Curve models are presently making a breakthrough in the world. It has become such a positive adjustment for people to see this change in the modelling industry. On top of that, there are even more agencies who actively promote diversity especially when it comes to more of their curve models as they proudly give them a massive platform. 

Such an agency that is Bridge Models. They have the likes of many individuals including the talented Sophie Thomas and Raul Samuel as part of their roster, and we had the chance to interview both of them for our recent cover about what it’s like being a part of the curve model industry. 

Hi Sophie! Thanks for chatting with me today. How did you get into modeling and how long ago was it?

I got into modeling by accident. I was about fourteen when I first got scouted and it was funny because I had spots all over my face, I was a very geeky girl, I had braces that filled my mouth and I was very awkward and I never considered it before. One day I was at my local cinema with my friend at the time and I got scouted at the time by Sarah Leon from Select Models. My parents wanted me to do school and I’m very lucky that I come from a very supportive family, so they were with me in the process of visiting agencies to see who was and wasn’t right for me and to look after my well-being and myself. 

So, I didn’t start officially till I was sixteen. So the industry terms were straight-size modeling at the time but puberty is going to get you as a young woman, there was no way in hell unless I shaved my bones I would get into those sample sizes. Even at the time I was exercising a much, eating very little food which was very unhealthy in terms of having a good relationship with food, there was no way I would fit the sample sizes. So, I took a couple of years off, and went to Uni, I enjoyed being a teenager after years of Fashion Week and growing up quite quickly. Then I decided to go into curve modeling I checked out some agencies and I joined Bridge Models which is just fantastic! I’ve been with Bridge for the past couple of years and they are just brilliant!

What is a sample size? 

Exactly! It’s the fact that someone chose a size and said that’s a sample size. This is a magical size that looks best. Who decides these things? It goes against Fashion which claims it is about like empowerment, creativity, individuality, and embarrassing who you are as a person to then go and say you can do all that if you have this sample size. Or only if you look a certain way, or even if you’re this race cause there are still horrific problems in the industry. That doesn’t sit right with me, that’s not what this industry is about.

So since becoming a model…have you seen the industry change positively?

This is a great question! I think there have been steps towards really challenging that narrative that you have to fit in a certain mold because that’s not what this creative industry is about, it’s about breaking molds. I think steps towards making sure individuals are embraced. However, I do worry that sometimes, some big companies or rich magazines will treat it as a trend rather than something that is a genuine movement essentially a social justice movement to empower everyone around the world, no matter where you are from to embrace who you are and leave each day in the present. Fashion is a form of art and you can see designers challenging really big statements, even political statements through their designs, through their art and I think if we don’t go forward and push that what’s the point of having all this artistry and creativity? 

On the one hand, I think there are more positive changes I think more people are talking about it with their experiences and why this is a powerful industry to change their creativity. On the other hand, I do fear that some big companies or figures in the industry treat it as a trend to earn some money and use it as a means of gaining Kudos, gaining social credit but not using it as an actual change in the industry. So, it will be interesting to see how they take it and to see if they can keep it going.

When you first campaigned on your first shoot. Who was it with and did you learn about anything as a model?

Hearing this question made me reflect on my modeling career. It’s easy to think about modeling that can be very damaging and very dangerous of course those are very important aspects to discuss. Modeling has made me come out of my shell a lot. My first campaign was for FCUK at the time. I remember being a teenager when it was really big and I remember the kids in my school were talking about it at the time funnily enough I was badly bullied at school and this campaign made me feel isolated because, of course, it was a talking point where people would say “Who does she think she is?” to “She’s not even that pretty?”. On the shoot being around people who believed in me, who talked to me and took me seriously… saw my energy and what I took to the shoot gave me a lot of confidence where I didn’t have any at the time. Since that shoot it’s taught me to embrace who I am and honor that inner fire that I have rather than try and shy away and hide who I am because modeling came around the time I was badly bullied as I was the quiet kid in school but doing shoots like MAC reminded me to embrace who you are and being you!

As you’re quite tall do you think there are small opportunities that you can go for? Or is it the other way around?

