Is she plus size?

[mary poppins]

So Calvin Klein is trying to appeal to "plus size" women, but it appears the company might be out of touch with the target population or what the phrase means. The "plus size" model the company chose looks average to thin to me. If she wasn't slouching and pushing her hips forward, she would probably have a flat stomach. Even with the unflattering pose, she's far from plus size. I think Calvin Klein got it wrong this time.

Also, the model's comments sound like she has body perception/image or confidence issues. I guess the modelling industry breeds that.


http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/11/08/calvin-klein-plus-sized-model?hpt=hp_t4

 

[monarch64]

Maybe they mean her size is a positive number, you know, instead of a 0 or 00 or 000?

I smell a publicity stunt. CK has caught hell for years over Kate Moss. Before that it was the exploitation of child model Brooke Shields.
I don't think I've ever bought anything that company produced, and would not intentionally do so. They aren't exactly women-friendly.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

She's not what I would consider plus-sized. I am plus sized, lol.

 

[distracts]

I think plus size is often confusing with tall models. She could easily be a size 10 or even 12, but she's so tall that it's proportionally pretty normal, whereas if I, at just over 5', wore a 10 or 12, it would be much different. I wear a 2/4 and my body is roughly those proportions, and most people consider me skinny. When I was actual modeling proportions and too small for most mass manufactured clothing, most people considered me skeletal.

 

[VRBeauty]

I would guess she's in the 10-12-14 size range? That used to be considered normal - Marilyn Monroe and a whole lot of movie stars in the 50's and 60's were in that size range. These days you don't normally see fashion models in that size range though. I know someone who's business is to get high-end goods seen, whether it's on the red carpet or on set (product placement). She says the very exclusive designer dresses she gets for placement are all size 2 or 4's... anyone needing a 6 or 8 is out of luck. If that's the industry norm, I can see where this model would be considered "plus size" from CK's perspective. From a my perspective however that is definitely not plus-size.

 

[GliderPoss]

Hmmm I would not consider her plus size either. I guess amongst size 0 model she would be "larger" but certainly not in the real world!

I think it's mostly about proportion - she is clearly very tall and therefore carries weight in a more flattering manner. As someone barely 5,3" I would look more "plus size" with the same weight range. I guess I would consider someone "plus size" clothing-wise as anything above AU16? I think AU12-14 is pretty average here.

This feels like a token effort by CK here...

 

[movie zombie]

no, she is not plus size.
the sad thing is that Marilyn Monroe at size 12 would be considered FAT.
sigh.

 

[HollyS]

Does anyone, anywhere, believe that she is, in fact, plus sized? She might . . . maybe . . . be a size 8.

They're smoking some crazy stuff over at Calvin Klein.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Does anyone, anywhere, believe that she is, in fact, plus sized? She might . . . maybe . . . be a size 8.

They're smoking some crazy stuff over at Calvin Klein.

I would agree with that. I have one friend who is 6'2". At her biggest she was a size 14 and she still looked like a 14 despite her height. She's lost 50 lbs and is now a very happy size 8.

 

[Calliecake]

Heavens no. Its almost comical that they would call her plus size. She looks like a size 6 or 8. The fashion industry needs a reality check. I'm so tired of the way they make women feel about their bodies.

I certainly hope social media can make some changes to the fashion industry. At the very least make them accountable for this kind of garbage. It's not like the old days where they can put something like this out into the world and not have to deal with the backlash. It certainly will make me think before buying their products.

 

[VRBeauty]

http://www.elle.com/news/fashion-style/myla-dalbesio-calvin-klein-plus-size

She's a size 10.

And there's no indication that the folks at Calvin Klein referred to her as "plus size," but apparently a size 10 is considered "plus size" in the modelling world.

 

[Gypsy]

Calvin Klein is cracked. No, she is not plus sized.

She is "real sized"... which is NOT plus sized.

http://www.mytopdrawer.com/wp-content/uploads/miraclesuit-plus-size-tummy-control-swimwear-swimsuit.jpg This is plus sized.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/614QOmTlPLL._UL1500_.jpg
http://www.zappos.com/images/z/2/5/6/8/9/4/2568940-p-4x.jpg

 

[Jennifer W]

Aw, she is plus sized? This is excellent news. I am now able to tell my slightly scary trainer that I'm changing my goals. I'm now aiming to be plus sized. Just like her...

