Last August and September, Glamour Magazine raised a minor ruckus in the fashion and magazine industry by featuring a photo spread with a size 12 model in a g-string. The model was Lizzi Miller, and she got overwhelming support, as did Glamour Magazine for promoting a more realistic body image. Glamour went on to do a larger photo shoot featuring several models of the plus-sized and/or “curvy” variety. Since then, both the fashion industry and magazine industry, both in America and internationally, has been focused even more on the question of whether size zero women are the only ones who should be representing fashion and fashion publishing. A few months ago, V Magazine did a large spread, similar to Glamour’s, featuring curvy women. And now Elle France has not only done a major photo shoot and fashion spread with plus-sized model Tara Lynn (even putting her on the cover of the April issue), but they’ve devoted the entire issue to all things “ronde”.
CoverAwards has an excerpt from Tara Lynn’s cover profile in Elle France, where she talks about her own issues with body image:
“One night when I was living in Chantilly, Mathilde, the little girl I looked after, came home from school and said, very innocently: ‘Tara, the other kids at school, they say you’re fat. But I love you anyway.’ I told her that I loved her to, and I tried not to cry. The very next day, I started jogging an hour and a half daily. I lost 30 kg in two years, but my diet was insane. I was always hungry. I was constantly aching and stiff. It was bad. So I let myself go and re-gained 10 kg, and I felt happy again, so I went to the agency Ford NYC to try modeling. I feel good about myself today, but not just because of my job. I think it’s more because I took back the control over my own health, and I accepted the fact that my silhouette will never match up with the image of beauty with which we are constantly bombarded.”
[From Elle France via CoverAwards]
I know there will be people who will jump on Tara Lynn and call her obese or whatever. I don’t think she is – I think she’s “plus-sized”. Or “plump”. Or “fluffy”. However she’s defined, I find her incredibly beautiful, and I love seeing a woman with her figure and beauty in an interesting fashion spread. She’s braver than me, she makes me feel better about my own figure, and she rocks many of the looks they put her in. Well done, Elle France! What do you think would happen if American Elle or Vogue put Tara Lynn on their cover?
French Elle cover and additional photos courtesy of CoverAwards and HuffPo.
now THAT is a model!! She is owning the physical space she inhabits and looking completely amazing and fierce while doing so. I hope to continue seeing her model – her attitude is great!
Those pics are beautiful! She really did a fantastic job portraying a more realistic look of today’s woman.
Wow, absolutely stunning!
HOT!! HOT!! HOT!!
oh barf!!
She’s hot-good for the mags who are doing this. I’m sick of size zero images. I watch the designer shows like Project Runway. Some of them want zero because its easier to sew a sample. I saw Christian Siriano tell his models to not eat. If the mags can force the designers to be on board, then maybe they’d sack up and use the extra material on curvier models.
Gorgeous!
She looks fabulous in that black and white shot in the little grey dress. She’s beautifully proportioned.
“oh barf”
what is up with that?
i too am glad to see a curvier woman on the cover of a magazine. it is about time.
we come in all shapes and sizes. a size zero should not be considered the norm.
Another thought-
I want to show these photos to my five year old daughter, see what she says.
She is beautiful, for sure. Notice she still has a waist, though? I think that’s important in terms of health. The styling is fantastic…
Very pretty photos. Nice to see some diversity in the sizes of models.
If it’s not ok for magazines to always feature thin models, is it also not ok for them to always feature models with beautiful faces? Are they promoting an unrealistic facial image? Should models wear paper bags over their heads so women who don’t have their looks don’t suffer a blow to their self-esteem?
She’s a gorgeous model. Maybe more magazines will follow suit! I’m so bored with the Emaciated Ones that are shoved down our throats.
#12, I truly believe the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
I think people are soooooooooooooooooooooooo damn STUPID!!!!! Look at these pictures: a THICKER woman is posing and think it looks just unesthetic. And no, I’m not a hater of thicker people, I also don’t like those high-fashion-thin models!!!!! IT MAKES ME WANNA EAT!!!
WHERE THE HELL ARE THE “NORMAL” WOMEN?
