That there are standards of beauty in the world is nothing new, as we think about and perceive them already. Body positivity and body acceptance are movements that suggest that every body shape is beautiful and that we should own our bodies. Above all, we should accept him as he is. But despite this wave of body acceptance, beauty norms are still circulating, which are so widespread even in the plus-size industry that a young woman had liposuction.
I did chin liposuction.
This statement comes from Linda (note: name changed upon request), a woman who is in her 20s. For five years she toyed with the idea of having some fat removed from her chin. Her final decision was made this year 2022. As she lay in the operating room, the question ran through her mind: what am I actually doing here?
Her primary concern was to increase her self-esteem. She had previously analyzed that curvy models still have narrow faces and in Linda’s opinion, the only way to achieve that was an operation. Another reason that encouraged her to do this procedure was the opinion of an acquaintance who works in a modeling agency. He told her that if she removed her double chin, she would have a better chance of success.
Liposuction is the second most common cosmetic surgery
According to Statista, a 2020 global study shows that liposuction after silicone breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic surgery performed. There can be various reasons for such an operation. For Linda, the change was self-optimization. Since she was reluctant to pose for photos with friends or alone and hoped that liposuction would help to counteract this. Now after the op she feels better, but she still doesn’t think she’s really pretty. So she wants to take on the challenge of modeling and prove to herself that she can be seen in a different way than her self-image. She wishes to get confirmation from the outside that she is attractive despite her size 44.
With most model agencies, women with size 38 are already classified in the plus-size sector, with others it starts from sizes 40-52. This contrasts with the average height of women in Germany of 42 and 44.
The fashion industry is often criticized with regard to clothing sizes, body shapes such as plus-size are often still not taken into account, or little taken into account. Just as in TV shows like “Germany’s Next Top Model” by Heidi Klum. There, for the first time in 2021, a curvy model made it to the final and took second place. With a height of 1.80 meters and a dress size of 40/42, the GNTM participant Dascha Carriero falls into the plus-size model range – although she is still below the average clothing size.
Plus-size models have one thing in common: they have distinctive facial features
The fact that the catwalks of the fashion metropolises present a more realistic image of society is crumbling and has only recently been an issue. Occasionally curvy models flash between the others at fashion weeks – it is often emphasized again that curvy models also run. It should no longer be the case that it is made an issue. It would be desirable if it was simply accepted as “normal” and not specifically emphasized that a plus-size model is running on the show.
Looking at plus-size models on the runway or in magazines, it’s always noticeable that models like Candice Huffine, Ashley Graham, Saffi Karina and Paloma Elsesser have something in common. Sure they all have beautiful body shapes, but even more striking, they have contoured oval face shapes. Jawline, thin chin, high cheekbones.
Online websites like “Asos” or “Prettylittlething” have their own categories like “Asos Curve & Plus Sizes” and “Plt Plus”, which only contain fashion for overweight people. Linda often played a game with her aunt on these sites in which they covered the bodies of models with their own hands and had to guess from the face whether the model was a “normal” or a curvy model. “We were often wrong in our assumptions.”
There are also fake pictures in the plus-size area
So is there a facial proportions guideline that plus-size models adhere to as well? Linda’s acquaintance, who works in a modeling agency in Paris, told her before her surgery that without her double chin she would have more chances in the industry. So it seems like there really is an ideal vision of curvy models’ facial features that resemble those of size 32, 34 and 36 models.
This face shape is emulated so much that a plus-size model is faked in the fashion cosmos. The model Karoline Bjørnelykke commented on her TikTok channel. She wears size M and is therefore officially one of the plus-size models. To shoot for a brand promoting fashion in sizes XL-5XL, her body measurements weren’t big enough. Instead of hiring a suitable model, she was put in a fat suite. The reason: Your face shape is more distinctive and that is more in demand, she explains. The padding fills out the designs and comes close to the dimensions of a curvy woman who fits 5XL, which cannot be said of the narrow face shape. Thus, unrealistic standards are created and spread.
Of course, there is no generalization for the different body shapes that exist in the world, because everyone is individual. It’s possible to be plus size and have a naturally prominent face. Because genetics also plays a big role. The main thing is that each individual feels comfortable in his or her body and is healthy.
Sources used: insider.com, miss.at, statista.com