According to
this article, 22 year old plus size model Leah Green has beet out over 200 contestants on the road to the Miss England Crown. Leah is a size 12 (equivalent of a size 8 in the USA).
Leah told how she was rejected my several modeling agencies throughout her career, despite the fact that she is two dress sizes smaller than the average woman in the UK.
"I have tried to get into modelling," she said. "But I have been turned away as I'm apparently too big to be a regular model. I've been told I'm too fat and I need to lose weight. One agent told me I would have to work hard to achieve the gaunt look he was after."
"I helped out with London Fashion Week last year and many of the models looked like they were about to keel over and die," she said.
Leah hopes to offer women an alternative role model by competing in Miss England. "I saw it as a chance to get my message across," she said.
Check out the Miss England competition on July 18th and root for Leah!
