They said/We said: The weight debate continues with the debut of TLC’s new series

Big Sexy, a new three-part reality series based around the burgeoning careers of five plus-size models in New York City, premieres tonight on TLC. With the tagline “Once you go big, you don’t go twig,” the show is getting all kinds of positive attention as well as negative vibes. While supporters hail it as the perfect vehicle to give big women their due, others have accused the show of encouraging obesity. Either way, the plus-size topic is again making waves. To boot, American Apparel just launched a plus-size model search, The Next Big Thing, to find models for their newly expanded size range (the brand is only now offering its clothes in XL). Ironically, as most would attest, the brand’s notoriously teeny sizes favour a slender figure so therefore a XL hardly qualify as plus-size.

WHAT THEY SAID…

TLC: “They know better than anyone that real women can be sexy with curves — no matter what society says.” [TLC]

Daily Mail: “Despite being representative of ‘the girl that most Americans can relate to,’ the beautiful, confident and fearless cast of Big Sexy may have their work cut out for them on New York’s fashion-forward streets.”[Daily Mail UK]

The Vancouver Sun: “Weight, these days, is about war, whether it’s the battle of the bulge for the thin seekers or the fight for dignity when you’re large and in charge.” [Vancouver Sun]

WHAT WE SAID…

Rani Sheen, features editor: “It worked for Tyra, and as long as everyone is treated with respect, I can’t see why the tried-and-true Top Model approach can’t work for plus-size models—particularly with the frenzy of interest whipped up by the likes of Crystal Renn in the past few years. I’ll definitely tune in to see the requisite yowling makeover episode and awkward runway show.”

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