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The 12 Most Famous Plus Size Models In The World

Ashley Graham is just the start - by Isabelle Truman
  • 22 Aug 2018

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The 12 Most Famous Plus Size Models In The World

For a long time, Ashley Graham's name was about the only one that would pop to mind when thinking of a famous plus-size model. But as diversity becomes an increasing focus in the fashion industry, more and more plus-size models are becoming household names. From Australians Robyn Lawley and Kate Wasley to the unapologetic Tess Holliday, these women not only have millions of fans on social media but are appearing on the runway, red carpet and cover of magazines. 

However, the definition of a plus-size model might be surprising: in the fashion industry, plus-size models are defined as being those who are size 8 and up, when in the real world the average size of an Australian woman is a size 14-16 (according to data taken by the ABS in 2016).

iskra View Profile
324.7k likes - View Post on Instagram
❤️Reddy, 🕊white & 🦋blue for July 4th in my new @aerie 👙 #tigerstripeslooking🔥 ⚡️🐯⚡️ #realskin #imperfectlyperfect #aerieReal #everyBODYisbeautiful

And what about plus size male models? While they do exist - and are often seen on websites such as ASOS and Boohoo - the men's fashion industry still has a long way to go in terms of redefining industry standard.

Below, the top 12 most famous plus-size models in the world to follow now.

12. Kate Wasley 

kate wasley
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Life's good when you free yourself of insecurities 🐚 🐬

Aussie model Kate Wasley rose to social media fame as one half of Instagram duo @any.body_co, where she and friend Georgia Gibbs share photos of themselves to social media to promote body positivity at any size. Now Kate is being recognised internationally shooting for Sports Illustrated earlier this year.

11. Georgia Pratt

georgia pratt
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🥝by @zaraeloise and @harrywere for @lonelylingerie

New Zealand-born model Georgia Pratt is often shot for Kiwi lingerie label, Lonely, which is known worldwide for using models of every size and age and their unretouched images.

10. Barbie Ferriera

barbie
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Stop thirst trapping they said. Stop posting Ya titties on tha Internet THEY SAID. Mama didn't raise a QUITTER.

21-year-old American model and actress Barbara 'Barbie' Ferreira first started modelling after sending photos of herself to American Apparel. Now one of the biggest body-diversity advocates and a muse of Selena Gomez's bestie, Petra Collins, Barbie has firmly cemented herself in the fashion world.

9. Robyn Lawley

robyn lawley
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Cheesy grin from my happy place @bondiicebergsclub @brasnthings #bts #australia

29-year-old Robyn Lawley is Australia's most well-known plus-size model, the first to ever appear in a campaign for Ralph Lauren and shot for some of the world's biggest fashion magazines. In 2013, she penned an essay calling out the 'thigh gap' trend for being unhealthy and unnecessary.

8. Tara Lynn

tara lynn
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Been eating cake

 American model Tara Lynn is most often shooting lingerie and swimwear campaigns, but the 36-year-old mother has also graced the cover of international fashion magazines and has starred in campaigns for brands such as H&M.

7. Paloma Elsesser

Paloma Elsesser
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your fave empanada 🥟

Mark our words, if you're not already familiar with London-born model Paloma Elsesser, you soon will be. The 26-year-old shot to fame after she appeared on Glossier billboards and as a face of Fenty Beauty and has appeared on the cover of US Vogue.

6. Candice Huffine

candice huffine
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😜

A former teenage beauty queen, Candice Huffine signed her first commercial modelling contract in 2000 and now fronts high fashion campaigns worldwide. She's an Instagram sensation, a body-positivity advocate and she has her own athleisure label, Day/Won.

5. Iskra Lawrence

Iskra Lawrence
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389.6k likes - View Post on Instagram
Back in the 305 2nyt for swim week with @aerie Who's around and what's going on???💃💃💃 Ps love your booty regardless of its size, lumps and bumps, tiger stripes, scars, soft, firm, flat, round, dimply or smooth. It's yours and it's the only cushion you really need😂 #allbootysmatter #naturalskininallitsglory #Godcreatedallbuttsequally #celebrateyourbody #Imperfectlyperfect #squats #thankyouforalwaysstickingwithmebooty #iknowmyangles #yesigotmarksfromsittingdown #andnoIwontphotoshop #aeriereal #unretouched because we're already good enough

British model Iskra Lawrence uses her platform to promote body positivity and to remind her followers that what they see on social media isn't real. She runs the YouTube channel, everyBODYwithIskra, where she posts workout videos and encourages her fans to love the skin they're in. "For me, social media is the most damaging place where images are made to look ‘real and candid’ but in reality 100 pics were taken and then they were photoshopped or FaceTuned," she recently wrote on Instagram.

4. Nadia Aboulhosn

nadia
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15.8k likes - View Post on Instagram
Pink with some lilac 🍬@prettylittlething🍬

29-year-old Nadia Aboulhosn is a fashion blogger, model, and designer, who uses her platform to promote self-acceptance and self-empowerment.

3. Denise Bidot

denise bidot
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42.7k likes - View Post on Instagram
Today, on my 32nd birthday I feel more confident than ever. I never understood why people were so afraid of getting older. Age is an opportunity to evolve and become better! I'm so proud of one of my favorite brands @ThirdLove who are launching 24 new sizes today. What I love is that they believe your size is your size and while I have no issue with being called plus size, this is a step in the right direction. No better birthday gift than to see brands like @ThirdLove innovate and create for all shapes and sizes. #myshapemysize #thisismysize #nowrongway

In 2014, Denise Bidot became the first plus-size model to walk two runway shows at NYFW. The 32-year-old launched a lifestyle movement called 'There’s no wrong way to be a woman' in 2016 and has modelled for Chromat, Nordstrom and Lane Bryant.

2. Tess Holliday

Tess Holliday
tessholliday View Profile
96.1k likes - View Post on Instagram
"In the beginning I used to say, 'I'm healthy, my cholesterol's fine, I don't have high blood pressure, I don't have diabetes," she says. But now she takes a different approach. "By telling people that you see a doctor, and telling people that you're healthy, it's perpetuating the abuse against bigger bodies and the mindset that we owe it to people to be healthy. The reality is I don't owe you shit and I don't have to prove that I'm healthy or not, because it is nobody's business." Still on cloud ☁️ nine from my @selfmagazine cover shoot 😭 Thank you all so much for your comments, shares, & love! 💕 #effyourbeautystandards #teamself

32-year-old American model and mother-of-two Tess Holliday has long been an advocate for more representation in the fashion industry. Recently, she said she has given up arguing with people who claim she is unhealthy because of her size, saying it is "nobody's business." Hear, hear!

1. Ashley Graham

ashley graham
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503.6k likes - View Post on Instagram
The perfect bikini does exist. The Icon Bikini and even more #AshleyGrahamxSwimsuitsForAll essentials available @swimsuitsforall. Link in bio.

30-year-old American supermodel Ashley Graham has been on the cover of almost every major fashion magazine, walked in runways shows such as Michael Kors and Prabal Gurung, shot advertising campaigns for H&M and used her personal platform (she has 7.3m followers on Instagram alone) to promote body positivity. Oh, and she's done a TED Talk, has a book, and her own lingerie, swim, and dress collections.

RELATED: Gigi And Bella Hadid Have A Stunning Plus-Size Model Cousin

Isabelle Truman
Isabelle Truman
Isabelle Truman is a freelance writer based out of London, UK. She specialises in fashion, lifestyle and travel and knows a thing or two (read: everything) about both Meghan Markle and 'Sex and the City'.

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