Defining Plus-Size

Plus-size model Robyn Lawley made waves on the internet a couple of weeks ago by posting an unedited, bikini-clad photo of herself on Instagram:

The controversy? That Lawley is defined as plus-size.

Many were outraged that the tall, thin model could ever be considered too curvy or heavy for “normal-size” modeling. But the lanky (6’2″!), Size 12 beauty is certainly plus-size when you consider that the average American model wears a Size 0 and that Size 6 is often considered plus-size.

So, yes, Lawley is thin and yes, she’s plus-size. In an industry where skinny is lauded at all costs, where models’ “flaws” are airbrushed into oblivion, and where Size 000 now exists, Lawley, though thinner than the average American woman, is simply too big for mainstream modeling.