Trend: Plus-size models earn big bucks for Taobao store

Plus-size models are in increasing demand in China amid a boom in the country’s online shopping. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Guo Zhenxing, a 32-year-old Taobao shop owner hired nine plus-size models to display clothes for his shop. His online shop earned an annual turnover of about 100 million yuan ($15.4 million) last year, but he said there is even more potential in the market. “The number of full-figured women is increasing as the standard of living improves. The market for plus-size clothes is massive,” Guo said. The hourly wage for top plus-size models can be as high as 2,000 yuan and the most popular plus-size models, can earn 10,000 to 20,000 yuan a day.