Every day, we are inundated with images of slender models in the media. Yet, with the average dress size of women growing larger every year, we thought it might be nice to showcase some incredibly gorgeous women with more "real-life" figures.
Each of these ladies is curvy, voluptuous, and wears a size 12 or larger, and each one is guaranteed to get your heart racing just as much (or more!) as their slim model counterparts.
Tara Lynn
Tara Lynn is a plus-sized model who is best known for gracing the cover of the French Elle magazine. The article (and Lynn's gorgeous photos, like the one pictured above) was about the changing trends of fashion to accommodate more "real-sized" women, and it caused quite a stir in the fashion world. Lynn is a UK size 18, which is about a 14/16 on U.S. sizing charts.
Justine Legault
A native of Quebec, Canada, Justine Legault has been making waves in the plus-sized modeling world in recent years. She is 5'9" and a size 14.
Christina Mendez
Christina Mendez made history in the modeling industry by becoming one of the first Hispanic real-size models to be featured in major fashion campaigns.
Barbara Brickner
Barbara Brickner has maintained a plus-size modeling career for over 10 years. She has modeled for many plus-size designers; most notably for Italian company Elena Miro, appearing solo in their 2000 calendar. In 2000, Brickner launched a line of plus-size maternity clothing named BB Maternity, sold through U.S. department stores.
Silvia Rho
Silvia Rho is a Korean-American who is 5'10" and wears a size 16. She has done a lot of catalog work and has recently been signed by a modeling agency, so we're sure to see a lot more of her in the future!
Anansa Sims
Anansa Sims comes by her beauty honestly; her mother is supermodel Beverly Johnson, who was the first woman of color to grace the cover of American Vogue in 1974.
Natalie Laughlin
Natalie Laughlin was the first plus-size model to be on a billboard in Times Square. She is 5'9" and a size 12-to-14.
Ashley Graham
Ashley Graham is a plus-size model who is best known as a lingerie model for the plus-size clothing store Lane Bryant. She is 5'9" and a size 16.
Kate Dillon
One of the first of the plus size supermodels, Kate Dillon was also named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the year 2000. Dillon became anorexic as a teenager due to childhood teasing about her weight, then went on to become a fashion model. However, Dillon eventually transitioned to plus-sized modeling after consulting a nutritionist and putting on a healthy amount of weight for her 5'11" frame.
Fluvia Lucerda
Brazilian plus-sized model Fluvia Lucerda was working as a nanny in New York City, when a magazine editor approached and told her to consider becoming a plus-sized model. Lucerda is now an international model, considered by many in the modeling industry to be the "plus-sized Gisele Bundchen."
We found so many beautiful plus-sized women while writing this article, but we know this list is just scratching the surface! Feel free to contribute your own favorites.