Fit models, not fat models: body inclusiveness in the U.S. fit modeling job market

ABSTRACT The extent to which the U.S. fashion industry is becoming more size- and shape- inclusive is highly contested. To assess whether or not this is occurring in women’s fashion, I draw from a content analysis of 162 online job advertisements for female fit models in the U.S. collected between 2012 and 2018. I show that fit modeling is, indeed, more size- and shape- inclusive than fashion modeling. However, when compared to the broader U.S. population, the sizes and shapes recruited in fit model ads are not inclusive. For example, only 16% of job ads recruited “plus-size” models, none recruited fit models larger than size 20/2X, and virtually all specified fit models with hourglass proportions. To the extent that fit models are selected because they mirror fashion brands’ “target customers,” these findings suggest that the U.S. fashion industry is not, in fact, becoming more size- and shape- inclusive.