat together in the waiting room filled to the brim with a bevy of plus-size models, a young, slender man entered, searching for his appointed studio room. Upon noticing him, Wendy turned to me and remarked, “Look at that guy. Did you see that? Fear. For men, this is either heaven or hell. It is too much [for them] or a candy shop. Surrounded by all this, he thinks we are hungry.” By her comments, Wendy confronted the cultural stigma attached to “big girls,” whose voracious
appetites supposedly can swallow men whole, while acknowledging that there was, indeed, a niche for them, as well.

This incident at the casting, provoked by a sheer look, revealed the tensions evoked by the presence of these women in the fashion industry. These models knew that they were fat and did not fulfill the normative expectations of a traditional fashion model. Those, like Wendy, who chose to become plus-size models acknowledged and accepted this apparent incompatibility of fat and fashion in order to continue amidst the negativity. They flaunted their curves in form-fitting dresses, showed off their legs in heels and miniskirts, and walked with confidence.

These models embraced a mission to change their social identity, and it was a group effort. At castings, I often saw the same cluster of plus-size models. Laughter, as well as the occasional “Hey Mami, what you’ been doin”,’ quickly filled the waiting room. As Wendy explained, “It seems castings and shows happen on the same weekend. So, it’s like a family reunion. We get to catch up.” While waiting for their turn to audition, the models shared the details of their latest job, complained about rude casting directors and overburdening rehearsal schedules, and demonstrated their runway walks for each other’s amusement. It was easy to gather from these interactions that this was a tight-knit community of plus-size models, where the models encouraged and congratulated one another on their latest bookings. After her runway experience, Velvet revealed, “Some people, for whatever reason, seem to perceive that I am getting tripped backstage and it’s all very
Showgirls
, which it’s not. It can be really super supportive.” The sustainability and growth of plus-size modeling relied on this supportive community of plus-size cheerleaders. As they saw it, a success for one was a success for all plus-size models. Therefore, plus-size models view weight loss by one of their members as a severe act of betrayal. If a plus-size representative loses weight, she is branded a skinny
bitch
.

On a practical level, however, one model’s weight loss was another model’s gain in work opportunity. While celebrating the success and gains in status as a group, at the individual level, these women developed a strong competitive drive. These models knew that they were easily
replaceable with another body and, thus, monitored each other’s weight fluctuations. For example, Janice noted with glee during our interview that her “nemesis,” represented by one of the top agencies, had recently lost weight. As a result, Janice hoped to get some of her competitor’s lost work opportunities. With a limited number of potential jobs, these models used each other’s loss to their advantage.

From the onset of my fieldwork, I was confronted with the nature of size and its meanings. When a modeling agent asked me, “Do you want to be a [size] ten or sixteen?” I could tell it was not spoken in jest. Whether a fit model or working in commercial print and the fashion runway, a model’s size, dictated by her precise measurements, determines the quality and quantity of work she books. While a size sixteen or eighteen model may be desired by exclusively plus-size retailers, one that is on the smaller end of plus size at a size ten or twelve may earn work with high-end fashion clients and more commercial print work, both in the United States and abroad.

Highlighting this correlation between the prestige of work and the size of the model, agents from the most notable modeling agencies, which handled mostly commercial print work, commented that there was not enough work for models larger than a size sixteen. As a result, they limited the size range of their plus-size models from size eight to size sixteen, because, as one agent specifically claimed, “that is what advertisers want.”