Short rant...
Have decided (again) to embrace the chubby side of me on my mum's advice. She made me notice, for the first time in my life, that I always look at thin girl fashion, online or on paper support. And that it might be better if I looked at fat girls' stuff straight away, so I could have an clear idea of how an outfit would look on my body. I started doing that about 2 weeks ago.

While I've been enjoying the pics, I'm coming to an inevitable and painful conclusion: I DON'T FIT! even on chubby gurlz platforms!

These models have large feminine hips, so no wonder outfits look good on them.
They have large breasts which I don't have.
Their face, chin and neck are so well defined...not my double (or triple) chin.
And their limbs are oh so toned! No flab as you'd expect to see in a big gurl.

I sure know the pics can be photoshoped, but hey...

It's good to see how good I can look if I dress to fit my morphology...but looking at these pics don't make me feel better.

Looking at models can be depressing. Seemingly perfect skin, teeth, hair and in proportion. It is the skin that always gets me. I am sure you know this but not even the models look like their pictures. I work in fashion and I have seen them all shapes and sizes and they do NOT look like their pictures. They also hate parts of their bodies too. They get constantly criticised and told what is wrong with their physique instead of what is right. I would not want a child of mine to model after seeing it all first hand.

So don't worry. Everyone has body issue even with clothing fitting. If you saw how some clothes really fit these girls!

Best tip. Go shopping and find the styles that really work for you. Photograph yourself and develop your own style and catalogue of brands that work with you. It helps to take a friend who is honest and whose style you admire to push you to try things you may not have considered. I shop with all sorts of women of all body types and I guarantee that the right cuts and clothing are out there for everyone and it is possible to look amazing with any body shape.

Good luck! I am sure you are just as lovely as those models. Remember they have photoshop and stylists making them look that good :-)

Big thanks for the tips, I miight be trying them soon.

I feel for you! The models are often not even "plus size." They're just super skinny. Also, as stated above, photoshop/airbrushing and a team of stylists can make SUCH a difference. Have you ever seen a photo of Oprah without makeup? That is reality. Look at her on her show and her magazine as a comparison and you'll see the reality of what happens. I also think you should just focus on yourself and your health and not worry about models. After all, they are known to be "freaks of nature" when it comes to their level of attractiveness and they're enough to make anyone feel inadequate.

As with regular sized models, plus sized models are a rare breed in the general population. Proportions must still fit into a certain shape, no overt rolls, fairly even layer of smooth fat all over, etc. Very few plus sized women look like that. Just sayin'. And yes they are all quite photo shopped especially with skin blur to make them have a smoother glow. Been in the industry, seen it. If you want to see the real plus size models, try to find a youtube of a plus size runway show since, although they have stylists and hair/makeup help, the real girl is out there for all to see.
You might google 'dressing for your shape' or a similar sort of phrase to help you accentuate what you like best about your body. And please DO find something to like about your body, even if you decide not to lose weight at this time.

Yeah, I call BS on all those plus size models because they still fit the standard of beauty and I would even argue that plus size models are more in line with the male standard of female beauty than in the fashion magazines.

I mean Christina Hendricks is always being named the sexist woman even though she is a size 12. Which is great but she also has her fat in all the right places. If all my fat was in my boobs and butt I'd be happy as a size 12.

I actually read an article awhile ago about plus size models' workout routines. It seem that they keep as high of a workout / diet regimen as their thinner counterparts. This is probably why they have such an incredible figure despite being "plus size". I'm guessing the only thing they do differently is intake a higher number of calories to maintain their weight.

When women's bodies are working the way they are ideally supposed to, we are supposed to gain our extra fat on our hips and busts.
I have hormone imbalances (PCOS and Insulin Resistance) and retain way too much weight around my stomach in comparison to everything else. And from what I've read it seems that generally people with PCOS/IR gain around their waist.

Aside from having good genetics I'm sure, I'm assuming the diet and workout regimen these models are kept on are set up in a way to keep their bodies in tip-top shape and ensure they don't gain fat in undesirable areas.

So while looking at these models, please don't get depressed! Realize they are getting paid to have their bodies look incredible 24/7. It's their career! I'm sure they spend hours a day with trainers working on their figure, which is not realistic for the rest of us.

Your mothers advice to start looking at plus sized models isn't bad advice, it's coming from a good place. However, why is it necessary to look towards something in a magazine? It's time well spent to leave those things alone for a while and focus on your internal mind. You don't needs external gratification or approval to exist. If you want to see a reflection of you look no further than the mirror. Get to know her, love her, accept her and appreciate her. When you have true appreciation for your own body then those silly little magazines have no hold over you. Trust me, I've been there.