When I was sixteen height was the obsession. If you weren’t 5’9 or 5’10, it was goodbye Fashion Week, goodbye dreams of editorials that kind of thing and I think a lot of people made the argument that the garments look good or at a certain length, again very strange because there are things that don’t make sense or things that I wouldn’t wear in terms on how I feel about myself because I am very tall and I can’t wear short things unless I want to give people a lovely view on the stairs up on the tube station (no thank you). 

I just went along with my height when I was doing more fashion jobs then and I didn’t think anything of it because to me your height is great but now (this is not a bad thing when I say this) my height has never been a good or bad thing, it’s quite neutral and I think that’s powerful because there are such gorgeous amazing models who know how to move in front of the camera who know where to catch the light and who know how to bring clothes to life who are like 5’6. Why should a designer say no? These are the models that are bringing these clothes to life and the campaign to the editorial. Never made sense to me as you have celebrities with various shapes sizes and heights who get gatekept a lot in the industry and thankfully I do see a movement away from that. 

Do you believe it’s more accommodating for a male or female and how do you believe that the two have a difference in the modelling industry?

It’s funny because we experience different hardships in many ways. Male models have the issue of pay and regulation, right? There are still male models that get paid less than female models which I think is a massive issue as they still do the same job as we do. Some designers say it’s a supply thing but at the end of the day, if you’re getting someone on a shoot to convey a certain image they should be paid just the same as I would argue women not getting paid finely in finance with their salary gap that needs to be, it’s interesting that there is an inverse issue there. 

I also think body image and sense of self and confidence is an issues for both genders. I think there’s a lot of pressure in different ways. Men are approached in the old ways of fashion where they’re supposed to have life but also have muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger to be kind of this Ken doll and then you have this obsessed idea of sample size for men and women but for women to look like a Barbie doll is just essentially a close source and I think parading this idea of the perfect body or ideal image is so harmful because you’re not being a true representative and who sets these standards. Why is this a beauty standard? There is no invert to it and I think breaking those gendered boundaries by getting more non-binary models, more trans models, and coming forth and stating that gender is not monologist which I think is beautiful and it’s a huge landmark to break down those gender issues because hopefully, the goal is just to models whether your size, race or gender. It’s an amazing thing to see the LGBT and Trans community pushing that forward and making the fashion industry respected socially.

Lastly, in the coming years, what do you want to see a change to empower more women to join the modeling industry?

Honing the steps we’ve already made embracing all races or genders and welcoming them to the table. We have this social conditioning of being very shy, quiet, and introverted and not saying don’t be polite on shoots, don’t be respectful and kind I think that should be the default to anyone in society in general but to own yourself and not be scared of stepping up and being confident and speaking up for your values I think pays off for the future with the clients you work with or the shoots you go on and making sure you’re safe in the industry and not being scared of who you are will make you feel confident in a job that can be quite shaky like one day you could get accepted and then one day you don’t have a job. I think owning who you are and being present in that is such an empowering thing. I hope the industry encourages more women to not be scared of speaking up or don’t be scared of embracing who they are. 

Hi Raul! Thanks for chatting with me today! Can you tell me more about what got you into modeling and what inspired you to become a model?

I was stopped in the street and asked if I wanted to be a model and I kindly took the offer down. Then, I started to think about it but didn’t think I had the body shape at the time. After I went on the internet and found Bridge Models, and applied to them, we met up and then I signed with them.

What inspired you to get in contact with Bridge Models?

I was looking around and I didn’t see any males in my size, so it was XL or XXL at the time. It was tough to shop! But I always thought I always got compliments from the way I looked and other guys have always asked me for advice. So then I thought why is this not a thing? So it got me thinking is there a thing that I didn’t know about it? Turned out it wasn’t a thing, it just didn’t exist. So when I came across Bridge Models they were the only ones who were putting in work for it, so it made perfect sense to reach out to them and see what’s it about. I didn’t think they were going to reply but they did and signed me!

Do you remember the first campaign you did with Bridge Models? And since then how has it evolved?