THE PUBLIC EYE MUST CHANGE IN ITS EXTREME VIEW OF BEAUTY!!!!
Super hot and sexy !!!
She is beautiful and gorgeous! I wish more magazines would use a wider range of models as it’s obvious that beautiful women come in many size – just like their readers.
Lovely!!! fantastic to see a curvey full figure woman on a mag cover! tired of seeing zero size skinny looking women who are starved!!! I like her attitude! she’s raw!!! rrrrrrrrr
She is amazingly beautiful and anything is better than unhealthy anorexic looking models. Anorexia is worse than being chubby. I don’t think being overweight is a healthy lifestyle choice either, but about “the question of whether size zero women are the only ones who should be representing fashion and fashion publishing”-definitely not. There’s room for everyone.
That is the most beautiful and real cover I have ever seen. She looks like the majority of women I see while out and about daily. She is a beautiful woman and does her job well.
Look, I’m no slim Jim and I dress accordingly. I would NOT wear a white jumpsuit for heaven’s sake. And they’ve put that particular shot (the worst, I believe) on the cover. They’ve done this for a little bit of “shock” value. She’s very beautiful and looks hot in some shots but in others it’s ridiculous. She’s being used to start a buzz about the mag.
Heh, that being said I realise I’m typing this as I sit here in a bikini – I live at the beach and it’s in the late 30’s. Still, am only flaunting this look to my husband, so it’s OK.
Beautiful women are just that no matter what size or colour they are…
This woman is gorgeous, but I often wonder why magazines either feature stick thin size 0 models or someone who is plus size…I personally would like to see people that are size 4s or 6s. It seems people who aren’t either “stick” or “plus size” are not represented in the modeling world at all.
@ Susanne, I would be interested to know your daughter’s reaction. Please share!
i think she is beautiful but her body is just as unrealistic as a skinny models because most women who weight what she does would not have her proportions. why can’t we have some middle ground sizes 6-10 (US) instead of one extreme to another.
Her facial features are beautiful. Her hair is beautifull too. She can carry her self, no doubt. But is she a good role model for a covergirl? No way. She is overweight and quite grossly. If she can make it as a model, I would like to see haute couture on a girl with normal weight. Not under or overweight so much. You know, a toned body of someone who keeps in shape. Then I am prepared to accept small boobs, bigger hips, thicker calves, whatever. No extremes thou, please!!!
beautiful face but I’m not a fan of fat.
I’m not a fan of the white jumpsuit as much as everything else but she is well proportioned. She still has a waist as another poster noted. I like it, she looks like maybe a size 14-16? For one I’m sick of size 8 being referred to as “plus size”.
Not to get overly obsessed with what the current “PC term” is or anything, but haven’t they switched to calling larger models “full-figured models” rather than “plus-sized”? I could be wrong. 🙂
I agree with you, Kitty – White Jumpsuit are two dirty words. Also clingy dress – eh, maybe not so much.
But this lady is simply gorgeous. I am a bit smaller than she, but don’t look anywhere as good because I do not have the same shape – everything is in my middle (“apple” instead of “pear”) so I still love myself, but hate my shape. I am starting another lose weight through raw foods campaign this minute.
I appreciate Elle France’s spread but have they swung the pendulum too far the other way? Size 0 isn’t realistic but there’s no way Tara is a size 12. Why can’t we see 8s and 10s?
@ t, who are you kidding, half the models used in fashion magazines are facially average looking, or they’d be described as “pretty” but not beautiful or stunning. They’re there for their bodies not their faces, of course there are exceptions but really only a few.
Seems like hypocrisy runs deep in this threat. Why is there still a big need to insult thin/skinny women while praising plus size women? I agree the model has a beautiful face and diversity is much needed in the media but don’t bash one group of people in favor of others, it damages what this cause stands for and it still puts women in general down. People need to understand the real concept of this cause, it is not about thin vs fat, its about EVERYONE being accepted equally of who they are and be happy themselves. Having to resort to putting other people down in order to make yourself feel better does not only reek of desperation in your part but YOU are also part of this problem. Thin/skinny and plus size women are all beautiful in their own way, thin women can pull certain looks better then plus size women and in return plus size women can pull certain looks better then thin women.