The fashion industry earns money by keeping you feeling insecure. If you don't feel insecure then you buy their products be yet facial creams, Botox, name brand clothing, expensive hair cuts etc. The worse you feel the more likely you'll buy the stuff they're trying to sell you. It's a ploy, don't fall for it.

Not only is it a ploy, it's a complete lie. Nobody looks like that. Wasn't it Cindy Crawford who famously said once "I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford." I ran into Kate Moss downtown once, she asked to bum a cigarette frome me. Her face was covered in pimples and her hair was stringy. It's a sham.

I got the chance to be behind the scenes of the fashion shows (not like New York, Paris or Miami just a little independent ones in San Fran no one famous so I have no celebrity dirt ) and I have to say the skinny models don't look very good. Most eat like birds and smoke a lot and only drink diet coke. All of which does terrible stuff to the skin and you look unhealthy. The make-up and clothes saves them.

The prettiest girls there were the ones who ranged from a size 6-12, they ate normal though they obviously avoided the pastry table and other stuff. They were all on the Perricone diet (which is expensive so don't bother unless you can afford it) and exercised regularly. They also seemed to exercising that they liked and had goals. Like they were talking about running marathons or doing Tough Mudders or bicycle racing. They also told me they always have a cup of vegetable soup before dinner because it helps with over eating. Their skin was flawless! And obviously they were the nicest because everyone treated them like plus-size models meaning they weren't "real" models. It was pretty annoying!

Perhaps we have seen different models, but I've seen multiple VS models and they look if anything, even more beautiful in real life - Alessandra Ambrosio, Chanel Iman, Karlie Kloss, Ana Beatriz Barros. Randomly the girl who played Rory from Gilmore girls too, her skin was so glowy I noticed it from across the platform. usually I see them around the Whole foods/organics store area and from what I read, they really maintain themselves and from pics of them as kids, they also have genes on their side as well.

I also live above a supermodel and her sister - she does more high fashion runway, and has been doing it for years, smokes like a chimney and yes, even in reg old sweats walkin around? (not one of the young ones either) her and her non-model sister GLOW. Beautiful people exist everywhere and for every beautiful person, there are people who are even better looking, and if they are in the looks industry, I'm sure that they all know it. Just like for every rich and successful person, there are those who are wealthier and have done more etc - it never ends. The way that I see it, unless I was guaranteed a career from it, it hasn't hindered life in any way. If we think about all the happy people in our lives, I'm sure its a mix of physically beautiful (at least amongst mainstream standards) and those who aren't.

If you have access to old episodes of What Not to Wear, I'd recommend watching them. Clinton and Stacey had a lot of good advice for their guests, who almost never had ideal figures. And FWIW, most men I have talked to have told me they don't like to see skinny models with toothpick legs.

I don't know if we should decide how happy we are with our bods on hypothetical men or even what the men we know like. Some men like tattoos or a certain hair color, doesn't mean that it matters if any of us fulfill that desire. Plus there are many men who like runway model bodies, just as those who don't. I mean, a lot of posts here are people who are stunned that muscular guys like very overweight women, but they genuinely do - it is their personal body preference, and it can swing to the other extreme. Or they like it all. I know a lot of guys who say the same the same things and as soon as a "toothpick" runway model ad pops up I see them light up LOL or they check out those types of women.

I see that they charge more for plus size ladies jeans and sweaters, and dresses that are contemporary. Doesn't seem fair, but I suppose they do use more material. Then how do they explain charging more for specialty sizes like petite and x small sizes? Capitalism based on supply and demand of the MIA sized crowd?

I hear ya! I look at some plus size clothing sites and first off, a lot of them I wouldn't even consider plus size. But the girls that are a little bigger still have perfect and curvy bodies. I have just come to terms with what looks good on models will most likely not look the same on me. I know for the most part materials and cuts that look good on me. I know things that look ruffly and cute on the model will look like a tent on me.

The key word in plus sized model is MODEL, my friend

They're selling a product with their bodies, even if their bodies are larger than normal they are still exemplary and beautiful as fits the type. That's what they work toward and are paid to do.

Them being beautiful and fitting a particular type doesn't make YOUR type less beautiful. Be the best you can be and stop comparing to an industry standard or media ideal, of ANY size. I know it is hard, but it is a lesson worth learning. We all age and beauty is so fleeting, but knowing and loving yourself wherever you are at is going to last you a lifetime. Work on your body for you, sure, but don't try to become someone you were never meant to be or compare yourself to some other woman's image. That way is pure foolishness and discontent.