Bigger and Better

May 5, 2006

Ashleigh Foster It isn't easy to get a true picture of where the plus-size market is going. As it evolves, so do the models. "Plus-size models are getting more and more fit," says Windischmann. "I've seen the evolution of that.

"People realize now, with all these billboards around the streets, that plus-size models have to be toned." For Windischmann that means eating really healthy foods and walking as much as possible. "A lot of the models know what works for them. They know 'If I have a lingerie shoot tomorrow I can't eat this.'

"I have to tell you though, 'the skinnies,' - and that's what I call them to their face, which they think is hilarious - they have great metabolism. I know for myself, I fluctuate in size. I'm half Hungarian and half Irish. I joke that was born with a potato in each hand. I have to be careful."

"But you can't fluctuate all over the place, because if I give you my card with my measurements, and you hire me, then that's what I've given you so I can't fluctuate by 10 centimetres.

"The other thing too, is that if you're putting out a new card every few months and your sizes are all over the place the clients are going to wonder what's going on."


Ashleigh Foster Ashleigh Foster, like Windischmann, started with Plus Figures, then moved to Ford. Like Windischmann she makes a very comfortable living travelling the world, and like Windischmann she is not only beautiful, but interesting. "The women in this industry are amazing," she told me from New York, where she spends a lot of her time. "We're funny, and just want to live our lives. We're not flaky or shallow.

"My fiancé always calls me a swan, because I was chubby and made fun of when I was a kid. I was pretty horribly harassed. I really value my personality. I think we, as women, really developed our personalities so people would pay attention to us."

People are certainly paying attention to her now, although she concedes she would likely be even busier if she lived in New York. But eleven years in the industry have given her enough profile that she can stay close to her roots (and her fiancé) and go to where the work is. "The older I get, the more marketable I become. Every year it gets better and better."

According to 5'11" Foster a lot of her peers started out as straight-size models, but decided they were happier when they weren't obsessing about staying thin. She also says people's perceptions of what plus-size is, makes for disbelieving looks when she mentions her career. "A lot of what I get is people who don't believe I'm plus-size. I was never ashamed of it. It just means I eat, and I'm happy."

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