‘We were a trend’: What it’s really like to be a curve model in the age of Ozempic

“The pressure to shrink myself just to remain acceptable in the industry was intense.”

In 2019, New Zealand-born Isabella Moore’s modelling career was on the rise. Following some work in Aotearoa, she was quickly signed to IMG in Sydney and built up a strong portfolio before moving to London, where she signed with Milk Management.

Within two weeks of signing, she was already working – going from castings and go-sees into campaigns and ecommerce shoots. She felt like her career was really taking off. More interest from agencies in the US and across Europe followed and eventually, a contract with Modellink in Sweden, which opened up even more opportunities. Isabella started travelling globally for work, shooting with brands like H&M, Amazon and River Island, and magazines like Glamour.

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“It felt like I was really starting to make a name for myself as an internationally recognised plus-size model,” she tells me. Even when the pandemic hit in 2020, Isabella still managed to work enough to stay in London instead of heading back to Auckland.

“I felt so hopeful about where things were heading. It seemed plus-size models were booked and busy at the time, particularly UK sizes 16 to 20 (the equivalent to 14 to 18 in Australia]. We were being booked not just for commercial or lifestyle jobs, but for editorial, campaigns and even TV commercials. It was such an exciting time!”

Six years later, it seems the same industry that accelerated her career is now pulling the brakes. Year on year, the number of curve and plus-size models on fashion week runways is declining. So what’s changed?

This is the key question asked in Cutting the Curve, a recent docuseries produced by Radio New Zealand that investigates the shrinking presence of curve and plus-size models in the global fashion industry. The series centres around Isabella’s story and is punctuated by her incredible voice (aside from modelling, she has a successful career as a professional opera singer), featuring cameos from other globally-recognised names in fashion, such as UK model and writer Felicity Hayward.

Model and writer Felicity Hayward. Photo / Notable Pictures

When I catch Isabella for an interview, she’s in Todi, Italy, finding time between performances in the OperAffinity festival to answer my questions. As an editor in fashion media who has read (and written) about the industry’s concerning backslide into a super skinny aesthetic, I’m curious to hear, from her perspective, what that actually feels like.

Fashion Journal: Hi Isabella! At the start of your modelling career, when the industry was experiencing momentum in terms of more size diversity, what do you think was driving that?

Isabella: I think it was a combination of social media [giving] exposure to diversity, voices that aren’t normally amplified having a say, as well as consumer demand. I think once we got a glimpse of models like Ashley Graham on the runway and in campaigns, we felt seen and finally felt a sense of belonging and acceptance.

People felt more confident to speak up about the lack of representation and brands couldn’t ignore it anymore. There was a real shift where curvy women realised we don’t have to accept one narrow beauty standard, we can celebrate all shapes and sizes! It was a hopeful time because it felt like real change was happening.

Why do you think the change didn’t stick?

The fashion industry always reverts back to thinness because it seems to be the ‘safest’ option in the eyes of those at the top. When the hype around body positivity stopped trending, celebrities and public figures began to shrink, and weight loss drugs became more accessible. It appeared many brands quietly went back to what they knew: small sizes and thin models.

Photo / Notable Pictures

Watching the series, it was pretty startling to hear the actual numbers about the decline in curve and plus-size models on runways, dropping by 50 per cent. When did you start noticing the industry slipping backwards?

I really started noticing the decline in 2022. For me, it’s marked by when Kim Kardashian openly admitted she was trying to lose weight to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress for the Met Gala. I’m a firm believer in ‘your body, your choice’, but when you have such a huge following as she does, you have a responsibility regarding what messages you’re putting out there. It [sent] a clear message that you need to shrink yourself to be accepted.

In terms of my modelling, I really felt it in 2023 when I returned to London after NZFW. I had less work come through, and I noticed brands who once booked me regularly were either using much smaller curve models (now known as mid-size models) or just completely stopped including curve. Some brands even scrapped their plus-size lines altogether.

In your experience, how have attitudes to curve models changed now, and how is it affecting your career?

Personally, I feel like brands are ticking a box now rather than making a real effort. Some who were leaders in inclusivity are still using curve models, but doing the bare minimum possibly just to avoid being called out. Others have stopped booking models above a size UK 14 (AU/NZ 12) and when they do feature plus-size models, it’s usually a very famous name or influencer, which feels inauthentic and more like PR than progress. As a UK 18 (AU 16), this has impacted me directly. I’ve lost some of my regular clients because they no longer shoot my size.

For the industry to truly become a more inclusive place,  where does the pressure need to come from?

It has to start at the top with the major designers and brands who influence the rest of the industry. If Paris, Milan, London and New York Fashion Weeks all suddenly sent diverse bodies down the runway, it’s pretty safe to assume everyone else would do the same.

Casting directors, brands and even consumers would take note, pay attention and follow their lead. Consumers can also demand change, but so many of us have been conditioned for decades to think we’re the problem if we don’t fit the standard.

Ozempic is a major topic in the series. What’s it like to be a curve model in the age of Ozempic?

I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard to be a curve model right now. I’ve heard haters saying we’re just whining and desperately trying to stay relevant when we’re not what the world wants because our bodies are no longer trending… But (and I’ll keep screaming it from the rooftops) bodies aren’t trends!

Towards the end of 2023, I was roughly a UK 20 (AU 18) and I went about six weeks without work. I started to panic and genuinely feared that my size was the reason I wasn’t booking jobs. At one of my lowest points, I even considered taking a weight-loss drug.

The pressure to shrink myself just to remain acceptable in the industry was intense. Ultimately, I chose not to take it because I don’t believe GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic should be used for cosmetic reasons — they have a legitimate medical purpose, and chasing a ‘skinny’ aesthetic isn’t one of them.

Photo / Notable Pictures

I was struck by a conversation you had with your mother in the series, where she talks about diet culture and the beauty standards of the ’80s. Do you think fashion has really become a more inclusive space since then?

After making this documentary and everything I’ve reflected on, I feel fashion has never truly been inclusive. I think what we’ve seen has mostly been performative with only profits in mind and not people. Seeing the rise of GLP-1 drugs and the return of ‘skinny is in’ really clarified that for me.

Like I say in the documentary, “It pains me to say… we were a trend.” Many of us hoped that the body positive movement marked real progress, but this experience has made me realise just how much still needs to change, especially in the way we view, respect and accept our own bodies.

In the series, you say you want to have “unshakable faith” in yourself. How do you tune out the noise of diet culture and comparison that is still so prevalent today? 

For me, it’s about protecting my peace and remembering that my worth has nothing to do with my size. A practical tip is remembering that someone else’s opinion of you, good or bad, is none of your business. You choose how you feel about yourself and your opinion is the only one that matters. It’s not always easy, but it’s a battle worth fighting!

Those of us who are active on social media are exposed to a lot — often very conflicting and hurtful messages that undermine all our good ‘soul’ work. So, I tend to monitor who I’m following closely and make sure I surround myself with like-minded people who share in my values.

What would you like to see from fashion media and brands to improve representation of curve and plus-size models?

I would love to see real diversity behind the scenes. We need diverse voices not only in front of the camera, but in decision-making roles — in creative direction, leadership and casting. I think for authentic change and improved representation to take place, we need to see people from different cultures and backgrounds stepping in to offer fresh perspectives and innovative ideas the industry hasn’t seen before. And hopefully, change that lasts!

For more on Cutting the Curve, try this.