Iskra Lawrence is may be one of the very many lovely women who have Instagram entranced, but she is quite unique in more ways than one. The 25-year-old model from Worcestershire, England, is technically a plus-sized model in the industry. But she’s turned that into an asset for herself and others, making a name for herself with realistic ads and empowering female body-image campaigns. She explained the complexities of being labeled a plus-sized model last year to Cosmo. Check out some more of her photos, and her powerful words below.
Absolutely every time I’ve ever met anyone and I’ve told them I’m a plus-size model, [I get told I’m not plus-size enough] without fail! Even when I’ve booked jobs and I’m on set, stylists and hair and makeup artists have commented that I don’t look big enough to be a plus model. I try to re-educate them about what a plus-size model means. Many of us lead healthy lifestyles, train in the gym regularly, and are in great shape. We represent a huge range of not only sizes, but also shapes, which I find really beautiful. I’m very proud to say I’m a plus model. I’ve learned to love my body and be proud of all my curves, and I’m so, so grateful every day to be able to work in the industry I love at my natural size.It’s frustrating that society is so set on categorizing everyone. But in the fashion industry it is difficult—most samples of straight-size are a 0 to 4 and plus is 14 to 16. It costs more to produce a range of different sample sizes. It would just be nice if everyone could accept a range of different size models without having to label them all—we are models, not numbers.