The Objectification and Paternalistic Management of Plus-Size Models
Chapter in The Contemporary Reader of Gender and Fat Studies, edited by Amy Erdman Farrell
This chapter examines the role of fat stigma, discipline, and sexualization in plus-size modeling. Plus-size models enter the field of fashion and are soon controlled by paternalistic management practices. They engage in an aesthetic labor process that transforms them into marketable products. Under the gaze of the cosmetic panopticon, these models become docile bodies prone to disembodiment. Ultimately, the only progress made around the conversation over beauty and body positivity is that more types of bodies are subject to objectification.
Amanda M. Czerniawski 