The Fashion Industry Through The Lens Of Plus-Size Models
Kamie Crawford
Who's That Girl:
Multi-Media Journalist & TV Host, Model, Entrepreneur & Former Miss Teen USA
Where You've Seen Her:
Target, Land's End, NYDJ
Her Thoughts On The Industry:
What I've experienced as a curvy, yet "in-between" girl in the industry, is that I get 1 of 3 responses when I share the fact that I am a curve model. Sometimes it's super supportive and appreciative of being a part of the change that this industry desperately needs. Other times, it's a "wtf?" kind of response. "YOU are considered PLUS-SIZED? If you're plus-sized, then what does that make me?" That response makes me sad more than anything, and it's the reason why I denounce the term, "plus-sized" and prefer to use the term, "curve" model instead. I don't want any woman to compare her size or worth to me or this industry. I also get the reaction that's like, "But you're not fat..." (Laughs) Well, thanks? Being bigger than a size 2/4 (industry sample size) does not equate to being fat or unwanted. If anything, I have just as many clients as those girls. I'm here for my check. Not for the size number in my jeans.
"Being bigger than a size 2/4 does not equate to being fat or unwanted. I'm here for my check. Not for the size number in my jeans."
I've been everything from a size 0 to a size 10, and have been healthy and happy at every size. I've learned to only judge my body against itself. We have enough pressures to look like everyone else, why not just focus on looking like the best versions of ourselves? It's more transformative for me as an adult woman to see women of all sizes in the media - and not just models either. I am inspired by real people, real everyday women just as much as the models. Of course there are some days when I'd love to have Zendaya's body so I can wear all the stunning, slinky dresses in the world - but that's just not my lifestyle! (Laughs) I rather see her kill it in those looks and I'll kill it in my own!
"I've learned to only judge my body against itself."
It's a sad and longstanding reality for women and men to not see themselves properly represented in fashion. I think it's only a matter of time before the curve industry turns fashion on its head. We are demanding representation and we won't take "no" for an answer. I think the media is more concerned with dollars than anything else. It's a business, and it is clear that they don't think that "bigger" can sell. The same way they don't think that people of color can sell. I think that often, the media and brands use people of other sizes and races as a marketing scheme to make dollars without actually giving a sh*t about representation in the first place. As both a consumer and someone on the industry side, it is easy for me to tell when certain moves are made out of genuine care and concern for our underrepresented communities.
"I think that often, the media and brands use people of other sizes and races as a marketing scheme to make dollars without actually giving a sh*t about representation in the first place."
There's a certain pride and power that comes with being a woman, just in general. To me, size is really just a number. I'm proud to have the body I have - every curve, every dimple, every stretch mark - but it doesn't define who I am. I'm happy to speak up for women regardless of their bra size or their waist-to-hip ratio. I'm just glad I get to represent a group of women that are often overlooked in fashion and beauty.
It's an honor to show all women that their happiness and self worth come from within so they can kick those scales to the curb and start focusing on their health and personal views of their bodies - rather than outside ones.
Click Next Page to read Diana's story:
Ashley McDonough is a writer and producer in New York City. When she's not busy writing or producing culturally conscious content, she is patiently waiting for Oprah and Stedman to adopt her. Keep up with her journey via social @Ashley_Milani or check out her work on www.AshleyMcDonough.org.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Bianca Belair Opens Up About Her Mental Health And Self-Care Practices As A WWE Star
Bianca Belair has earned her title as a SmackDown superstar within the WWE. Now, the wrestling champion is opening up about how she stays on top of her mental and physical health.
In conversation with ESSENCE, the former RAW Women’s Champion discussed the importance of prioritizing her mental health and how she maintains her mental well-being overall.
“Mental health is everything,” Belair told the publication. “I think everybody focuses so much on the physical. You go in the gym and you’re training and you’re working hard and you’re sore. You feel good about yourself. But mental health is just as important.”
For Belair, prioritizing moments of rest is a key component of her mental health practices, due in part to her demanding schedule that keeps her “on the go.” She shares how her career, coupled with the expectation to focus on performing and pleasing fans, can lead to mental exhaustion from giving so much to others.
“I’m constantly so focused, grinding, I’m constantly performing; where you go out there and you’re smiling and you’re meeting fans and you’re putting smiles on fans’ faces, sometimes you tend to forget about yourself and you become mentally exhausted or you give so much of yourself to the world,” she says.
She adds, “When you get to your home life where you have your loved ones, the ones that truly matter and that are going to be there, even when everything’s said and done, you don’t have anything for them. You don’t have anything for yourself. So I get mentally exhausted just from being physically exhausted.”
In April, Bianca Belair spoke at WWE World on how she plans to stay ahead of the competition amid her many career achievements within the wrestling industry.
“My work speaks for itself. I’ve done a lot of things that no one can ever take from me. I’ve main-evented WrestleMania, I’ve made history,” she said. “I only want to step in the ring with who thinks they are the best because that’s the only way I can be pushed to be even better.”
Belair, 35, concluded by dispelling the misconception that self-care requires extravagant activities like spa treatments, highlighting the simplicity of activities like resting and watching favorite shows in bed as valuable forms of self-care.
“I have to remember to do things that I enjoy,” she says. “I think that mental health and self-care sometimes has a misconception when people think that it’s this extravagant thing where you have to go to the spa, you have to get cucumbers and put them on your eyes and get massages. Sometimes I just need to sit down and decompress, lay in my bed and do my guilty pleasure and eat in my bed and watch all my shows.”
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Featured image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images