Losing weight proved to be a costly affair for plus-size model Katie Willcox [Watch Videos]
Runway models are known for their ultra skinny bodies. Some of them naturally look that way. But most of them resort to dieting nonstop, hardcore gym routines, or months of starvation in order to be thin and stay that way. Katie Willcox, a former plus-size model learned that even if she lost all the weight, she still didn't become a famous runway model. Instead, she slowly lost modelling jobs because she was either too small for the plus-size modelling industry or too big for the world of fashion.
Willcox, 30, revealed that she was loaded with offers as a plus-size model when she was a size 14 and weighed 200 pounds (90 kilograms). However, losing 40 pounds (18 kilograms) turned out to be a nightmare for her as she has lost most of her modeling projects. The New York-based model was just trying to have a healthier lifestyle and managed to reduce her weight within two years, but her new size cost her to lose her six-figure salary. Her salary dipped from $150,000 (AU $212,000) to about $25,000 (AU $35,300).
Her agency was not satisfied with her new look. They reportedly wanted her to either get back to her previous shape to look like a plus-size model or shed even more kilos to look like a regular runway model.
"Everyone said, 'You need to gain the weight back because you're too small. Or, 'We like your face . . . If you only had this [thinner] body you could be a supermodel'," Willcox told the New York Post.
Even though her husband Bradford, 42, a photographer and a former model and personal trainer liked her curves, he still helped her lose more weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle. She managed to reduce her weight to 140 pounds (63 kilograms) and a size 6. But Willcox said that she started to become a psycho about her body.
This turned out to be an eye opener for the former plus-size model and she decided to change her way of thinking. She thought that it would be better to promote a healthy body as opposed to an unhealthy one which is the norm in the modelling industry.
"Because you get rewarded for being unhealthy. If you starve yourself and look an inch away from dying, you could be a supermodel. Or if you gain 50 pounds, you can make $300,000 a year as a top plus-size model,” Willcox said.
Katie and Bradford eventually launched the "Healthy Is The New Skinny" (HNS) campaign, which turned into their own company. It aims to help girls find their wings and realise that their self-worth shouldn't come from their physical beauty. They even organised workshops in U.S. schools to teach girls about body image and self esteem.
The Willcox husband-and-wife team also started their own agency in Los Angeles and named it Natural Model Management. Along with this, the duo came up with their own leisurewear brand that they sell on their HNS website.
Watch the Healthy Is The New Skinny videos here:
Source: YouTube/Healthy is the New Skinny
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