If you shop in stores or online on a daily basis, you’ve probably noticed more than the new arrivals from your favorite clothing chains. I’m referring to plus sizes. Before it was rare for main stream stores to carry them but now more and more retailers are offering curvy girls trendy clothing.

Despite the typical American woman rocking a size 14, the media has played a huge role in defining beauty standards. Whether a woman is plus size or not, she is still shamed for not being as thin as models. Finally society is taking charge and is changing the channel when those self-hating, induced commercials intrude their televisions. Even other industries are changing their approach on what is classified as attractive like Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign.

Yes, the masses are taking control indeed! Comedic actress, Melissa McCarthy has promised to release a clothing line that will carry both straight and plus sizes. McCarthy aims to give plus size women variety and updated fashion opposed to the limited choices stores offer now. Before she turned to comedy, fashion was actually her first love. She understands how sporting stylish threads can make women look and feel more confident. 

Or my latest obsession, Tess Holliday, named the largest plus size model (size 22) to be signed to a major modeling agency, MiLK Model Management. Not everyone is happy about about it surprise, surprise. But Tess has provided full figured women a beacon of hope.

Holliday’s campaign Eff Your Beauty Standards is a direct response to the media telling people that true beauty fits into a size 2. Tess isn’t afraid to pose in lingerie and show the world her body. She is the epitome of being comfortable in one’s own skin. Who couldn’t appreciate that? Trolls, of course.

I personally couldn’t be more happier. I think it’s about time to celebrate what real women look like and to call them attractive. For those of you who’d like to argue that the growth of the plus size industry advocates being unhealthy. Consider this: the majority of models in the media are 23% underweight. Most models meet the Body Mass Index of being anorexic.

If there is anything that promotes an unhealthy lifestyle its the industry we’ve accepted for all of these years. In addition, their images are manipulated to appear even smaller! It’s detrimental to both straight size and plus size models when they are constantly being pressured to conform to unrealistic standards of beauty. 

So are plus sizes the new normal? No, they were always normal. The fashion industry is just ready to accept this now, slowly but surely.