The girl is a beauty, but I wish the styling had been better for this shoot. It seems pretty second-rate, in fact, as if to imply that it is just so hard to present her body clothed in a flattering and lovely way. No one in the world should wear a white jumpsuit; and could that one BE more polyester-looking? YUCK.
They didn’t say this model was a size 12…which I am convinced she is around a 16 maybe. They said the other model (not shown here)…Lizzi was a size 12.
I also do not think this is an “extreme” like some of you have said…while yes she is plump, she is not super heavy either. She’s curvy and looks great, imo. Although I hate that jumpsuit too.
I’m all for curvier models, but this one has been photoshopped to hell. Her face does not fit the body. The true fuller face would have been a much more authentic homage to “curvy.”
I cannot deny however, that she is beautiful.
in threads like these you can always easily spot insecure women who are on the thicker side–they are the ones bashing thin models and saying how big is beautiful. putting down people who look a certain way in attempts to make your body type seem better is just as bad as fat shaming. striving for acceptance of all body types should be the goal, not trying to glorify your own body type at the expense of other women. beautiful people come in all shapes and sizes, and yes, that includes thin.
also, what is wrong with a white jumpsuit?
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!
She looks amazing and representative of women everywhere!! Majority are a 12-14 and it’s nice to see what fashions suit this type of body best! Although that doesn’t mean she shoudn’t rock a white jump-suit if she wanted.
Saying she shouldn’t be wearing a white jump-suit is limiting her fashion style…I mean, I personally do not like jumpsuits (undoing my shirt to tinkle is a waste of time!!) but if I liked them I would resent someone saying I couldn’t or shouldn’t wear it simply because I’m a size 12…Fashion isn’t just for skinny people, it’s about expressing yourself and feeling good! We need to change our definition of what “looks good” to incorporate EVERY body in EVERY thing!!
She looks great! Love the pics. More variety in fashion pics would definitely be a plus.
If they’re going to pretend being overweight is attractive let’s at least be honest about it and ditch the photoshop madness. This girl probably has cellulite in real life and I’d be willing to bet they drew in that waist.
It’s really annoying to read all the I-hate-size-zero comments on these threads. If you want people to accept your fat ass, get a clue and accept skinny people yourself!
I think some posters are a little confused. It is not skinny, “size 0” women that we are bored with/sick of/concerned about. It is the representation of normativity that is repugnant. Whether you like it or not, size 0 is not an accurate representation of most women.
Questioning the sexist media is a healthy and intelligent response.
i’m sorry but rolls are not curves. she has a very beautiful face but her body grosses me out. the cover looks like a manipulated, stretched out image.
why can’t there be a medium? fine, less zize 0 models. but does that mean jumping to…this? no clue what size this model is, but it’s probably in the double digits. how about a size 4,6 or 8 model?
@ligeia & Stephy85
There is nothing wrong with a white jumpsuit, technically speaking. However it does nothing to flatter a plumper figure. If you look at the cover photo it seems to emphasize her size and make her look wider. It doesn’t compliment her figure at all. It seems such a pity when there are so many beautiful clothes out there that could.
“I’m all for curvier models, but this one has been photoshopped to hell. Her face does not fit the body. The true fuller face would have been a much more authentic homage to “curvy.””
Ummm… I suppose that’s because every size X woman has similar bone structure, right?
I’m a bit smaller than her, but the face/body fat ratio (what a term!) is roughly the same – I guess my face is too thin for my body ;).
Oh my God, I just looked up size 0. I’m from the southern hemisphere where we’re into double digits for your average woman. I do not, DO NOT, even know anyone who is size 4 where I come from (US size 0). Hey look, if you’re naturally that slim, all power to you, I’m no weightist. Some of my best friends are skinny. 😉
This model is not an “average” sized woman.
Extreme body types make for the most striking visual images. The fashion industry has no interest in the average woman except for flogging the newest “must have” of every season. Creating images that invite comparison and aspiration breeds perpetual feelings of insecurity, making the average woman an easy mark for these sales.
lol I love how alarmist concern trolls have turned the “being severly overweight is bad for your health” into “having larger thighs and a few belly rolls means you’re on the brink of a health disaster and we must shame you into submission for your own good”.
