10 Most popular Unphotoshopped Plus Size Models

Women of all shapes and dimensions are more optimistic than ever, thanks to the recent rise in body positivity. While many women have learned to love their bodies regardless of size, others feel they need to lose weight or work out to fit in or be accepted.

While it can seem impossible to achieve perfection, plenty of healthy women have proven that it’s possible without editing your photos to make them look perfect. Here are 10 of the most popular unphotoshopped plus-size models you should know about.

1. Ashley Graham

At size 16, Graham is a top model and has appeared on many magazine covers. Her recent Sports Illustrated cover kicked off a lot of discussion about her being plus-size. Yes, she’s still considered plus-size by mainstream standards, but that didn’t stop her from breaking records—she was the first curvy model to be featured in SI’s swimsuit issue.

This year’s annual Swim Week exhibition marked another milestone for Graham. He became one of only three models to have appeared in every show since its launch in 2013.

2. Tess Holliday

The 31-year-old model celebrated her birthday on Monday and marked another milestone: hitting one million followers on Instagram. The milestone makes Holliday, who is 5 feet 3 inches tall, a quadruple unicorn on social media, as she has four traits that are incredibly rare in one person.

She’s an internationally recognized model (with more than 1 million followers), she’s a popular Instagram user (over a million followers), she works for an influential agency and owns her own business.

3. Iskra Lawrence

Suppose I’m going to post something on Instagram. In that case, it’s not because it’s what everyone else is posting, but because it’s genuinely me. I try and live my life authentically. And if that means that in a photo, people see what cellulite looks like, or they see stretch marks, then so be it.

Iskra Lawrence In addition to being unafraid of showing skin online, Lawrence has also spoken about body image issues and bullying. In an interview with HuffPost Live last year, she mentioned, “I truly think bullying stems from ignorance.”.If you have body image issues yourself, you need to work on that. She also told Yahoo! Beauty: Body shaming needs to stop.

It’s pretty cool when someone already famous for their appearance uses their platform for good. It shows us that even those considered beautiful by society can still feel insecure about themselves. This makes her all-the-more relatable as she encourages women (and men) everywhere to love themselves just as they are.

4. Paloma Elsesser

Modeling debut: ELLE Italy in October 2014 / Born in Paris to a Dutch mother and Tunisian father, Paloma first appeared on magazine covers at age 14 after getting scouted at her local mall. Since then, she has walked for numerous brands like BCBG Max Azria and John Galliano.

She recently made waves after being named one of *Vogue*’s *Top 30 Under 30*, an honor she shares with Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Anna Ewers—and she’s two years younger. Then all of them!

5. Lizzie Miller

Miller is one of today’s most popular models. She is a plus-size model featured in Elle, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, etc. Miller recently posed for a Truth campaign by Ashley Graham, who worked with photographer Ben Hassett to shoot a series of ads that showed models with stretch marks.

Miller stated I feel like if we can get people to acknowledge their bodies, they can start making changes if they need or want to.

6. Danielle Vanier

At 5’10 and a size 16, Vanier is perhaps one of the plus-size models who has received some of the most media attention. She appeared on America’s Next Top Model. She walked in at least one runway show before returning to her native Canada.

As someone who actively promotes body acceptance in both her professional and personal life, Vanier has been an advocate for change both in front of and behind a camera lens. And she’s not done yet—Vanier continues to run workshops focused on image, fashion, beauty, and empowering women by helping them realize their true potential. 

7. Candice Huffine

Huffine made headlines recently when she signed a deal with Nordstrom to be one of their official spokesmodels. I don’t want to be in an industry where I’m not welcome, Huffine told People magazine.

As plus-size women, we should be able to dress how we like, feel good about ourselves and shop at any store that we want. She may be on a mission to teach others to appreciate their bodies. More than ever before, I feel compelled to show women that they can embrace and love themselves, she said in an interview with The Huffington Post.

8. Georgia Pratt

At 5 feet 7 inches and size 12, Pratt is built like most real women: her thighs touch, she has love handles, and a double chin—not to mention imperfect features.

If Pratt looks familiar to you, that’s because she was a contestant on Cycle 6 of America’s Next Top Model. People can’t get enough of her charisma and realness because they keep asking her back—including plus-size magazine Voluptuous Vixens.

9. Adriana Lima

The sultry Brazilian model Adriana Lima is one of Victoria’s Secret Angels. At 5 feet 11 inches tall, Lima may not be a petite lingerie model, but she’s got curves in all of the right places. Her body measurements are a bra size 34D and a waist of 28 inches. Her striking looks have landed her on numerous World’s Sexiest Woman lists and in magazine spreads for Vogue and Elle.

10. Hunter McGrady

Twenty-two years old, Hunter McGrady is a plus-size model with a staggering 11.5 million Instagram followers—and she’s only been modeling for two years. She’s also one of Sports Illustrate d’s most popular models; her #CurvyGirls Rock line has consistently been one of SI’s top sellers in recent months.

Conclusion

Thinking about your body image and self-confidence can be hard for anyone. Still, it’s particularly challenging for women who are plus size. That doesn’t mean that these women should avoid modeling altogether, though. The models on our list prove that you don’t have to conform to a certain beauty standard to look beautiful or feel confident.

Being plus size doesn’t mean that you aren’t attractive or worthy; you have a different body shape than those we’ve been conditioned to think of as perfect. While many argue that we need more unretouched photos of plus-size models in magazines, we need more media exposure of all kinds — unretouched images and otherwise — of different body types.