Plus Size, a Curvy Community in Fashion Exile... Since the 14th century fashion has played a major role in shaping our society. Fashion has relied on, musicians, cultural icons, media, and even political leaders to influence what we wear. For too long we have allowed fashion to dictate what is good, what is acceptable, and what is valuable, affecting how we feel and think about ourselves and others. Fashion has separated us into groups, no doubt contributing to negative stereo types, intolerance and discrimination. Even with all the progress in the world today, the size of fashion has made little to no change, causing confusion about what is truly beautiful. Fashion has created an unrealistic size standard, making it impossible for the average woman and girl in America today to live up too. That same standard has virtually excluded Life Size and Plus Size models from the runway, from representation, and from the recognition that they deserve. Controversy over extremely thin, shapeless, and even emaciated looking models walking the runway, was exposed when a couple young models died of heart failure, after starving themselves to keep up with the designers expectations and to maintain the size standards set by the fashion industry. This saturated the media in 2006-2007 and self-esteem issues of being plus size was the hottest trend on daytime talk shows. Suddenly super models were coming out of retirement, revealing healthier, more voluptuous bodies, sharing stories about their constant battles with self esteem, bulimia and anorexia. Curvy celebrities, no longer someone\'s arm accessory, were adorned in designer gowns, proudly walking the red carpet, and gracing the covers of magazines. Since then, there have been attempts to put plus size models on more of an equal playing field as Straight size models, and the road has been paved with many good intensions, and even more set-backs along the way. But is it enough As society rapidly changes, it reshapes our minds, how do we, as a plus size community take advantage of reshaping society as a whole Easy, by coming out of exile, by banding together to set a new standard, starting with the fashion industry, by using the same influences fashion has used for decades. We need to promote a new healthy standard any chance we can get, though press, media, charity events, celebrity functions. We need to support plus size events and plus size designers such as; Anna Scholz, Jessica Svoboda, Kiyonna, Abby Z, igigi, Belle Avenue, just to name a few! We need to support e-zines such as Plus Model Magazine, Bombshell magazine and Venus Diva and demand that they go mainstream, demand that they be more than just an online magazine, we want to see them in print, on the shelves and into the hands of plus size women and young girls everywhere. Plus size models should not be banished to just catalog, plus size models need to be apart of mainstream fashion, that includes commercial and couture. The average size woman in America today wears a size 12-14, we need to implore designers to take this road less traveled and start looking at consumers, with an eye of reality, then and only then the change can begin. By signing this petition you are agreeing to lend a voice to our cause, please, PLEASE support a new, healthier standard in the fashion industry today.

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