Studies show that you are actually healthier at 10-20 lbs over your “correct” BMI. Some people healthier when they are thinner, some are not! The best thing is to not judge and pigeon hole people and treat them like less because they do not fit our personal ideal. The more you know!
Wow, this woman is gorgeous! It’s so nice to see a fuller-figured female celebrated for her sexiness!
Did you know Ali Larter used to be a plus-sized model? Isn’t that nuts? She was in the documentary “Curve” about plus-size modeling and the fashion industry. Although it’s been taken off her IMDb profile, for some reason…
Anyway, I agree that discrimination against thin women is just as faulty as discrimination against plus-size women. There’s no point in not accepting women of all shapes and sizes, because there simply ARE women of all shapes and sizes in the world!
I just read that Glamour Mag put out a survey and the concensus was that magazines having plus sized models in the particular issues actually raised the self conciousness of the women who read the magazine rather than made them feel better about themselves.
This girl is gorgeous, no matter her size. And I’m sick of this size war going on. I’m a size 10, so I guess that makes me obese? WTF?!
seems like overkill to me. Why cant we have some large women, some normal sized women, some skinny bitches?
I always say a truly talented photographer could make someone like me look like a supermodel… it doesn’t take much talent to shoot pretty people.
Oh she is gorgeous!
To the commenter that suspected that the model’s waist was photoshopped away, let me tell you that that is what my waist to hip ratio is like. I’m a size 16 as well. It all depends on where your body puts on the weight.
One of the things that irks me about the whole “super skinny or plus sized only models” is that it leaves very little room for the model themselves to choose what their weight is best at. If you can’t get super skinny, and you want to be a model, then your only option is to go plus-sized. The whole thing is absurd.
Whiskey: “It is not skinny, “size 0″ women that we are bored with/sick of/concerned about. It is the representation of normativity that is repugnant.”
Models in magazines are NOT presented as “normal”. They are fantasy. Period. Anyone who looks at a magazine and then out their front door can tell that the tall as redwoods and skinny as stick insect, pore-less, cellulite-less, wrinkle-less, birthmark-less women in the ads and photoshoots in the magazines are NOT NORMAL.
A size zero woman is not a “normal” woman. A 5’10” and above woman is not the norm either. They exist, certainly, because they are models. But the average woman doesn’t look like that. The average woman is 5’4″ and about 140 pounds. Everyone knows this. If you are so insecure as to think that you have to literally be a fantasy that doesn’t exist in order to be beautiful, then you need some kind of therapy to help you distinguish between real and fantastic.
It reminds me of those psychos who got depressed after watching Avatar and wanting that world to exist.
The world that is presented in fashion magazines ISN’T REAL. Every model is photoshopped to perfection. No one has birthmarks, stretchmarks, pimples, wrinkles, sometimes they even photoshop out freckles. The clothes always fit perfectly, the lighting is perfect, the make-up is flawless.
I don’t understand why people think that is a representation of normalcy.
Well, I think it’s great that pictures like this can start a dialogue! I say be whatever weight you want as long as you’re healthy…
Quote, “Elle France did a large spread”….. no pun intended?
and I agree, the chick on the cover is just beautiful.
I don´t think the media (eg: fashion mags) should portait so called “real” woman…there is no such thing anyway, we come in such wide range that would really difficult to do so. Having said that, I know for a fact that woman ARE beautiful in all sizes, shapes and colors so am all in for more variety, being that realistic or not!
“I find her incredibly beautiful, and I love seeing a woman with her figure and beauty in an interesting fashion spread.”
Granted Elle is a woman’s magazine, so depicting women of different sizes and shapes in an attractive way is appropriate. If this spread featured a man with a similar body fat percentage and wearing about the same amount of clothing, would you find him beautiful? I’ve dated and got nekkid with overweight but not obese men; however, I don’t admire the bodies of overweight strangers of either sex.
That’s not plus- size, that’s just fat! I mean it’s not healthy to have a body like that when you’re in your twenties! I mean I’m not saying everyone should look like a thin supermodel, but something between that and what is shown in the pictures of Elle.
