Glamour Honors Plus-Size Models in Its November Issue

Oct. 4, 2009— -- An article in the November issue of Glamour Magazine discusses beautiful woman who are larger than standard sample sizes and continues the discussion started by a photo of plus-size model Lizzie Miller from the magazine's September issue. Accompanying the article, titled, "Oh. Wow. These Bodies Are Beautiful," is the above photograph of seven models who are all closer to size 12 than size 2.

The photograph is beautiful and pictures Miller, Crystal Renn, Amy Lemons, Ashley Graham, Kate Dillon, Anansa Sims, and Jennie Runk. The article raises a few good points, i.e., we should stop nitpicking about minor flaws and feel comfortable in our bodies. But why did the models have to be naked? Nudity in magazines always gets people talking, so it's likely the women wore their birthday suits as a publicity move.

Some might say it was a statement about how a person would have to have confidence in her body to be willing to appear nude in a national magazine. I sort of disagree—when you've got radiant skin and windblown hair (thanks to makeup artists, hair stylists, and selective airbrushing), you'll look good naked, no exceptions. And you don't have to worry about how your shirt lays on top of your pants or whether your jeans are too tight in the butt when you're not wearing any clothes.

But perhaps the models didn't wear clothes not as some statement, but because fashion companies, except for plus-size brands, don't make clothes that fit them. At least that's part of Glamour's argument about why plus-size models don't make it into many fashion stories unless special clothes are sewn for them. In the article, the magazine promises this: "Enthusiastic support for any designer who manufactures chic clothes we can photograph on full-bodied models." Does this mean support of plus-size labels too? Balancing various readers' sizes and clothing needs is hard when "normal"-sized women shop at certain stores, while plus-size women must shop at others. We've had Frisky readers complain about fashion slideshows not including options for women with fuller figures, but it can be hard to cater to all groups unless there are multiple stories tailored to each group (creating a separate-but-maybe-not-equal feeling). Perhaps in the future the fashion world will sort things out, and we'll get to see these lovely women wearing clothes.