Why this model is flipping off the fashion industry on Facebook
23 year-old UK model Charli Howard stands at 5'8 and falls between UK 6 and 8 sizes (or US 2 and 4 sizes) which makes her sound like she falls well within the norm of straight-sized models.
However, Howard's modeling agency recently told her she was "too big" and "out of shape" to work in the fashion industry.
Howard got mad. Then she got even. The model took to Facebook to pen an open "F— You" letter to her modeling agency
"I will no longer allow you to dictate to me what's wrong with my looks and what I need to change in order to be 'beautiful' (like losing one f—in inch off my hips), in the hope it might force you to find me work," Howard says in her post. "I refuse to feel ashamed and upset on a daily basis for not meeting your ridiculous, unobtainable beauty standards, whilst you sit at a desk all day, shovelling cakes and biscuits down your throats and slagging me and my friends off about our appearance. The more you force us to lose weight and be small, the more designers have to make clothes to fit our sizes, and the more young girls are being made ill. It's no longer an image I choose to represent."
She goes on to awesomely defend her own body.
"In case you hadn't realised, I am a woman. I am human. I cannot miraculously shave my hip bones down, just to fit into a sample size piece of clothing or to meet 'agency standards'. I have fought nature for a long time, because you've deemed my body shape too "curvaceous", but I have recently began to love my shape. I don't have big boobs, but my bum is ok smile emoticon plus, a large majority of my clients are ok with this."
She wraps up by emphasizing that, even though she abhors how she's been treated by her agency, she still does love modeling.
"Ironically, I do love modelling — the people I've met, the places I've visited and I am proud of the jobs I've done. I will continue to do it, but only on my terms."
We are so glad that Howard did not take this one lying down and took a stand for herself. We hope her former agency heard her words and took them to heart, and we look forward to seeing her kick butt and take names in the fashion world.
To read the letter in full (it's awesome, but fair warning, f-bombs abound) check it out over here.
Related:
Why these body positive models are sharing their insecurities with the world
The best body confidence anthems in music history
Image via Instagram
