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LOS ANGELES, Unites States — As a glamour photographer, even though I was attracted to curvy women, it has never occurred to me to work with them. Maybe it was the fact that I was working in Milan, where the idea of shooting with plus size models was as remote as can be, and all my clients used only size zero models.
It was only after I had broken up with my fiancé who was a full figured woman, and who asked if I would do a shoot of her, saying she always wondered why it had to be only the straight size thin girls to have the privilege to be considered for that kind of sexy and glamorous photography. This is what prompted me to include plus size models in my projects. Coincidently, the fashion world was starting to move in the same direction!
I started seeing many spreads with curvier girls on mainstream fashion magazines like Elle France or V Magazine etc.
As soon as I moved to Los Angeles, I wanted to make working with curvy models one of my priorities. I started contacting plus size magazines, agencies and stylists to organize photo shoots. I was sure the whole plus size industry would have open doors to facilitate my task since I was contributing to this new wave of change in the fashion industry.
My first exhibition in Los Angeles was “Glamorous Curves” showcasing portraits of some of the most beautiful plus size California models; the show was exactly one month before Vogue Italy‘s June issue about curves shot by Steven Meisel. The exhibition was very successful, the turnout was great and people appreciated my approach even if some warned that curvy is ok, but does not such initiative risk promoting obesity, which is a far bigger problem than anorexia? Alas, despite my numerous efforts to contribute with plus size magazines and model agencies, I stumbled against a wall! After I offered my contribution, which many hailed as a great opportunity to work with a fashion photographer who would bring a new twist as opposed to the regular photographer who shoots plus size, I was systematically turned down. I was discouraged by this fact and I decided to give up and just stick to my size zero world where I belong.
I have been seeing many articles and rants from the curvy communities, complaining about the mainstream fashion, that it is promoting only size zero or thin models as the ideal of beauty, but now that it is embracing curves, fashion might be ready for plus size, but is plus size ready for fashion?
Vogue cover by Steven Meisel
Wahb Glamorous
WAHB PHOTOGRAPHY
www.wahbphoto.com
