As the runway models strode down the stage to great acclaim at the annual New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park, thirty curvy, plus-sized ladies stood near the tents and chanted “Two-four-six-eight! Big girls you’ll appreciate!” and “Curves on the Catwalk”! Their message—curves are something to celebrate.
These New Yorkers were part of the Miss NYC Plus organization, working to increase the opportunities for women of their size. Giving people a new image to add to their concepts of beauty, the rally on Sept. 7 called attention to the idea of including more body shapes in our perception of fashion.
The chants rose from the demonstrators and reached the ears of the crowd as it poured out each time a runway show finished. According to the Miss NYC Plus director Chanel Clark, some in the passing crowd looked shocked, many looked confused.
However, those who came over to see what the commotion was about ended up cheering them on. A celebrity from the TV show America’s Next Top Model, Miss Jay Alexander, was apprehensive at first, Clark said, but then joined in support once the issue became clear.
As these ladies called for a change in the models chosen for runway shows, Clark noted that this is the year for change, as proclaimed by the political parties. And so, she hopes, it will be the year for change in the fashion world as well.
Clark wanted to make their position very clear. They weren’t against the industry: “We love the designers, we love the skinny models, we have no problem with them—we just want to be included.”
