<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554a3bc8dd0895a1128b462c-640-480/plus-sized-model-nadia-aboulhosen.jpg" border="0" alt="Plus sized model Nadia Aboulhosen"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://instagram.com/nadiaaboulhosn/">Nadia Aboulhosen/Instragram</a></span></p><p class="caption">Nadia Aboulhosn has an army of online fans</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">She's</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> been called the </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2996809/She-s-plus-size-world-s-answer-Kim-Kardashian-s-snapped-design-Boohoo-Nadia-Aboulhosn.html">plus-size answer to Kim Kardashian</a>.<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://www.stylist.co.uk/fashion/lena-hand-picked-plus-size-instagram-stars-nadia-aboulhosn-and-margie-ashcroft-to-model-a-w-2014-s-rich-textural-investment-pieces">Girls creator Lena Dunham is "obsessed"</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. And she helped online retailer Boohoo turn around its fortunes: 26-year-old Nadia Aboulhosn is a plus-size fashion blogger who</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> posts photos of herself </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">modelling size 16 clothes </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">on </span><a href="http://www.nadiaaboulhosn.com/">her website</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> and on Instagram, to demonstrate that fashion doesn't have to be just for the stick thin. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The half-Lebanese, half-American blogger has gained <a href="https://instagram.com/nadiaaboulhosn/">228,000 followers on Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nadia-Aboulhosn/481248305225854">155,744 Facebook</a> likes and close to <a href="https://twitter.com/nadiaaboulhosn">20,000 Twitter followers</a>. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">She told Business Insider: "<span>I think [my fans] see me as relatable. People through social media sometimes try to glamorise their lives to make it seem like they have more than what they have, or they're happy when they're not. I try not to do that. </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>"I'm human just like my followers, I have emotions just like them. I want people to come to my page and be inspired with what ever journey I'm on. I want them to laugh and fully be themselves just like I try to do."</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Nadia Aboulhosn/Instagram" title_caption="Aboulhosn posts links to the products to her followers on social media" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554a3bc8dd0895a1128b462d-960/plus-sized-blogger-nadia-aboulhosn-models-her-collection-for-boohoo.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554a3bc8dd0895a1128b462d-640-480/plus-sized-blogger-nadia-aboulhosn-models-her-collection-for-boohoo.jpg" border="0" alt="Plus sized blogger Nadia Aboulhosn models her collection for Boohoo" /></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://instagram.com/nadiaaboulhosn/">Nadia Aboulhosn/Instagram</a></span></p><p class="caption">Aboulhosn posts links to the products to her followers on social media</p></div><p></p></div></div>Most of her fans are young females, a valuable audience for advertisers, and Aboulhosn's</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> reach hasn't gone unnoticed. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> online fashion retailer Boohoo last year signed her up to design a plus-sized collection, just as the company was reeling from a profit warning. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Boohoo shares collapsed 40% last January after the company admitted that despite</span> increasing advertising spend by 25% in the run up to Christmas, sales growth had fallen from 47% to 25%. The company warned as a result that it wouldn't make the £17.6 million ($26.9 million) profit analysts had forecast for the year.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Aboulhosn - with her vast army of online fans who don't care about billboards - offered Boohoo a different way to pitch to customers through her social media accounts. She posts pictures and links to her Boohoo range across her social media accounts, driving sales.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Facebook/Tess Munster" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554a3bc8dd0895a1128b462e-960/tess-holliday-6.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554a3bc8dd0895a1128b462e-813-610/tess-holliday-6.jpg" border="0" alt="Tess Holliday" /></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TessMunster?fref=photo&amp;sk=photos">Facebook/Tess Munster</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Boohoo also signed up hugely popular <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/zoella280390?hl=en-GB&amp;gl=GB">UK YouTube beauty blogger Zoella</a> to market its products in a similar way.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The bets paid off. Ranges like BoohooPLUS and its Petite range helped <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/boohoo-full-year-sales-boosted-by-extra-large-and-extra-small-buyers-petite-small-plus-size-asos-2015-5">revenue grow 27% last year</a> and Boohoo hit its revised profit target. It <span>ended up making £11 million ($16.81 million)</span>. <span>BoohooPLUS, which Aboulhosn designs for, now accounts for 2.8% of sales, despite launching just last March. Kane said the company is spending more and more on partnerships with social media stars and celebs after the success with Aboulhosn and Zoella.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Aboulhosn, who has been blogging since 2010, is now working with Canadian retailer Addition Elle and has also worked with UK plus-sized retailer Evans on a jewelry range.