Plus Model Leona Palmer Talks About “Plus Size”, Stereotypes, Body Image, Health, Beauty, Media, and “Re-Shaping” Our World!

Plus model Leona Palmer is represented by Wilhelmina Models. She has landed some of the most coveted modeling jobs in the industry.  She has modeled for Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Kohl’s and various international department stores – just to name a few. She also posed for the cover of VeinteiTantos magazine and the national Playtex campaign including television commercials. She is amazing, smart, and thoughtful! 

We recently spoke with Leona. We discussed a wide range of topics related to the modeling industry, beauty, health, sizes, society, fashion, and the controversy surrounding the cover of the June 2010 issue of Glamour magazine.

Leona writes about these issues in a new Huffington Post article that was published this morning. She wrote an introduction for us regarding the article. The link to her Huffington Post article follows.

Those who are passionate about “Plus” are no strangers to the controversy, stereotypes, and high emotion surrounding dress sizes. I encourage all of us to think as broadly and inspired as possible about what it means to be “plus”; individually, physically, socially, and politically. The word “Plus” means something personal to each one of us, even while it covers a wide spectrum of women, and influences many a conversation. What makes us proud and empowered as women of any size? How does society impact our personal relationship to our bodies? How do we widen mainstream definitions of beauty? How do Health, Beauty, Advertising/Media, and Fashion all intersect? Society is ever changing; standards of beauty are ever shifting. We are at a time of total re-definition, a time when who’s included and who’s left out of certain ideals is breaking down. Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, and to live in a world that validates and reflects her experience. Let’s set our highest aims in “re-shaping” our world.

Hope you enjoy the Huffington Post piece!

-Leona Palmer

*Here is the direct link to Leona’s Huffington Post article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leona-palmer/plus_b_576191.html

Thank You, Leona! We look forward to our next interview with you!

What are your thoughts on this subject? What did you think of Leona’s article? What does being “plus” mean to you? What makes you feel proud and empowered? What media images of women do you want to see?

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