Generally, when we think of the top plus-size models in the industry, one particular face comes to mind: that of Ashley Graham. In the past two years, Graham has risen from relative obscurity to household name status, thanks to her Sports Illustrated, Vogue and ELLE covers, her role as resident model mentor on the reboot of America’s Next Top Model, her turns on the runways of Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, Christian Siriano and H&M. Some (particularly millennials) might also think of Aerie frontwoman, body positivity activist and fellow Siriano and H&M fave Iskra Lawrence, who now boasts over 4.1 million Instagram followers.
Fortunately, it’s not just these two who are getting all the work. The fashion world’s new emphasis on inclusivity has opened the doors for many a plus-size model (we’re not fans of the term, but it’s the still the industry standard, hence our continued use of it). Now more than ever, rising, non-sample-size stars are booking the kinds of work (Vogue covers, major beauty deals, high-end runway shows) that previously eluded fuller-figured models. Change is upon us, and it’s not just Graham and Lawrence leading the current charge. Get to know some of the most popular plus-size models of the day by clicking on the slideshow above.
[ Next: 15 Plus-Size Fashion Bloggers With Serious Personal Style ]
Top Plus-Size Models
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Sabina Karlsson
Freckle-faced Swedish beauty Sabina KarIsson started her modeling career at the tender age of four. Notwithstanding a brief hiatus (at 17, a couple of short-sighted casting agents told her she was too big to model), she's built quite the CV, booking numerous jobs for brands like Michael Kors, H&M, J.Crew, Christian Siriano and Chromat. She's also an activist for body positivity and a new mom (d'aww).
Image: @thesabinakarlsson
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Anita Marshall
Fun (but somewhat annoying) fact: Like Karlsson, Anita Marshall almost quit modeling because a casting agent told her she was "too fat." In the interim, she got a job at Sephora where a pushy co-worker kept asking her why she'd given up. To get said co-worker off her case, she agreed to try one more time and sent some pictures to the Dorothy Combs modeling agency, which signed her immediately. Now she's modeling for It brands like Khloé Kardashian’s Good American and was recently named Essense’s Curvy Model of the Month. All's well that ends well, right?
Image: @anitamarshall_
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Alessandra Garcia Lorido
Admittedly, the 27-year-old Cuban-American, IMG-signed model had something of a leg up in the industry (her dad is Andy Garcia, of The Godfather: Part III and Ocean's 11 fame). Still, while she's popped up in various editorials (Vanity Fair Mexico, Vogue Italia), runway shows (Christian Siriano) and campaigns (Lane Bryant, Mango, Wet 'n' Wild) over the years, it was only in 2017 that she got her official big break: a spot on Dolce & Gabbana's fall runway and in the corresponding millennial-heavy print campaign. Now she's really on the map.
Image: @alessandragl
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Precious Lee
Where to begin? In 2015, Lee became the first black plus-size model to ever appear in American Vogue. (In the all-important September issue, by way of a Lane Bryant ad, but still.) In 2016, she did Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue the same honor (again via a Lane Bryant ad). She's also been seen in Glamour, Essence, LOVE and Paper, on the Christian Siriano runway (season after season) and in ads for Old Navy, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Target. She's a leader in her field and a champion of nonwhite plus-size models, a particularly underrepresented group.
Image: @preciousleexoxo
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Paloma Elsesser
Downtown New York-based Elsesser is enviably pretty and has impeccable style (we'd describe it as "hip 90s tomboy"), a combo that's earned her over 159,000 followers. She's walked for Eckhaus Latta and fronted campaigns for big-name brands Nike, H&M and Glossier, not to mention in the past year alone, she's landed two international Vogue covers and one for i-D. On Vogue Arabia's latest issue, which is all about spreading the message that "beauty has no size" and came out just last week, Elsesser and none other than Ashley Graham sparkle in Paco Rabanne and Balmain, respectively.
Image: @palomija
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Barbie Ferreira
In 2016, Barbie Ferreira burst onto the modeling scene thanks to a couple of major castings: a spot in an unretouched American Eagle campaign that quickly went viral, as well as one on the Eckhaus Latta Fall 2016 runway. Cut to two years later and Ferreira is signed with IMG, has starred in multiple CR Fashion Book, i-D and Teen Vogue editorials (she also fronted a web series for the latter) and is now taking Hollywood by storm. You can catch her in the second season of HBO's Divorce and in its upcoming drama Euphoria, where she'll appear alongside queen of all our hearts Zendaya and fellow model-turned-actor Hunter Schafer, among others.