</span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Her success is part of a wider moment for the so-called plus-sized fashion industry, as brands rush to book more unconventional models. In the US, Tess Holliday (<span>size 24)</span> recently became <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/agency-signs-biggest-plus-size-model-2015-1">the first woman of her size to sign to a major modelling agency</a>, Milk Management. Holliday has modelled for the likes of Benefit Cosmetics and appeared in Vogue Italia in 2013.<br /></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/554a3bc8dd0895a1128b462f-1024-768/beach-body-ready-3.jpeg" border="0" alt="beach body ready"><p class="source"><span>Twitter</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Ashley Graham, size 16, models lingerie for plus-sized store Lane Bryant, and recently <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-plus-size-model-ashley-graham-2015-2">appeared in Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue</a> in an ad for plus-sized retailer Swimsuits for All. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">There has also been a mini backlash against adland's obsession with skinny models. Adverts across London for Protein World, asking women if they are "beach body ready", and featuring an unusually slim model, </span><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/protein-world-makes-1-million-immediately-after-the-beach-body-ready-campaign-backlash-2015-4">provoked outrage online and protests</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Carol Kane, Boohoo's co-founder and co-CEO, told Business Insider: "Nadia has a unique style that's very much her and it's very Boohoo. It really elevated what we've done. She's got a huge following and of course that's a great help."</span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-kors-isnt-cool-anymore-2015-4">It's official: Michael Kors isn't cool anymore</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="pueTJqdDrhpwZXwc3-tTyfqeZRjByVhG" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'pueTJqdDrhpwZXwc3-tTyfqeZRjByVhG',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Nadia Aboulhosn is the plus-sized fashion blogger who rescued Boohoo and helped grow its revenues 27% 

I grew up in Portland, and I love it. Here's why I'm never moving back, even though I can work from anywhere.

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #999999; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 15px!important; line-height: 25px; overflow: auto; vertical-align: middle;"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/530d0fa0ecad047618777d1b-100-29/aramarkhtmspot.png" border="0" alt="Aramark" width="75" style="float: left !important; width: auto; margin: 2px 15px 0px 0px !important; display: block;" /> <em>This is part of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/unsung-heroes"><em>"Unsung Heroes"</em></a> series, highlighting outstanding individuals who don't always get the public credit they deserve.</em> <em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/unsung-heroes">"Unsung Heroes"</a> is sponsored by Aramark.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/unsung-heroes" target="_blank"><strong> Read more posts in the series »</strong></a></em></div><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5367c7f76da81111404674c1-1200-1200/js02.png" border="0" alt="Jim Squires" /><p class="source"><span>Jim Squires / Instagram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Instagram began letting companies run ads late last year, despite <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jim-squires/2/258/73b">howls of protest</a> from the photo-sharing app's users.</p>
<p>In fact, Instagram and its parent company, Facebook, have been thinking about ways to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-confirms-ads-are-coming-to-instagram-2012-12#!IpJf7">bring ads to Instagram since 2012</a>.</p>
<p>But nearly two years later, most Instagram users have seen very, very few ads in their photo feeds.</p>
<p>The ad-pocalypse that some expected would turn Instagram into MySpace never arrived.</p>
<p>In fact, only a dozen or so initial companies have been allowed by Instagram to run ads in the app. Among them are Burberry, Levi's, Nike, Chobani, and Ben &amp; Jerry's ice cream.</p>
<p>Jim Squires is Instagram's director/market operations, and he told Business Insider recently that Instagram is being incredibly careful about who gets to advertise in the app and who doesn't. "We're being very methodical and deliberate, which is why you're not seeing a lot of ads in your feed," he says.</p>
<p>Squires now has almost the opposite task with Instagram that he had at Facebook, where he was the director of product marketing/monetization. Facebook, as everyone knows, has a massive automated ad business. Any advertiser can run their own ads in Facebook, in a variety of different ways. It's such a successful business that Facebook now makes about $9 billion a year just from ads. (People used to complain about the amount of ads shown in Facebook, but as the user base transitions to Facebook's mobile app from the desktop version, those complaints seem to have gone away.)</p>
<p>At Instagram, Squires governs a system of that prevents advertisers from getting onto the platform unless they're willing to meet a strict set of creative standards. Ads on Instagram are intended to be a unique, bespoke experience that only about 100 of the top 1,000 advertisers will be likely to use.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Burberry / Instagram / Cara Delevigne" title_caption="Cara Delevigne and Kate Moss for a Burberry on Instagram two months ago." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5366b2f7ecad04807f1312b1-960/10012989_604106953012743_1671212210_n.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5366b2f7ecad04807f1312b1-640-640/10012989_604106953012743_1671212210_n.jpg" border="0" alt="Burberry" /></a><p class="source"><span>Burberry / Instagram / Cara Delevigne</span></p><p class="caption">Cara Delevigne and Kate Moss for a Burberry on Instagram two months ago.</p></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Here are just a few of the rules that advertisers have to follow before they'll be allowed to run a campaign:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Clients are not allowed to repurpose images they previously used elsewhere, in other ads for instance.</li>
