Glamour features beautiful, nude plus size models

Looking for a reason to buy Glamour magazine this month? The November issue  features a beautiful photo of seven of the world’s most popular plus-size models, unabashedly nude.

The shot includes Crystal Renn, Amy Lemons, Ashley Graham, Kate Dillon, Anansa Sims, Jennie Runk and Lizzie Miller.

The shoot, according to the Glamour article, was a little different than many fashion shoots. “Gosh, it’s so nice that they’re feeding us,” Lemon said to the magazine. “When I was doing runway, all I was ever offered was water and champagne, all day long.”

Accompanying the photo is a long article titled “These Bodies are Beautiful at Every Size,”
about the movement to use more normal-sized models in fashion. It details the genesis of the photo, which was inspired by the response to a small photo of a naked Miller that appeared in the magazine’s September issue. Apparently, it hit a nerve with readers.

Why did this particular picture, at this particular moment, resonate with so many women? Some possible reasons: The recession has us all in a back-to-basics, tell-it-like-it-is mood, so realer images of women’s bodies seem appropriate now. Celebrities like Kate Winslet, Jessica Simpson and now, on page 182 of this issue, Scarlett Johansson have spoken out against a culture that nitpicks a woman’s every thigh dimple. First Lady Michelle Obama dresses to accentuate rather than camouflage her regal curves, and has the entire world swooning.

The photo was unveiled on The Ellen Degeneres show today. Four of the models pictured were on the show to discuss the picture — and why what you and I consider “plus” isn’t the definition the industry uses. Click here to watch.

You can check out the Glamour article here. Or show ‘em you support their choice by purchasing the issue — which features Scarlett Johansson on the cover — at the newsstands. Maybe if this issue is a hit, more magazines will feature real women.