 

[Huldak]

I showed this to my DH, who agreed she was plus sized. Which is weird because he's not one of those guys that think women should be super skinny. I was surprised.

 

[ame]

So Calvin Klein is trying to appeal to "plus size" women, but it appears the company might be out of touch with the target population or what the phrase means. The "plus size" model the company chose looks average to thin to me. If she wasn't slouching and pushing her hips forward, she would probably have a flat stomach. Even with the unflattering pose, she's far from plus size. I think Calvin Klein got it wrong this time.

Also, the model's comments sound like she has body perception/image or confidence issues. I guess the modelling industry breeds that.


http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/11/08/calvin-klein-plus-sized-model?hpt=hp_t4

NO. She's not. Plus size usually means size 14-16 and above. She's a 10 or below. If you want to show Plus Size, hire a person who is actually plus sized. DH actually sent me that before I saw it here and he was like "uh she's a rail."

 

[Lady_Disdain]

no, she is not plus size.
the sad thing is that Marilyn Monroe at size 12 would be considered FAT.
sigh.

Marilyn was a 1950's size 12. In the 80s, the sizing system was completely remodeled, since the Department of Commerce decided it didn't reflect real measurements.

Based on dress measurements, Marilyn was 35-22-35. That is not fat by any means (the average model of her day had a 25 inch waist).

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

She said herself that she is too big to be with the skinny models and too small to be with the plus size.

Also, I wish people would quit claiming MM was a "size 12" as if she would be called fat today. She was not a size 12 by today's standards, and it just seems like a silly attempt by women to make themselves feel better. I am a size 12, and by no stretch of the imagination do I have the same figure as Monroe! This is not directed at anyone who mentioned her in this thread, it's just that I hear it all the time, and it irks me!

 

[packrat]

I wondered about MM myself, too, GP! I thought she was an 8 by our sizing today? I think we've been vanity sizing?

 

[VRBeauty]

Lady Disdain and Guilty Pleasure:

By golly, you're right! I did some googling and found that despite her very voluptuous appearance, Marilyn Monroe generally fit size 6-8 (contemporary sizing) clothes. Her dressmaker recorded her measurements as 36 - (23-24) - 37. And this was the most revealing article I found on the subject:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/doonan/2012/01/was_marilyn_monroe_fat_her_secrets_revealed_.html

 

[mary poppins]

Lady Disdain and Guilty Pleasure:

By golly, you're right! I did some googling and found that despite her very voluptuous appearance, Marilyn Monroe generally fit size 6-8 (contemporary sizing) clothes. Her dressmaker recorded her measurements as 36 - (23-24) - 37. And this was the most revealing article I found on the subject:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/doonan/2012/01/was_marilyn_monroe_fat_her_secrets_revealed_.html

Interesting article you posted, VRBeauty, and I loved the entertaining writing style.

Here's another article about Marilyn Monroe, the Department of Commerce size change Lady Disdain referred to, and a comparison of Monroe's size to those of recent models.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/04/marilyn-monroe-was-not-even-close-to-a-size-12-16/

 

[lknvrb4]

I do not in any way think she looks plus sized, she has a slim stomach and although her arms and thighs look larger I believe it is because she is so tall and bigger boned. I think if anything, she looks very healthy.

 

[missy]

yes, the model looks healthy. Healthy weight, healthy proportions. Maybe not healthy mindset though hard to say. She does realize she falls between (too) skinny typical model weight and yet is too thin to be considered a typical plus sized model. Just not sure if she thinks she is a healthy weight or not. My vote is yes she is a healthy weight. Not heavy in any way shape or form. I just hope her mind is as healthy as her body weight and shape.

ETA: I hate vanity sizing.

 

[JewelFreak]

Who do they think they're kidding?? Of course she's not plus size; she's just a regular good-looking healthy weight. I really really hate companies that treat the public like dummies.

 

[AGBF]

no, she is not plus size.
the sad thing is that Marilyn Monroe at size 12 would be considered FAT.
sigh.

Marilyn was a 1950's size 12. In the 80s, the sizing system was completely remodeled, since the Department of Commerce decided it didn't reflect real measurements.

Based on dress measurements, Marilyn was 35-22-35. That is not fat by any means (the average model of her day had a 25 inch waist).