<li>No heavy use of image filters.</li>
<li>No text is allowed on ad imagery in Instagram.</li>
<li>No gimmicks!</li>
<li>Clients cannot put their logos on the ads (although if a product logo appears in a photo as a natural, non-obvious part of a scene, that is allowed).</li>
<li>Images must be "true to your brand" - and not be cheesy or shocking.</li>
<li>Ads should take their cues from existing creative community hashtags that are popular on Instagram.</li>
<li>Ads should capture "moments," not products. Ads must not simply be a product shot, in other words.</li>
<li>Users will not see the same creative twice inside Instagram.</li>
</ul>
<p>Ads must meet Instagram's aesthetic by being of high quality and showing "amazing" creative, Squires says. Clients are prioritized based on their understanding of how the Instagram aesthetic applies through the ad process. Ads are only allowed on the platform if they follow "a culture that feels like Instagram." Instagram is working with ad agency holding company Omnicom to select agencies who may have clients appropriate for the platform.</p>
<p>Here's an example of a campaign from Nike:</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Nike / Instagram" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5366af6869bedd8029d4ecd7-960/screen shot 2014-05-03 at 4.06.08 pm.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5366af6869bedd8029d4ecd7-1153-587/screen shot 2014-05-03 at 4.06.08 pm.png" border="0" alt="Instagram Nike" /></a><p class="source"><span>Nike / Instagram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>"To date we've run 15 campaigns. We're gradually scaling that up," Squires says.</p>
<p>This will come as a shock to many people. Wall Street <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-instagram-revenue-2013-10#!IqvEk">analysts had been making educated guesses on how much ad revenue Instagram</a> might add to Facebook's business, based on Instagram's 200 million strong user base. Evercore, for instance, forecast $340 million in sales this year alone.</p>
<p>Those numbers are guesses, and not based on anything real, it turns out. Facebook is being very, very patient with Instagram, Squires says, because the company isn't under any pressure to show revenue from the app - and because CEO Mark Zuckerberg tends to think in five, 10 and 20 year increments, not quarter to quarter.</p>
<p>The result is that Squires is positioning Instagram as a high-end, premium, exclusive, native ad solution. (In plain English: it will be expensive. Squires declined to discuss actual prices.) Here's an example from GE:</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="GE / Instagram" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5366b1b46bb3f7fe071312b5-960/screen shot 2014-05-03 at 4.06.24 pm.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5366b1b46bb3f7fe071312b5-1147-400/screen shot 2014-05-03 at 4.06.24 pm.png" border="0" alt="GE Instagram" /></a><p class="source"><span>GE / Instagram</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>Another interesting difference is that Squires is asking advertisers to ignore Instagram's social metrics as a measure of campaign success. He doesn't want to see clients trying to attract as many likes, comments or followers as possible. Instead, Squires believes they should pay more attention to more traditional return on investment measures like ad recall, reach, frequency, and consumer awareness.</p>
<p>The reason is that because clients cannot repurpose existing campaigns into Instagram, they will have to use Instagram for new campaigns, new messages and brand repositionings. "Social metrics aren't helpful" in those types of campaigns he says, because you're trying to change people's minds not solidify a fanbase.</p>
<p>Much of what Squires is trying to achieve will be frustrating to all but the most creative of advertisers. Clients generally do not like media providers telling them which filters they can and cannot use. And some clients notoriously just want to see their logos displayed as prominently as possible.</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.business.instagram.com/">Instagram has a client education blog and website</a> to induct new advertisers into the process. "Once that education is done it will be less of an issue," Squires says. Still, advertising on Instagram will be unlikely to ever become automated or self-serve. Clients will have to work with the Instragram team to get their stuff on the platform. Eventually, we'll see "Storytelling at massive scale," Squires believes.</p>
<p>In the meantime, if you're an advertiser and you want to be on Instagram, Squires suggests you start by asking yourself, "For your next campaign, if you could use no copy at all how would you do it?"</p>

Facebook Put This Man In Charge Of Making Sure Advertisers Don't Ruin Instagram

