TOUCHY SUBJECT

Size matters + V Mag's "Size issue"

This new year sees American V Magazine's latest issue which is dedicated to Plus-size women and I must admit it is refreshing to see a different picture for a change on the cover or within the pages of a fashion magazine. However, what really is V's reasoning for doing this issue? Is it just a publicity stunt or is V really onto something here.

When I saw these images I asked myself all these questions and more, but in the end what I saw was a 'Confidence Issue'. I think its time women got appreciated for being who they really are - Big, Small, Tall or Short. It really bugs me sometimes when the term 'Real women' is used to refer to Plus-size women and it is something that can easily be misunderstood but, to me what that little phrase stands for is 'Women of All Shapes and Sizes' and if you can embrace that by feeling absolutely comfortable under your own skin; the result can be a really beautiful thing - Just don't starve yourself til' you're stick thin or over-eat to the point of being obese.

The issue about size has always been a bit of a 'touchy-subject', not only in the fashion industry but in society for as long as I can remember. Others like to talk about it and some don't and then you have those who like to flaunt it and the ones who pretend like they don't care... OR do they? But I think size really does matter otherwise it wouldn't be an issue at all. But to what extend should we let it control our lives and ruin our self-esteem?

The debate over plus-size models really got heated last year when fashion designer Mark Fast decided to use size 14 models at London Fashion Week. At the same time, the popularity of Crystal Renn, the size 14 model, suggested that curvier models were becoming more acceptable although still many other people would beg to differ i.e Karl Lagerfeld who threw a tantrum late last year over the use and even the thought of Plus-size models on the catwalk or magazines but well I guess with the new year comes new thing and I was surprised that Karl was actually one of the photographers to shoot some of the pages in V's up-coming issue - I guess things do change and this could indeed be a fashion revolution especially now that Lagerfeld has boarded that ship. It would however be really interesting to know your thoughts on this so please feel free with or without the help of the questions below:
Do you think the fashion world should use more plus-size models? Is it a welcome tangent to the size-zero debate? Or perhaps you think this photo shoot is just a publicity stunt and the use of Plus-size models is only a passing thing? Which would you rather look at in a shoot, Slim OR Plus size models???