It's Full Figured Fashion Week in New York City

June 21, 2013 — -- The average American woman is a size 14.

That means that a whole lot of women fall into the industry categorization of "Plus Size," often defined a 12 and above. The plus-size industry has grown in recent years, with $17 billion of plus-size clothing sold in the U.S. market in 2011 alone.

This week, Devoe Signature Events held their fifth annual Full Figured Fashion Week in New York City to celebrate plus-sized women and the designers who make chic clothing especially for women with curves. "FFF Week" features fashion shows from designers like Lane Bryant and Ashley Stewart, as well as photo shoots, silent auctions and panel discussions.

On Thursday, we caught up with Myahdellese Jones, a photographer who specializes in full-figured models and makeup artist and plus size model Tyiesha Dorsett who were helping models with curves update their portfolios.

Jones says FFF Week is the largest event of its type that exists, and that models and designers travel from all over the world to take part in it. One of those women was Suzanne Ujaque, a model who says she's trying to spread the full-figured fashion movement to the island of Puerto Rico.

Jones says she hopes that FFF is the first step to full-figured women being accepted into the mainstream fashion world.

"It means the first steps to a new beginning, a new era," she said. "My idealist view would be for it not to be separated. It wouldn't be full figured fashion week and regular fashion week. That we would all come together as one."