Although the modeling industry has lately been featuring more shapely models like Bella Hadid, it seems those instances are still the exception, not the rule.
A British model, Charli Howard, has gone viral after posting a long note to her Facebook that offers a glimpse into the real pressures of non-celebrity models. Despite being a size 2 (US), the naturally thin model was told she was ‘too big’ and ‘out of shape’ by her former modeling agency.
“I refuse to feel ashamed and upset on a daily basis for not meeting your ridiculous, unobtainable beauty standards, whilst you sit at a desk all day, shoveling cakes and biscuits down your throats and slagging me and my friends off about our appearance. The more you force us to lose weight and be small, the more designers have to make clothes to fit our sizes, and the more young girls are being made ill. It’s no longer an image I choose to represent,” were just some of the words she wrote in her post.
In her post to Facebook, Charli proclaimed “I will no longer allow you to dictate to me what’s wrong with my looks and what I need to change in order to be ‘beautiful’ (like losing one f***ing inch off my hips), in the hope it might force you to find me work.”
Charli stands at 5’8″ and is naturally a size 2 in U.S. In the past, she had whittled her already thin frame down to just over 100 lbs., but her agency still didn’t think she was thin enough.
Despite the issues she has faced, Charli still loved modeling, and hopes to find an agency that will represent her as she is.
“Ironically, I do love modeling – the people I’ve met, the places I’ve visited and I am proud of the jobs I’ve done. I will continue to do it, but only on my terms. My mental and physical health is of more importance than a number on a scale, however much you wish to emphasize this,” said Charli.
Watch the video below to see the interview she gave after her Facebook post went viral:
Can you believe they told this model that she was too big? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
[Featured image credit: Charli Howard]