I remember those days well. In the seventh grade I was not yet my full height, but I think I was around 5' 3" or 5' 4" tall. My weight was in the 90's. I had to make a skirt for Home Economics and I was very embarrassed about what my waist measurement came out to (27 inches) because one always heard that women's measurements were 36-22-34 or 34-24-34. So I lied and made my waist size smaller. I think I said it had been 24 inches, which was the biggest size that sounded acceptable. But the Home Ec. teacher remembered taking my measurements. (I was about 32" on top!) She was angry and nasty to me and I never forgot the humiliation of it.

Back then the smallest size available was a 3. Tiny women wore size 3 or 5.

Deb/AGBF

 

[AprilBaby]

Not even remotely plus size!

 

[VRBeauty]

Who do they think they're kidding?? Of course she's not plus size; she's just a regular good-looking healthy weight. I really really hate companies that treat the public like dummies.

Not to pick on you, JF. Yours is just the latest and easiest post to use.

There's a pervasive belief in this thread that Calvin Klein marketed this model as a plus-sized model. That's simply not the case. Somewhere, some headline writer put "Calvin Klein" and "Plus-size Model" in the same headline with a photograph of this woman, and apparently a bunch of twitterers jumped to conclusions and exploded. That's all.

Calvin Klein DID NOT refer to her as a plus-sized model - I've looked for such a reference and could not find it. They used her in an ad for a long-standing line called "perfectly fit" - the line precedes the use of this model. The model herself points out that CK didn't feature or point her out as a plus-sized model: It’s not like [Calvin Klein] released this campaign and were like ‘Whoa, look, there’s this plus size girl in our campaign.’ They released me in this campaign with everyone else; there’s no distinction. It’s not a separate section for plus size girls,” she says. Here's the original Elle interview:

http://www.elle.com/news/fashion-style/myla-dalbesio-calvin-klein-plus-size

 

[Hospatogi]

She's really a size 10?! Perhaps it's the way she is posing for the picture or her height because I would have put her at a size 6 if she was average height 5'5-5'7. I think the weight of many models are a bit unhealthy and unrealistic for women to emulate. I hope more companies hire models like this one.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

She is "real sized"... which is NOT plus sized.

My sentiments exactly.

 

[mary poppins]

Who do they think they're kidding?? Of course she's not plus size; she's just a regular good-looking healthy weight. I really really hate companies that treat the public like dummies.

Not to pick on you, JF. Yours is just the latest and easiest post to use.

There's a pervasive belief in this thread that Calvin Klein marketed this model as a plus-sized model. That's simply not the case. Somewhere, some headline writer put "Calvin Klein" and "Plus-size Model" in the same headline with a photograph of this woman, and apparently a bunch of twitterers jumped to conclusions and exploded. That's all.

Calvin Klein DID NOT refer to her as a plus-sized model - I've looked for such a reference and could not find it. They used her in an ad for a long-standing line called "perfectly fit" - the line precedes the use of this model. The model herself points out that CK didn't feature or point her out as a plus-sized model: It’s not like [Calvin Klein] released this campaign and were like ‘Whoa, look, there’s this plus size girl in our campaign.’ They released me in this campaign with everyone else; there’s no distinction. It’s not a separate section for plus size girls,” she says. Here's the original Elle interview:

http://www.elle.com/news/fashion-style/myla-dalbesio-calvin-klein-plus-size

This is correct. The HLNTV article I initially posted, titled "Twitter explodes over 'plus sized' Calvin Klein model" reported about Twitter and what the model was wearing: "Social networking site Twitter exploded over the weekend with tweets saying that Calvin Klein's newest ad campaign, 'Perfectly Fit,' features 27-year-old Myla Dalbesio modeling the brand's "plus sized" underwear." I have since not found anything saying Perfectly Fit is a plus sized brand.

Sorry for perpetuating the misunderstanding as to Calvin Klein.

The source of the "plus size" controversy seems to be the November 7, 2014, Elle article you linked to which discusses the model being "plus size" in the fashion industry:

Booking an underwear campaign for such an iconic brand would be a coup for any model. But it’s especially notable for Dalbesio, who, at a size 10, is what the fashion industry would—still, surprisingly—call “plus size.” (“In fact, not so long ago plus size models were around size 10-12, but that number has recently shrunk to an 8,” said Cosmopolitan earlier this year, while PLUS Model concurs that models “between size 6 and size 14” are typically considered plus size.)

 

[telephone89]

Considering regular models are like 0000, I can see how 10 is plus size. However I think she more accurately represents what 'average' is, and to be honest, is probably smaller than the 'average' woman in North America.