My body was once a source of shame. Today, it made history

Weight is always a sensitive subject. Women’s weight especially.

I should know, I’ve spent half my life working as a model and far too many years equating my self-worth to a number on the scales.

When I was starting out, I’d follow fad diets and blame my body for not living up to what was perceived to be the perfect body type: a size zero and nothing less.

I lived in a constant cycle where my weight became either the highlight of my week or a hideous feeling of shame. How could it not be? Weight loss was victorious – it made you relevant. The thousands of magazine covers couldn’t be wrong!

I’m what many in the fashion industry refer to as “plus-size”, that is, anyone above the accepted Australian standard size six to eight.

Most Australian designers stop their pattern making at a size 14 and generally only use the sample size eight models on their fashion week runways. In decades past this would have been a cost issue as fabric itself was more expensive and the machinery to make each different size harder to program and facilitate. The fashion buyers for the different stores would order the garments they like in the sizes they like which would be made after the show.

On Thursday, I’m proud to have headlined the first ever dedicated curve show where models above a size 12 walked the runway at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week. “The Curve Edit” presented by Bella Management – the agency responsible for launching my modelling career – is a celebration of size inclusivity featuring designers who embrace extended size ranges.

Once upon a time putting on a runway featuring models above a size eight may have been a legitimate concern for designers because of the expenses involved. Now, modern-day garment factories allow you to order samples and fabric in any size at all.