I got signed in April 2016 and two weeks later I was in a massive campaign for Boohoo Man. So, when I got signed I thought nothing of it because I was teaching at the time and I thought nothing of it. Two weeks later, they called and said you’ve got a campaign photoshoot for Boohoo and honestly at the time I didn’t know what campaign meant I just thought it was a word they used. So I did the photoshoot and at the end people congratulated me and I didn’t know why. Anyway, I went on holiday to China and my phone started buzzing and what it was was a massive underground campaign all over London and all over the UK. Also a special shout out to Cleveland and Josh who made that happen and pushed for it because at the time it was never done before but Cleveland wanted to make it happen.

So I wanted to talk to you about the modeling world. For someone who is a curve model! Do you think being curvy has restricted you from the opportunities that you have gone for?

To a certain extent because not every brand caters to it. Most brands that I’ve worked with have been there the first time, so I’m always in an experimental space. Sometimes I would shoot for the whole day and the shoot would only be to see how it would look and not even to get published. It’s just an experiment! So in some ways, it is restricted but there is progress. So, the fact that brands are having a conversation it is very beneficial. So, we have to keep on pushing… I don’t want to dwell on it like it’s not a lot of opportunities and others trying to push to make them. Working with ReVamp and the push that they’re doing is what we want to focus on. Just the people that want to do it with them and then everyone else would catch on. 

People have been saying that curve models shouldn’t be doing editorials. What is the message you would like to reply with that? It must be incredibly frustrating having your talent limited to what you can and can’t do.

I think the thinking is a bit out of date. It’s something we thought ages ago like right now clothes are and the way people are is meant reach everybody. Fashion is meant to be inclusive for everyone. Not putting plus-size models in editorials is starving your audience of creativity and you’re only focusing on one aspect. Giving a designer to think outside of the norm gives brands to think outside the box. In general, people who wouldn’t shop in certain places, now think they can shop here because they do plus size which is going to fit them. So some people who are into high fashion now can get them rather than shopping at sportswear and not anywhere else that comfortable.

In the industry, you do see a trend of plus-size women instead of plus-size men. Do you think that has now changed and what would you like to change in the industry?

I feel like the women are massive inspirations to us with the things they’ve achieved and everything they are pushing and the support they give to us males is out of this world. It’s like without them we wouldn’t be here. We face a lot of challenges in terms of people that don’t know we exist but of course, they’ve got the curves and they are also facing ageism as well. Where with us guys we have this issue but we don’t face ageism like society doesn’t demonize us for getting older. We would love to reach where the women have gotten to and pretty most of the brands would shoot curved female models that’s what we want to try and inspire and get more people to join the industry as there are enough models for brands to shoot and then after that, we can start progressing. I would love to see more brands have it as the norm for the females it’s kind of the norm, they do have a lot of battles to face but it’s more normal.

Lastly, what do you think is the difference between men and women in the industry and what do you think stands out the most?

I think sometimes with being a curve male model you feel like you’re an extra part of it. It can feel like that in certain situations. For example, the last Fashion Week we had I was the only curve model who was there, and on paper, it sounded good but I thought about it and thought why just use one? Why didn’t they ask for more models? It made no sense. If you can compare it with the women there would be a lot more but with ageism I think it’s a massive impact for women and they can’t stop that as that’s out of their control. They’ve done amazing things about the curves and accepting how their bodies are but I still feel like after a certain age they look down upon and they’re looking for new fresh faces which I don’t think is right. I think this needs to be spoken about more. 

Going back to the males I think people have learned to accept women for their curves but the men they’re not ready to accept that we still need to have a certain body type at even plus size it is unspoken but you’re not meant to have a belly. It is very unspoken like they would say don’t have it but having a total plus size they can’t be plus size it’s that kind of thing where if I have to cut carbs for a shoot (not that my agents never ask me to) then the reception is a lot better. I know that I’ve slimmed down but I don’t want to do that, I don’t want to slim down for anything I just want to be me! This is why we’re here to accept everything and everybody’s body like this is my work and this is my living. Sometimes you feel pressure like do I have to do it? You have to stay strong and stick to your guns!