Finally, A Documentary About Plus-Size Models
The modeling world is notoriously cruel to women above a size zero. Every fashion week, another story breaks about young women keeping their weight down by unhealthy means in order to maintain the industry’s expectations of thinness.
Which is why “A Perfect 14,” an upcoming documentary on plus-sized models currently seeking funding on IndieGoGo, is so refreshing.
Canadian filmmakers James Early O’Brian and Giovanna Morales want to show the body diversity in the modeling industry through the stories of bodacious, curvy ladies who fought against weight discrimination in the fashion world.
The trailer for the documentary focuses on three gorgeous ladies who’ve defied the body image expectations of designers and magazines: Elly Mayday, Laura Wells, and Kerosene Deluxe. Though each of these women has a different outlook on the industry, all three have fought against fat-shamers to carve out careers doing what they love.
The filmmakers also interviewed researchers, editors, and other fashion industry professionals about the distorted bodies that get sold on the runway.
“Bottom line is it’s a business,” one insider says in the trailer. “And guess what we’re buying? We’re buying the Caucasian skinny girl.”
It’s about time that we saw the women on the other end of the spectrum. As Daniella Sieukaran, an academic at Simon Fraser University, says in the trailer: “Weightism is pretty much the last acceptable version of discrimination.”
The filmmakers are hoping to raise $45,000 to complete the feature documentary. As of Tuesday, they had only raised about $5,500, so it may be some time before we see “A Perfect 14” in theaters. In the meantime, check out the trailer and be inspired.
