Bigger is beautiful
FOR years, images of impossibly slim, gorgeous, blemish-free women have filled fashion magazines, billboards and television screens.
Now, 26-year-old British model Iskra Lawrence is waging war on unattainable beauty standards in the fashion world, flexing her might on a social media fueling diversity.
She is among a growing number of plus-size models finding fame and calling themselves body activists, promoting health and well-being. She also refuses to allow clients to photoshop any of her images.
"The whole concept of Photoshop is an illusion," Lawrence tells AFP during a rare spot of downtime before jetting off on her latest shoot, this time to a windswept beach in Iceland.
"They're not flaws. They're part of your body. We were just convinced by society and the media that there was something wrong with them."
In Britain, around 57 per cent of women have an above average body mass index. In the United States, that figure rises to 62 per cent, amd the average American woman is a size 14-16.
Lawrence averages a US size 10 to 12, yet for years was told she was too fat to model. A sample size on the runway can be as small as zero.
But change is afoot. Ashley Graham, who last year became the first "curve" model on the cover of the annual "Swimsuit Issue" of magazine "Sports Illustrated" is on the cusp of becoming a household name. – AFP Relaxnews