Image: @barbienox
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Jocelyn Corona
She's already conquered the commercial side of the industry. Now, Jocelyn Corona's high-fashion profile is on the rise. Since 2016, "Joss" has walked for The Blonds, Christian Siriano and Chromat and starred in multiple Love editorials (pictured here is her latest). Curvy and confident, the Mexican model has also built an active (46,000-strong) social following and, like many of her peers, uses her platform to spread a message of body-positivity.
Image: @jocelyncorona_
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Stella Duval
If landing a spot in a Rihanna campaign isn't a hallmark of success, we don't know what is. Aside from starring in the stunningly inclusive Fenty x Puma ads (she's the one in the pink marabou-trimmed robe), Duval has spent the past couple of years modeling for cool-kid labels like Milk Makeup, Oak and H&M. What's next for the Cali native? Music and philanthropy. "I’m actually singing now! I have a tiny little area in my studio apartment with a mic, and I’ve been working on some songs," the icy-blonde bombshell told i-D. "I’m not there yet but it’s been really fun. I’m planning on having a fundraiser, probably for Planned Parenthood, and singing at it. I’ve done a few before and there was a good turnout. Giving for charity is great, and I get to show my music!"
Image: @stelladuval
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Nadia Aboulhosn
In a 2016 piece for the Cut, Aboulhosn listed her many career triumphs: "These days, I have 487,000 Instagram followers and hundreds of thousands of people reading my blog every month. I style my own shoots and have collaborated with Pat McGrath, H&M, Boohoo, Lord & Taylor, and more magazines than I can count, from Paper to Marie Claire to Cosmopolitan." And that's not all: the Wilhelmina signee has since launched her own plus-size apparel and swimwear line, starred in several big-name campaigns (Express, Good American) and gained about 55,000 new followers. Not too shabby.
Image: @nadiaaboulhosn
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Candice Huffine
Candice Huffine has been on the modeling scene for a minute — 16 years, to be exact. She's what you'd call a trailblazer. She was the first plus-size model to be in the Pirelli calendar (in 2014) and she's the only one to have twice walked the Prabal Gurung runway (Graham did once, Marquita Pring did once). Huffine's also a regular at Christian Siriano, Tome and Sophie Theallet and has starred in countless print editorials (Vogue, ELLE, CR Fashion Book) and big-budget campaigns (Lane Bryant, Mango, River Island, Rachel Roy). Oh, and she's a designer: In early 2017, she launched a sleek line of athleticwear called Day/Won. Puzzlingly, though, it was only last year that she landed her first American cover (ELLE's May 2017 issue). We suppose that's just the nature of the industry these days.
Image: @candicehuffine
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Georgia Pratt
New Zealander model (and sometimes designer) Georgia Pratt has walked for Christian Siriano, Tome and Lorod, been featured in Vogue, ELLE and Dazed and starred in big-budget campaigns for Lane Bryant and Mango, to name just a couple. Still, Pratt holds that "my biggest achievement was 16 years ago — the day I signed my [first] modeling contract." (She's now with IMG.) "Modeling was my number one goal, all I ever talked about and all I ever wanted to be. I stood at a major crossroads back then when I was offered a contract with a contingency of losing 20 pounds first, or a contract as a plus-size model right then and there. I'm forever proud of my 15-year-old self for choosing the path that would get me where I am today. The one that allowed me to be myself through and through, navigate the industry on my terms, be a game-changer, and in the end, become a role model for other women learning to love and accept their bodies," the top plus-size model told i-D.
Image: @jojacalled
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Jordyn Woods
In the modeling world, good looks and name recognition will get you everywhere, and Jordyn Woods has both in spades (thanks to genetics and lifelong best friend Kylie Jenner, respectively). The Chromat babe and Addition Elle collaborator has become known for her unique, streetwear-heavy style and refreshing candor.
Image: @jordynwoods
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Yasmin Geurts
Yasmin Geurts is a self-starter: Rather than wait around to get discovered in a mall, the gap-toothed, strong-browed Minneapolis native submitted photos to agencies herself and landed a deal with Muse. She then had quite the 2017, appearing in shoots for Jalouse, Office, Allure and Dazed and modeling for household names like Diane Von Furstenberg and Forever 21. More power moves ahead.
Image: @yasminmoonmoon
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Denise Bidot
Puerto Rican and Kuwaiti model Denise Bidot has walked the runway for Chromat and Serena Williams’s HSN line. She's starred in campaigns for Forever 21, Levi’s and Target. Still, of Bidot's many castings, our favorite remains her stunning, stretch-marks-celebrating ad for Cacique, Lane Bryant’s swimwear and intimates line. The unretouched photo ran in the 2017 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — a major win for size-inclusivity.
Image: @denisebidot
