Lizzie Miller Fuels Debate About Plus-Size Acceptance

Designers Discriminate at Their Own Risk

The other side of the argument holds that fashion is about fantasy. Yes, bigger clothes exist on the back racks of department stores, but consumers want to see flimsy scraps of fabric hanging off flesh-and-bone hangers on the runway, on magazine covers, in advertisements. (Count how many plus-size models appear on the runways of New York City's spring 2010 Fashion Week later this month; see if it takes more than one hand.)

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"Society right now, at this point in time, has decided that a certain shape is beautiful," said Kelly Cutrone, founder of fashion public relations firm People's Revolution, which produces runway shows for a host of high-end clients. "The fashion industry gives people what they want to see."

But, Cutrone concedes, designers in denial of diversity risk the death of their lines.

"The fashion industry is having to get very crafty about who they appeal to from a size point and a price point," she said. "They need to sell more clothes. They can't be elitist."

More images. More plus-size women landing major covers and campaigns. More options in the mall for sizes above single digits. For Miller, Dillon, Emme and their crowd, these are immediate goals, with a greater overhaul to come.

Lizzie Miller: "When I started modeling, I said to myself, 'I want to be the next Emme. I want to be the name people know.'"

"I don't want to see it as a one-shot deal," Emme, 46, said. "I want full-figured models to be used in magazines, in catalogs, in department stores, in advertisements, along with the diverse beauty of other models out there. Diverse ethnicities, diverse shapes. Women who represent who we are. It's not one size fits all, absolutely not, in this country."