The definition of a plus-size model might be surprising: in the fashion industry, plus-size models are defined as being those who are size 8 and up, when in the real world the average size of an American woman is now between 16 to 18, which is an increase from 10-year-old data that indicated most women in the U.S. were a size 14.

When thinking of a famous plus-size model, Ashley Graham’s name was about the only one that would pop to mind. But as diversity becomes an increasing focus in the fashion industry, more and more plus-size models are becoming household names. These women not only have millions of fans on social media but are appearing on the runway, red carpet and cover of magazines. 

Below is a list of world’s most famous plus-size models. 

1. Ashley Graham

30-year-old American supermodel Ashley Graham is one of the most popular faces in the modeling industry and especially for women who classify themselves as curvy. Graham prefers the  term “curvy” over “plus-size”. 

She is a Designer and an advanced bodybuilder. She has appeared on almost every major fashion magazine such as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, SELF, Glamor, Bust, Sports Illustrated, Elle, and YM magazine. 

She has walked in runways shows such as Michael Kors and Prabal Gurung, shot advertising campaigns for H&M and used her personal platform (she has 7.3m followers on Instagram alone) to promote body positivity. she’s also done a TED Talk, has a book, and her own lingerie, swim, and dress collections.

2. Ashley Alexiss

Ashley Alexiss is a famous American model. She was born on November 25, 1990. Besides modeling, she is also famous for the breast cancer awareness campaign named Cleavage for the Cure. She worked in Local and International magazines.

3. Barbie Ferreira

Barbie Ferreira is a young American model and actress. Ferreira loves her body and exudes confidence in her looks, which has helped her become not only a model but also a role-playing figure for many girls. Her Instagram is a great example of body positivity. 

Ferreira first started modelling after sending photos of herself to American Apparel. Today, she is one of the biggest body-diversity advocates. 

Ferreira is increasingly seen in lingerie campaigns, such as in the lookbook of the feminist brand Me and You and on the set of T Magazine, Self, and Seventeen.    

4. Kate Wasley

Kate Wasley was born on April 16, 1994, in Perth, Australia. She rose to social media fame as one half of Instagram duo @any.body_co, where she and friend Georgia Gibbs share photos of themselves to social media to promote body positivity and self love at any size. Now Kate is being recognised internationally shooting for Sports Illustrated earlier this year.

5. Tara Lynn

Tara Lynn is a plus-size model from Tacoma, United States. She is most often shooting lingerie and swimwear campaigns, but the 36-year-old mother has also graced the cover of international fashion magazines and has starred in campaigns for brands such as H&M.   

6. Robyn Lawley

Robyn Lawley is an Australian plus-size model and fashion designer. She was born on June 13, 1989. 

She started modeling at the age of sixteen and was the first to ever appear in a campaign for Ralph Lauren and shot for some of the world’s biggest fashion magazines. She was on the covers of French Elle and Vogue Italia. She was also the first model for Mango’s plus-size line, Violeta by Mango.                               

In 2013, she penned an essay calling out the ‘thigh gap’ trend for being unhealthy and unnecessary.

7. Paloma Elsesser

Paloma Elsesser was born on April 12, 1992, in Camden, London, England, UK. She grew up in Los Angeles, California. Later on, she moved to New York City in 2010.                                         

The 26-year-old shot to fame after she appeared on Glossier billboards and as a face of Fenty Beauty and has appeared on the cover of US Vogue.

8. Iskra Lawrence

Iskra Lawrence is probably best known for her work with lingerie like American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie, and Adore Me. She has gained a huge fan base for posting her self portraits on Instagram without retouching them, on which she has more than 4.5 million followers. 

She uses her platform to promote body positivity and to remind her followers that what they see on social media isn’t real. She also runs the YouTube channel, everyBODYwithIskra, where she posts workout videos and encourages her fans to love the skin they’re in. 

9. Nadia Aboulhosn

Nadia Aboulhosn is a famous fashion blogger, model, and designer from Orlando, Florida. She is of Lebanese descent. 

Aboulhosn has been broadcasted in Vogue Italia, Complex Magazine, Refinery29, Seventeen Magazine, Teen Vogue, American Apparel, and BuzzFeed.  She uses her platform to promote self-acceptance and self-empowerment.

10. Candice Huffine

A former teenage beauty queen, Candice Huffine signed her first commercial modelling contract in 2000 and now fronts high fashion campaigns worldwide. She was also published in many magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. She’s an Instagram sensation, a body-positivity advocate and she has her own athleisure label, Day/Won. 

11. Denise Bidot

Denise Bidot is an American plus-size model. She is of Puerto Rican and Kuwaiti origin.

In 2014, Denise Bidot became the first plus-size model to walk two runway shows at NYFW. The 32-year-old launched a lifestyle movement called ‘There’s no wrong way to be a woman’ in 2016 and has modelled for Chromat, Nordstrom, Zizzi Clothing and Lane Bryant. 

12. Jessica Leahy

Jessica Leahy is a famous plus-size model from Australia. Her curvy voluptuous body figure leaves everyone amazed. The plus-size model made headlines in the news after being sexually assaulted on a train in Australia by an unidentified man.

13. Tess Holliday

Tess Holliday is an American plus-size model, blogger, and makeup artist based in Los Angeles. She is the largest professional model in the world and wears the 60th clothing size with a height of 1.65m.

14. Danika Brysha

The curvy model was signed with IMG Models. She modeled for various clothing brands like Forever 21, Target, and Kohls. She is also the founder and CEO of the Model Meals healthy food delivery series. She modeled alongside several other stars, including Kayla Ewell.

15. Tabria Majors

A woman of color and a plus-size model, Tabria Majors, strongly believes in the idea of ​​large, curvy women being as sexy as normal models. She left a steady 9 to 5 job to pursue plus-size modeling after a modeling agency approached her.

16. Bishamber Das

UK-raised Das is of both Indian and Malaysian descent, and she is fiercely proud of both her origins and her body. She has modeled for a countless ad campaign such as Yours Clothing and Nubian Skin.