Emme: The Original Trailblazer Who Changed Everything
Melissa Owens Miller, known professionally as Emme, is an American plus-size model, social reformer and body image advocate. Emme gained worldwide fame as the first full-figured model chosen for People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People, first in 1994, then for a second time in 1999.
Tess Holliday: The Social Media Revolutionary
Wearing a size 22, Tess Holliday captured national attention when she graced the cover of People Magazine in 2015 under the groundbreaking headline: “The World’s First Size 22 Supermodel!” Standing at a relatively short 5’5″, she defies the conventions that curvy models need to be tall. What makes Tess truly groundbreaking isn’t just her size, but how she weaponized social media to challenge beauty standards. In 2013, Tess launched the Instagram hashtag #effyourbeautystandards, a social protest against the world’s beauty standard and aims to champion body positivity, which subsequently launched her into mainstream consciousness.
The red-haired model has starred in advertising campaigns for well-known brands like Torrid, H&M, and ModCloth, and in 2023, she signed on as an inclusivity consultant for H&M. Her path wasn’t easy though – the industry initially told her she was too short and too big, but she proved them spectacularly wrong.
Ashley Graham: The Mainstream Media Dominator
Ashley Graham made her debut on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2016, becoming the first size 16 model to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She appeared on the cover of Vogue in 2017, becoming the first plus-size model to appear in the magazine. This wasn’t just modeling – this was a complete cultural shift happening in real time.
American supermodel Ashley Graham has been on the cover of almost every major fashion magazine, walked in runways shows such as Michael Kors and Prabal Gurung, shot advertising campaigns for H&M and used her personal platform to promote body positivity. She’s done a TED Talk, has a book, and her own lingerie, swim, and dress collections. In March 2025, it was announced that Graham would make her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago from April 15 to May 25 of that year.
Crystal Renn: The Recovery Story That Inspired Millions
Crystal Renn famously suffered from anorexia to fulfill her modeling dreams, but after recovery she returned to the industry as a plus size model. Her story became a powerful testament to the dangerous pressures of the fashion industry and the beauty of recovery. Elle Italia featured Crystal Renn on its April 2008 cover, she appeared in A Call for Camp in Vogue Japan’s June 2011 issue, and Gaultier used plus-size models Marquita Pring and Crystal Renn in his Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear show.
What made Crystal’s impact so profound was her transparency about the eating disorder that nearly killed her pursuit of a traditional modeling career. Her transformation from a dangerously underweight straight-size model to a healthy, successful plus-size model became a rallying cry for body acceptance. She showed the industry that health and success could coexist beautifully.
Jill Kortleve: The High Fashion Boundary Breaker
Dutch model Jill Kortleve made a name for herself as one of the exclusive faces for Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection, and then as one of the few plus-size models to walk for Chanel. In fact, her first show with Chanel in 2020 was also the first time in 10 years that a plus-sized model had walked for the brand. Jill Kortleve has also worked with Michael Kors, Fendi, Jacquemus, Valentino and Kate Spade, as well as being a cover model for RUSSH, Harper’s Bazaar and several international editions of Vogue – including the April 2023 edition that starred her in a feature titled “The New Supers”.
Throwing a literal curve to the fashion industry, British Vogue tapped models Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee, and Jill Kortleve for the cover of its April 2023 issue, introduced as “The New Supers,” celebrating a new kind of supermodel rooted in representation. Jill represents something crucial – the normalization of curve models in luxury fashion spaces that were previously completely closed off.
Paloma Elsesser: The Instagram Discovery Who Conquered Fashion
Paloma Elsesser was discovered on Instagram, and she quickly rose to prominence and has since become a fixture in the fashion scene. She became the first curve model to walk for Fendi alongside Jill Kortleve and has been featured in campaigns for major brands like Fenty Beauty, Marc Jacobs, and Nike, showcasing her versatility. In 2023, she was the first plus-size model to win Fashion Awards for Model of the Year and also walked for Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in late 2024.
“It’s about more than just a picture – what we’re doing is creating a reference […] I always think about the 15-year-old girl sitting in her bedroom in Milwaukee who needs to see someone with boobs or a belly represented,” Elsesser told British Vogue. “I want her to know we can be chic, beautiful, and cool – to see all the possibilities.” Her approach combines activism with high fashion in a way that feels authentic and powerful.
Precious Lee: The Quiet Revolutionary
Precious Lee has been featured in campaigns for illustrious brands like Versace, Jimmy Choo, and MAC Cosmetics. Her magnetic presence, both on the runway and in print, has made her one of the most sought-after plus-size models today. “My mother called me a supermodel from the beginning,” says Lee. “Even when we were sitting in a waiting room at a casting with dozens of other girls, I was her super. Back then, I’d get annoyed with her. ‘Supermodel’ wasn’t a word I’d use to describe myself, even once I started ticking off the boxes.”
What sets Precious apart is her quiet confidence and consistent excellence. While other models might seek the spotlight through controversy or bold statements, Precious has built her reputation through pure talent and professionalism. Today, it’s safe to say Lee and her fellow cover stars are in a league of their own, as Elsesser, Kortleve, and Lee’s emergence in high fashion campaigns marked a shift in an industry that consistently ignored larger bodies, working toward a vision of purposeful fashion and imagery.
The Ripple Effect: How These Seven Changed Everything
These seven pioneers didn’t just open doors – they demolished entire walls that had kept the fashion industry trapped in outdated beauty standards for decades. Each understands the unique power she holds in empowering women around the world and revolutionizing the fashion industry. While visibility has improved, there’s still much work to be done, as Paloma Elsesser wrote: “I urge fashion to never let this momentum cease until seeing bodies and experiences like mine and beyond are no longer radical, no longer different; no longer rare.”
Today’s biggest names like Hunter McGrady, Yumi Nu, and countless others stand on the shoulders of these groundbreaking women. The path from Emme’s lonely pioneering days in the 1990s to today’s “New Supers” gracing British Vogue covers shows just how far we’ve come. Yet as these trailblazers remind us, the work isn’t finished until every body type feels represented and celebrated in fashion. Who would have thought that seven women could reshape an entire industry’s definition of beauty?