Just want to point something out about “Size 0”. Sizing in North America is way off. It’s slowly been changing in the past couple of decades. As people have been getting fatter, the companies have started to mess with the sizes so as to make people feel better about themselves, and more willing to buy stuff. If you think you’re fitting into a smaller size, you’ll feel better about yourself and more likely to buy the garment. Hence, something that might once have been a Size 4 is now a Size 0 (or something like that)…
She is beautiful. However, are we not all grown people, and able of making decisions? McD burger, bad. Green salad, good. Hard, no? When did it happen that these decisions fell out of our hands????
Beautiful girl…lovely shoot
We are grown people and, as such, have different size bodies. The mags and designers and Hollywood and the media pretty much all say that stick thin is better and everyone else isn’t cutting it. Research says that little girls are picking this up so that even the average size ones have body image issues. Letting people be who they are is the story here.
Mistral: it’s called Vanity Sizing and it’s really gotten out of hand, in my opinion.
Okay,
The fashion industry deals in fantasy and illusion. They are not concerned with the “average” women because many “average” women are uninspiring according to their framework. So, to those who are imploring that these mags showcase normal-sized women…it is not as likely to happen because sizes 6-10 have become rather prosaic and not as immediately striking. This is why they chose this woman as a foil to diametrically oppose the super skinny at the other end of the spectrum. She not skinny, but she’s not “average” either.
The fashion world does not exist to make “average” women feel good about themselves. Editors, fashion designers, and stylists could give a rat’s ass about assuaging your self-esteem. I know, it’s harsh. The truth usually is. Here social responsibility meets fantasy, and trust that they are not concerning themselves with the former. So, my advice is to just try to put the mags down.
Wow…………………the woman is GORGEOUS!!!!! When i saw the lil pic with her face, i was like, WHOA.
But i find the magazine cud have used another pic as the cover page….the original is pretty but there are much better choices…
I want that green bag!!
Maybe I’m just jaded, but it seems as though Elle is trying too hard to be controversial – in that they chose the “fattest” bodytype they could get away with.
The whole thing just reeks of exploitative marketing to me.
If Elle was sincere in examining the relationship of weight in the fashion/entertainment industry, why couldn’t they have hired moderate 6-10 size models? Or at the very least, why didn’t they outfit the women in more flattering, fashion-forward clothing? (I’m on board with the white jumpsuit conspiracy theory.)
With all due respect to the women who modeled, why did Elle go for shock value over thoughtful and provocative debate?
Because controversy sells.
We’re never going to have a real conversation about weight/beauty, because the talking points have become so polarized in the media.
Case in point: A world renowned magazine that celebrates unrealistic standards of beauty showcases larger than average women. For One. Issue. Only.
she is gorgeous!!! and brave to pull off this spread..
most of the size 8 and 10’s here wouldn’t have the guts!
Some of the comments here are hilarious. Just because someone says that big is (or can be) beautiful doesn’t make them big themselves. This model *is* gorgeous, and looks very hot in some of these shots – white jumpsuit excluded, perhaps. Also, saying that models these days are too skinny isn’t necessarily ‘trying to make oneself feel better by putting others down’. Get some perspective.
I am also from the southern hemisphere where we don’t have ‘size 0’ – but what we do have is magazines commonly showing women of varying body size/type (US size 0-2 through to 12) wearing various fashion trends. Along with more editorial shoots with models.
@Lilias: *We* know that what fashion mags/Hollywood/the media presents (i.e. size 0) isn’t real life, and isn’t an accurate representation – but there are people out there who don’t realise this. In fact I had a conversation with one of them the other week.
woah! that model has stunning features!
she looks HOT, plain and simple. On more of a business/consumer note though, I read a LOT of fashion mags. I look at the fashion spreads as more of an art thing than as actually planning on buying anything. The things that look good on a size zero model with no curves aren’t going to look good on me. However, when curvier girls show up in fashion spreads I’m way more likely to consider saving my benjamins to buy some of the stuff they’re modeling because I can actually see that it looks good when there are hips & tits involved. And you know, she is overweight but her waist to hip ratio doesn’t look out of proportion.
