This allows for more variety, which from a designer's standpoint lends itself to increasing complications. From apple to pear shape, each woman may hold their weight differently, especially if they pass a size 18. As more weight is added to the body, more variation in sizes becomes necessary. A size 12/14 has become the sweet spot for designers as it showcases a curvier body without pushing the boundaries too far, or requiring more attention, detail, and money dedicated to nailing the fit.
Just as with straight‑size gals, designers create sample sizes for their models to walk in. The gravitation toward the "perfect plus" stems from many sources. Showcase different bodies and design for that. Showcase women that have no boobs, that are all hips. "Showcase women of all sizes, all heights, all ranges," Hunter says. At Fashion Week in September of 2019, she turned down over 30 jobs that didn't meet her inclusivity standard. She refuses to back down, even when that might mean major financial loss. McGrady's firm dedication to inclusivity across the aisle is what's made her a leading advocate in the space.
And these models, while spectacular in their own right, hardly represent the average plus‑size woman. Designers have gravitated toward only representing that palatable version of plus, one that slightly pushes the boundaries but that's not too fat for comfort, by exclusively casting size 12/14 models.
Plus size runway show plus#
The concept of the "perfect plus" or "acceptable plus body" has created a new, unattainable ideal for many women - big breasts, small waist, and the Kardashian‑esque hourglass figure. McGrady was essentially presented with two choices: lose weight and make money or stay how you are and do what's right. I went from a size 14/16 to a size 18, and I lost 90 percent of my clients because I wasn't the 'perfect plus.'" She adds, "It was a real point of contention for me because here I am in this industry where it's all about body positivity and loving your body, and all the while on the back end of things - the things that people don't see and don't hear - I'm being told to change. Her then-agent warned her that despite the Sports Illustrated success, her client list would evaporate overnight if she didn't abide by their rules. Mcgrady stood firm in her stance on body acceptance, refusing to lose weight or shrink down to fit an ideal as she first felt pressured to at 16. The industry just wasn't ready for her excellence quite yet. Signing with a major agency soon after, it all suddenly made sense: McGrady hadn't abandoned modeling at 16 out of fear of failure. "I saw it and thought, 'These are the three most beautiful women I've ever seen in my entire life, and they actually look like me.'" That moment remains ingrained in McGrady's memory to this day: "I can tell you what I was wearing, where I was sitting, what I was thinking - everything." It opened her eyes to the world of plus‑size modeling, and the potential available for a woman with a larger, growing frame. All of that changed when, a few years later, she'd come across Vogue Italia's legendary curve issue. With modeling on the back burner, teenage McGrady assumed a nannying job as she rethought ways to tackle the world of entertainment and fashion. "I was led to believe that being too big was the worst thing ever." Little did she know that a decade later, she'd become Sports Illustrated's curviest model to ever grace the pages of its Swimsuit issue. Or rather, that she was too much and needed to shrink down to a double-zero before being worthy of the camera. But time and time again, from casting agents and industry insiders, McGrady was told that she was not enough. At 16, she felt fully prepared to follow in the footsteps of her mother, Brynja, who had previously reached a level of success in the modeling world. They said, 'Wow, we didn't realize how big you were.'" Hunter was a size two. "I showed up on set to a T‑shirt job," she recalls, "and the casting team stood up, looked at me kind of sideways, and turned me away. Hunter McGrady will never forget the moment she first quit modeling.
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