Glamour magazine and Ralph Lauren

On the C.L.: The Picture You Can't Stop Talking About: Meet "the Woman on p. 194.

"The picture wasn't of a celebrity. It wasn't of a supermodel. It was of a woman sitting in her underwear with a smile on her face and a belly that looks...wait for it...normal."

"So what's the story behind the photo? "The woman on p. 194" is actually 20-year-old model Lizzi Miller, and this is her second appearance in Glamour, shot by fashion photographer Walter Chin. A size 12-14 and avid softball player/belly dancer ("I like exercising when it's fun"), Lizzi moved to New York City from San Jose three years ago to become a model (a "plus-size" one by modeling industry standards, though hello, at size 12 she's actually "normal size"...but I digress)."

"the most amazing photograph I've ever seen in any women's magazine," wrote one reader in Pavo, Georgia."

Source:

Leive, C (2009) On the C.L.: The Picture You Can't Stop Talking About: Meet "the Woman on p. 194. Retrieved on 9 January 2013 from http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html

Personal opinion: It seems that many readers have shown positive remarks towards such photos as it somehow gives the audience a close emotional attached, a photo that is able to closely relate to certain people. With a natural smile and natural curve of the tummy, it gives out a positive and happy ambience. Seems like the readers are constantly searching for images that will console them about their body.

Fashion runway show

"Taking place between 15-16 February 2012, the first London Plus Size Fashion Weekend (LPSFW) is being organised by fashion boutique Trapped in a Skinny World and plus size magazine Evolve."

"LPSFW will be sponsored by popular plus size clothing line Simply Be and models from Milk Management will strut the catwalk donning collections from all over Europe and America."

"Speaking about the exciting plans, organiser Remi Ray said: 'The idea behind the London Plus Size Fashion weekend came to me a few years ago."

"I had always felt uncomfortable trying to fit into mainstream fashion when my shape didn’t conform to what is perceived to be mainstream sizes...If our event makes at least one plus size woman overcome her fears and encourages her to indulge in her love for clothes and feeling great, then we will have done our job!'."

Source:

London, B. (2012a)  Curves are officially in! First event dedicated to Plus Size clothing to be held during London Fashion Week. Retrieved on 9 January 2013 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2253782/Curves-officially-fashion-First-event-dedicated-Plus-Size-clothing-held-London-Fashion-Week.html#ixzz2HqTBb900

Personal opinion: Besides, fashion magazine and fashion brand, even fashion shows are organized to reinforce the idea of being plus size is beautiful. Remi Ray, herself took her personal problem where she finds it hard to find some perfect clothing for herself as an opportunity to support the plus size market. By organizing a plus size fashion show, she hopes to inspire and enourage plus size woman to be fashionable and feel great about it.  

Ralph Lauren casts first ever plus-size model, as Vogue beauty Robyn Lawley takes starring role in new campaign

"The 23-year-old's curves have been featured on Vogue Italia and French Elle, and now, she has become the first plus-sized model ever to star in a Ralph Lauren campaign, breaking apart ingrained notions that bigger can't be beautiful"

"'I'm big boned,' she said on Good Morning America. 'I used to be told to lose weight and exercise all the time. I got a huge amount of pressure to diet. And my body, it was such a battle for me to do that because I'm tall and I'm broad. I really struggled to maintain that size.'

After 'skipping meals, counting calories,' and 'trying to eat nothing,' Miss Lawley says she dropped to 136lbs. 'I wet crazy dieting. When I ate it was an apple. I used to get really faint.'

When she put her modelling career on hold to study in France, she stopped watching her weight, and her frame gained 40lbs."

"'I gave up trying to be a model... and fell in love with food all over again, and came back much bigger than I was. And I saw plus-size models doing well. And I decided that I wanted that.'

When she returned home to Australia she joined a plus-size agency after seeing a fellow size 14 model in ads dotting Sydney's buses, streets and billboards. 'I was like "She's my size and she's on a bus!"'...

Source:

Ralph Lauren casts first ever plus-size model, as Vogue beauty Robyn Lawley takes starring role in new campaign (2012) Retrieved on 9 January 2013 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2205739/Ralph-Lauren-casts-plus-size-model-Vogue-beauty-Robyn-Lawley-takes-starring-role-new-campaign.html#ixzz2Hkqr3pCd

Personal opinion: Ralph Lauren featured plus size model indicates a new strategy in terms of beginning to embrace plus size beauty. Magazines and brand also begin to embrace the plus size models. Plus size models tend to struggle with their body size due t0 industrial demand, or industry’s standard of body size.