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5565a7efdd0895272a8b45d7-839-629/tess-holliday-9.jpg" border="0" alt="Tess Holliday"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TessMunster?fref=photo&amp;sk=photos">Facebook/Tess Munster</a></span></p><p class="caption">Tess Holliday became the first US size 22/ UK size 18 model to be signed up to a mainstream agency.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Plus-size modelling is tipped to transform the fashion industry after <span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/tess-holliday-people-cover-plus-size-model-with-tattoos-2015-5">Tess Holliday became the world's first US size 22/ UK size 18</a> to be signed to a mainstream agency and to lead some clothing campaigns. But our industry insider told us that she is just a "spectacle" that will fall out of fashion as quickly as most seasonal trends.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Holliday, 29, broke all conventional model parameters when <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/meet-tess-holliday-plus-size-model-with-tattoos-2015-3">she was signed by MiLK Management in London</a>. She is only </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">5'5", wears a size that is considerably larger than the industry sample size of US size 0 / <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> size 4, and is covered in tattoos. After racking up </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">903,000 Facebook fans and more than 724,000 Instagram followers, she has since <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/plus-size-model-tess-holliday-no-photoshop-in-torrid-ads-2015-3">fronted campaigns for retailers Torrid </a>and Yours. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Meanwhile, other retailers, like online fashion store Boohoo, are hailing plus-size models for boosting revenue. Boohoo said in a trading update in May that plus-size fashion blogger, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/nadia-aboulhosn-plus-sized-fashion-blogger-who-fixed-boohoo-2015-5">26-year-old Nadia Aboulhosn, helped grow its larger sized range's revenue by 27% in 2014.</a> </span></p><p>However, Claire* who has worked as a scout and booking agent for the plus-size modelling world in one of the world's most famous agencies for five years, told Business Insider what the shelf-life is truly like for larger models, how much they earn, and what the greatest misconceptions are about plus-size modelling.</p><p><strong>BUSINESS INSIDER: So how much do plus-size models get paid on average?</strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>CLAIRE:</strong> C</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">atalogue work is the big money earner, especially in Germany. Simply Be, for example, used to pay £1,800 ($2,771) a day for girls they loved. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">That dropped after the crash, but ball park £1,200-1,500 ($1,847-2,309) per day for the popular girls they used regularly. There would also be travel costs on top of that, plus if there was shooting abroad, there would be a half day rate applied per travel day. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">For a magazine editorial shoot, it would be around £250 ($385) a day. For a catwalk show, maybe £150 ($231). A lingerie shoot for a day for a brand could be £400-600 ($616-924).</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5565a7efdd0895272a8b45d8-640-480/plus-sized-model-nadia-aboulhosen-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Plus sized model Nadia Aboulhosen"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://instagram.com/nadiaaboulhosn/">Nadia Aboulhosen/Instragram</a></span></p><p class="caption">Nadia Aboulhosn has an army of online fans .</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><strong>BI: How often does the mainstream fashion world actually use plus-size models? Do they only book larger models as one-offs, or are bookings generally on the increase?</strong></p><p><strong>C:</strong> T<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">he industry fluctuates. When I started in the industry [in the late 2000s,] it was still an emerging market with a lot of clients not taking plus-size modelling seriously. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Some treated it as a freak show. When Jean Paul Gaultier used Sophie Dahl, when she was bigger, in a catwalk show, this was a prime example of that attitude. Was he saying he loved bigger women? Probably not - as to my knowledge he hasn't used one during his shows since. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">So she was a spectacle - a shocker to draw the crowds and get him some column inches. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Also look at the designer Mark Fast using model Hayley Morley for his London Fashion Week show in 2009. It got him tonnes of media and helped make himself a name in the fashion world. It helped her too, of course, but that isn't the case so much any more, as the media has taken on board that fashion should represent every woman and every size. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Bookings did increase, but again fluctuated depending on which girls you had on your books. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Some girls defied everything because they were just so amazing, and perfect body-wise. Some clients would change what they wanted in the campaign so they could book them. </span></p><p><strong>BI: What do you think are the biggest misconceptions around plus-size modelling?</strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>C:</strong> The biggest misconception about the industry is that its just "fat modelling," which every t*** in the pub would say when I told them what I did for a living. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Also, the other misconception is that it is about encouraging women to be "fat," and that it has nothing to do with a positive body image or being healthy. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Many girls would come in who were clearly unhealthy and think they could model. We have to be seen as promoting health. Some girls who are 5'10" and a UK size 16 / US size 20 could never be a UK size 10 / US size 14, unless they starved themselves. That is not what we wanted to encourage.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5565a7efdd0895272a8b45d9-768-576/tess-holliday-people-magazine-plus-size-model.jpg" border="0" alt="Tess Holliday people magazine plus size model"><p class="source"><span>People Magazine</span></p><p class="caption">Tess Holliday is only 5' 5" and a US size 22.