I don’t find her very attractive at all, but I don’t find anorexic people attractive either. I’ll stick to normal weight people.
Having said that my not being attracted to this model isn’t based on her thickness but more-so she’s just not my cup of tea.
She is HOT! I don’t normally find models hot as such. Pretty, yes. But not hot. But this girl… The pic of her in the black bodysuit is smoking!
Wow. My post didn’t survive the chopping block? Come on, it was not that bad. The beacons of fashion industry really don’t concern themselves with average women and we as women would be doing ourselves a favor by putting down the mags. Real talk.
This is awesome. She’s bigger than me, but I’m sure I’m much closer to her size than to 99% of the models I see every day.
I’m only 22, not overweight by any stretch, and have had confidence issues for at least ten years because of my inability to fit to our culture’s (and its young men’s) exact, unrealistic standards for beauty. I’m naturally curvy, and I finally learned to celebrate that when I realized that the few times in my life that I’ve felt “skinny enough” or proud of my own body were the times when I was emotionally and mentally devastated… when my heart was so broken that I couldn’t force myself to eat. It was those times that I thought I looked best in a bathing suit… and that I got the most attention from men. And there’s something horribly wrong with that. It’s obvious that my body is not meant to be skinny when I have to starve myself to achieve it — and I refuse to starve myself intentionally.
That’s disgusting! They give us just another role model, that’s even more unhealthy and ugly. And that face does not look like hers. Where’s the double-chins? SO retouched.
I like it- she looks like me! I think I’d look good in the clothes she’s modeling, which is what fashion mags are for, right? And I can run circles around most people at this weight, so don’t tell me she couldn’t possibly be fit and must be terribly unhealthy. She is no more than a size 12, maybe a 14 if she’s very tall.
However, no one should wear a white jumpsuit at any size. Ever.
You people have got to be kidding me. All of you posting that this woman looks good as a model must be living in CA smoking pot while you see this article.
This woman’s body doesn’t look good. She needs to go on a diet. There’s a difference between full-figured and fat. This is part of the reason why we have so many fat paeople in the country, they think this looks good and is perfectly fine.
I’m not saying all models need to be rail-thin and anorexic, but this is just as bad.
while this issue is a good first step in the right direction, that being acceptance of all body shapes, I feel like devoting one issue out of the year to bigger people is kind of silly. I mean, it’s the same thing with things like Black history month. Why does there only need to be one month devoted to issues in the black community? Why can’t magazines just integrate bigger body shapes into every issue?
This is pretty awesome.
Also, I’ve known lots of girls with skinny faces and bigger frames/bodies. I don’t think it’s been “photoshopped to hell.”
Let’s be HONEST HERE…These photos are beautiful because this girl (who is a professional model) has such a drop dead gorgeous face. If you were to put the average, ugly-faced woman her size on the cover…BARF!
For the rest of America, put down the Hostess and get yourself to a gym. I should know, I was chubby and it was all my fault by eating crap and being lazy!!! Most of us are not as gorgeous like this model who can pull of this weight (even though to be honest she would be even more beautiful if she was a smaller size)
Yeah, the average woman in America is a size 14 because they eat like crap and sit on their ass all day. Average fat person is not healthy, it doesn’t make it okay to be fat just because it’s average nowadays.
Too skinny is not healthy, so is too fat. Why do people have to go extreme to prove a point? She is not more beautiful than a skinny Kate Moss.
This girl does NOT look healthy, she looks fat. The pendulum really has flown way to far the other way.
If anyone thinks this looks ‘healthy,’ then I must say, you have a sorry understanding of what healthy is.
Please, get real! Too skinny is not healthy, and NEITHER IS THIS!
I’m really tired of the thin women who seem to believe that they are hard done by — it’s not about that. It’s like men who begin to bitch about how hard men have it when you mention something about only having had the vote for half a century in a lot of cases and still facing a hell of a lot of obstacles to honest success. Ladies, if you don’t have something nice to say, just keep your mouths shut. A lot of thin people have no idea that they have it easier genetically, and some of the ones who spend all day working at being that way might do better getting some exercise from the neck up.