This Model Belongs On The Runway

The fall fashion shows had more size diversity than ever. It’s time for all designers to get on board.

- Lauren Chan

When I was a teenager, I made a bucket list. On it were things like “collect all the O.C. soundtracks,” “meet Lindsay Lohan,” and “walk a runway”— the last being the most far-fetched, given that I was a size 10 and the average model was not. (This was the early aughts, people, the dark ages of body positivity!) Ten years later, though, I crossed that goal off my list, walking Isabel Toledo’s spring 2014 The New Lineup Here and on the next page: models, including Denise Bidot and Sabina Karlsson, in fall shows like Chromat and J.Crew. show for Lane Bryant alongside models like Ashley Graham, Iskra Lawrence, and Precious Lee (see my throwback on page 72). It was a big moment—not just for me but because it was a major win for size inclusivity on the runway.

In full transparency, I was a one-show wonder. I stopped modeling not long after, and started my career as a fashion editor. But these days I still pay close attention to body diversity as an issue, so I was thrilled that during the fall 2017 shows, there were a record 27 plus-size model appearances in New York alone. (That’s up from 16 the previous season and a mere six the one before.) The roster included Graham, Lawrence, Lee, and newcomers like Georgia Pratt and Jocelyn Corona, at shows as varied as Christian Siriano, Chromat, Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, and Tracy Reese. And fashion fans were quick to celebrate this development; Glamour’s online coverage got more than a million clicks in just a few days. So now the question is, Will the industry keep doing better? Here’s how it can—and why it should.

First, let’s tackle the hurdles.