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">BI: Is there ever a size that is just considered "too" plus-size for the industry and for advertisers?<br /></span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">C: </span></strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">For us, anyone above a UK size 18 / US size 22 wasn't easy to promote. But at the time, there weren't the clients that wanted that size. If a girl wanted to work, sometimes she would have to lose a bit of weight to get to a more commercial size. which was ideally a UK size 16 / US size 20.</span></p><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">BI: Were the plus-size models generally happier than regular models and did they fluctuate in size?</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">C: </span></strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We did have a number of girls on our books who had eating disorders, and as a result were prone to dropping or gaining weight very quickly without notice. "Poster Girl" Crystal Renn is a prime example of this. She has publicly written about how she starved herself for years to be a standard size for the modelling industry, and then one day said "f*** it" and she went to a UK size 16 / US size 12. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">She got loads of work, including for Chanel, although that was a bit of a joke because they only showed her from the shoulders up, but her weight yo-yoed all over the place. [She has since lost weight and is around a UK size 6 / US size 2].</span></p><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">BI: So did the industry prefer to use thinner models and make them look bigger? What were the tricks of the trade for making people look bigger?</span></strong></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span><strong>C:</strong> In America, the girls had "fat suits," </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">or just extra padding they could strap on to make themselves look curvier. This was usually applied around the hips. A few wore all over fat suits as it was too obvious sometimes. And, of course, some use a nice padded bra. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Also, we always had to ask if a girl had surgery in the past, as many lingerie clients wouldn't use a girl who'd had breast enhancements, as it may have damaged their product if that detail was found out in the media. </span></p><p><strong>BI: Overall, do you find plus-size models are more confident than regular models?<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">C: </span></strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">They did tend to be a little happier purely because they were allowed to eat! But most models are insecure, purely because they are in an industry that judges on outward appearance, and a vast percentage just didn't have a thick enough skin. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">For the plus-size girls, they have to learn early on to love themselves for who they are, love the curves, the cellulite and the jiggle, and even though it's not easy to hear a client muttering about it as a negative aspect on a casting, you have to take it on the chin and just move on. But there are lots of fragile egos still out there.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5565a7efdd0895272a8b45da-634-475/tess-holliday-plus-size-model-torrid-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Tess Holliday plus size model Torrid"><p class="source"><span>Torrid</span></p><p class="caption">Tess Holliday has become the poster child for larger fashion.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">BI: Do you think, Tess Holliday and similar sized / Instagram celebrity models are changing the attitudes or the tides in terms of size acceptance or plus-size modelling, or is this just kind of like a spectacle / flash in the pan event?</span></strong></p><p><strong>C: </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I doubt Tess Holliday will get much more work than the Yours campaign she has just shot. Her agent has been very savvy from day one about using social media to drum up interest in her girls, and to win clients. But again, I think the much bigger sizes don't have staying power. It is a freak show. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The buzz will die down again. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Holliday is as much about the attention she brings from her Twitter / Instagram account for the client than just her. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">To me, as much as I'm not about body shaming and am about acceptance, Holliday is not a healthy size and I think it does encourage those who battle with weight to just say "f*** it" and not take care of themselves. It's not a popular attitude, but it's my humble opinion. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I've seen how the seasoned and popular girls work out and take care of themselves and it's inspiring stuff. They will never been a [UK] size 10, but they are a glorious and healthy and toned [UK] size 16. Prime examples are Laura Wells and Robyn Lawley. Granted there are a lot of bloggers out there like Holliday who are [UK] size 20+ and write about fashion and acceptance, and good luck to them, but I'm doubtful it they will ever stick in the mainstream long term. </span></p><p><strong>*Claire is not her real name. She wanted to remain anonymous to protect her her contacts and clients.</strong></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chocolate-kinder-surprise-eggs-toys-2015-4">We got our hands on 'Kinder Surprise Eggs' - the global candy favorite that's still illegal in the US</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="JzcnlidDpB5a1Xs-qlzglXWaGqCUSWQA" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'JzcnlidDpB5a1Xs-qlzglXWaGqCUSWQA',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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