Model Myla Dalbesio has revealed that she doesn't feel she is large enough to be considered 'plus-size' and has admitted that she previously lied about her size and stuffed her clothes in order to secure modeling jobs aimed at bigger women.
While starring in a stunning photoshoot for Yahoo Style, the 27-year-old New Yorker explains that she has always felt like an 'in-betweener' in the fashion industry, with her size 10 figure too large for traditional jobs, but ironically too small for plus-size work.
'You get used to calling yourself a plus-size model when you’re not,' she said 'It has been hard. I can never figure out where I fit in, and I'm always making someone mad. I'm not skinny-skinny, but I'm not fat and fabulous either. I'm a size 10.'
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The in-betweener: Calvin Klein model Myla Dalbesio admits that her size 10 figure often makes her feel like an outsider because it doesn't fit with the typical fashion stereotypes
'I'm not skinny-skinny - and I'm not fat': The 27-year-old was first told she needed to lose weight, then her plus-size agents encouraged her to pile on the pounds
Natural beauty: Thanks to her starring role in Calvin Klein's 'Perfectly Fit' campaign, Myla is now making a name for herself as a respected model - without needing to lose or gain weight
Earlier this year, Myla found herself at the center of a global controversy, after she was named as the first ever 'plus-size' model to feature as the face of Calvin Klein's popular underwear range.
The brand's decision to feature Myla in the 'Perfectly Fit' ads sparked fury from some women who felt that she was 'in no way' big enough to be plus-size - a label that Elle magazine bestowed on her in an interview about the lingerie campaign.
'There’s been a whole public outcry about me not being as big people think I should be,' Myla added.
'They say, "What do you have to complain about? You have a great body." But if you’re a size 6 or 10, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to see yourself represented too.'
While some women have reacted with outrage at Myla's success however, she admits that there are those who have hailed her as an inspiration - and as a role model for women are themselves of an 'in-between' size.
'I never thought through modeling that I could make a difference, and it’s is really cool to hear,' she explained.
'I want to make money': The career-driven New Yorker is determined to make her mark on the industry
Late bloomer: While she didn't get her 'big break' until the age of 27, Myla is ready to make the most of her time in the spotlight
'I can see why plus-size women want someone who’s plus-size in their clothes, but I want to book jobs and make money too. The size 16 and 14 girls are my friends. I want them to be successful. I want to see them on the cover of magazines, but I want a piece too.'
Much of the model's career has seen her struggling to work out where she might fit within an industry which typically expects its stars to be wafer-thin.
When she was first scouted at the age of 16, while competing in her local Miss Teen Wisconsin beauty pageant, Myla was told by all of the agents she met with that she needed to lose at least 10 pounds before she would secure any work.
And while she admits to trying almost every diet plan going - including Weight Watchers and the South Beach diet - the constant pressure to lose weight became too much for her.
So, after struggling with bulimia, she began to look for work as a plus-size model, despite admitting that she didn't really believe she fit that label either.
Confusion: The model has never understood how or why she could be classified as plus-size
'I shop at normal stores': Myla has always found the fashion industry's size-based stereotypes too extreme
Rising star: Myla was first thrown into the spotlight when she starred in this ad campaign for Calvin Klein
'It was confusing to me to be labeled plus size,' she revealed.
'I thought, "I shop at normal stores." It’s so f****d up the way the fashion world is structured.'
It was during the start of her career as a plus-size model that Myla had to resort to using hip and butt padding in order to ensure that she filled out the larger clothing sizes that she was expected to wear.
And even then, agents often told her that she would need to keep piling on the pounds if she really wanted to make her mark on the fashion world, advice which Myla admits made her all the more insecure about her figure and had her worrying that she would never truly fit in.
Thankfully, having now established herself as something of a fashion star, the hip and butt padding pieces rarely need to make an appearance; these days brands want to work with Myla herself, the model - and body - that they have seen starring in the now-infamous Calvin Klein ads.
'I didn’t have my big break when I was 15 or 16, and for Calvin Klein to hire me at 27 - for me - is remarkable,' she says.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2876413/Size-10-Calvin-Klein-model-Myla-Dalbesio-isn-t-fat-fabulous-fit-fashion-industry-s-stereotypes.html#ixzz3M8FQd8pB
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