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Calvin Klein Plus Size Controversy: Calvin Klein Accused Of ‘Body Discrimination,’ Considers Plus Size A 10?

By Effie Orfanides
Published on: 05:40 PST, Nov 10, 2014

Calvin Klein is in a plus size controversy after debuting a new ad showcasing model Myla Dalbesio, who considers herself to be plus-size. According to the New York Times, Dalbesio is featured in the company’s new “Perfectly Fit” underwear ad. Interestingly enough, the fashion giant wasn’t trying to portray Dalbesio as a plus size model, and never called her such. The controversy came up when Dalbesio referred to herself as “not super skinny” during an interview.

“Calvin Klein never labeled Ms. Dalbesio a plus-size model or presented her that way in its ads. The conversation was prompted by an interview with the model in Elle magazine in which she talks about plus-size modeling, and the problems with being neither a super-skinny girl nor a really big one. She’s a size 10,” reports the New York Times.

The Calvin Klein plus size controversy has many people outraged because of body discrimination.

“I’m a bigger girl… I’m not the biggest girl on the market but I’m definitely bigger than all the girls [Calvin Klein] has ever worked with, so that is really intimidating,” said Dalbesio.

It’s unknown if CK hired the model because of her “bigger” frame, but Calvin Klein released a statement about the controversy, and what the statement said made people even more angry.

“The new Calvin Klein Underwear Perfectly Fit imagery features models Myla Dalbesio, Jourdan Dunn, Amanda Wellsh, Ji Hye Park and the face of the brand, Lara Stone, in several styles. The Perfectly Fit line was created to celebrate and cater to the needs of different women, and these images are intended to communicate that our new line is more inclusive and available in several silhouettes in an extensive range of sizes.”

Catering to all women, or trying to be inclusive of different women isn’t necessarily what people are getting from the new ad. Not all women are thin, and many even consider a size 10 thin. While a size 10 might be “big” for the industry, it’s actually more average in the real world. As you can probably imagine, the Calvin Klein plus size controversy has made serious waves on social media.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there was a similar outrage over mannequin’s at Top Shop earlier this month. Some people were totally put off by their pin-thin legs.

[Photo courtesy of Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine via Wikimedia Commons]

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