A model has exposed a fashion industry secret via TikTok, opening up about her journey to being used for plus size jobs.
Karoline uses the platform to raise awareness about secrets of the modelling industry, such as her experience as a plus sized model, even though she is not plus sized herself.
Karoline, a chemistry student, also revealed exactly what she is required to wear to look the part for certain fashion roles.
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Check it out:
Stating that she often works as a plus size model for brands, focussing on sizes 'XL-5XL' and brands that 'typically carry size 44 and up', Karoline noted that 'if you have eyes, you can see that I'm not that size'.
She said: 'So how do we fix this? Well, I have to bring something called padding to work. It's basically fat suit in pieces.
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'So you just stuff it, which makes you look a lot bigger, and if that isn't enough then you just pin everything in the back. So if the clothes look really good from the front, it probably looks like sh*t from the back. It's because they want the neck and the face to look really slim and sharp which doesn't just create unrealistic standards but impossible ones,' she explained.
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Karoline suggested that instead of using fat suits and models who aren't really plus sized, brands and companies should 'just use real plus size women because there are so many gorgeous plus size women out there'. 'And I have one more wish, can a plus size brand please for once not make something which is horrifically ugly,' she concluded.
The post has since amassed more than 700,000 views and thousands of comments, with users having reacting in horror to the clip. One said: 'The model industry really hate plus sized models.'
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Another wrote: 'The people blaming her; She’s just one model. Blame the brands that practice this. Not the individuals just trying to earn a living!'
A third commented: 'Everyone sayin she should turn down the jobs, this is a STRUCTURAL problem, her turning a job down won’t change a thing – the companies have to change.'
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Karoline has also used her platform to open up about her sexuality, alongside her struggles with anorexia.
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In the comments section of her video exposing the plus size secret of the industry, she clarified: 'I did a couple of these many years ago when I just got signed with an agency in NY, and had a contract obligation but I refuse to do them now…'
Karoline concluded, '[I] hope the industry will make some changes soon.'
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence, call the BEAT Eating Disorders helpline on 0808 801 0677. Helplines are open 365 days a year from 9am–8pm during the week, and 4pm–8pm on weekends and bank holidays. Alternatively, you can try the one-to-one webchat
Poppy Bilderbeck