For Vanessa Marshall, a recent 50-pound weight loss proved nearly disastrous to her modeling career.
The 30-year-old Los Angeles resident had been enjoying a busy career as a plus-size model. She appeared in ads for Sears, Robinsons-May and J.C. Penney and did runway shows for Nordstrom and Macy's.
But when Marshall slimmed down from a size 16W to 12W, her bookings diminished too. West Coast fashionistas advised her that she was too small for many jobs.
"Losing the weight was the worst thing that ever happened to me," Marshall said half-jokingly.
Marshall said she got into plus-size modeling because of its emotional rewards.
"It was a relief to be appreciated for who I was, at the size I was, because in this culture we are so marginalized," Marshall said. "The culture's message has been, 'Slim down at any cost.' And when I was growing up, I indirectly picked up--though not from my family--that it wasn't OK for me to be myself."
Fortunately, Marshall, whose mother is actress Joan Van Ark, had other sources of income to keep her going when her modeling jobs dried up. She earns more than $100,000 annually from voice-overs and acting. She also does stand-up comedy. Yet she doesn't want to give up plus-size modeling, so she asked supermodel Emme for help.
Emme told Marshall that she shouldn't despair just yet. Though there isn't much work for size 12W ("W" connotes full-figure) models on the West Coast, there's far more available in New York, Emme said.
In fact, two other plus-size supermodels, Kate Dillon, who was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," and Angellika, the first plus-size model to be voted into the Modeling Hall of Fame, are size 12W-14Ws. They are constantly booked.
Would Marshall consider a move to New York to reignite her plus-size career? If she relocated, Emme said, she could contact agents at Wilhelmina's and Ford's plus-size divisions about representation. Marshall said she'd consider this.
Additionally, Emme said, demand for plus-size models is rapidly increasing. This will translate into more work for models throughout the plus-size range.
Sales of women's plus-size apparel totaled $26 billion last year, "making it the fastest-growing segment in the industry," according to a WWDGlobal report from Women's Wear Daily.
Designers such as Ellen Tracy, Jones New York, Tamotsu, Liz Claiborne and Donna Karan, among others, are offering plus-size apparel. Department stores such as Saks and Neiman Marcus also have introduced plus-size departments.
