Thin privilege is being able to get paid to have your photo taken.

I have a longtime friend who does some modeling. She isn’t a normal model type, not tall and willowy. She’s actually short (5’ tall in shoes) and a size 6. So, still skinny, but def not stereotypical model skinny. She’s done this work for five years or so now and has lots of fun doing it and earns easily $200 - $600 per gig and sometimes more. (And no, she doesn’t do porn! She does artistic and alternative modeling and sometimes artistic nude.) She honestly loves doing it and talks about it so fondly that after a lot of thought, I decided I’d go ahead and try it myself. I’ve always loved photography, art, makeup, and fashion, so it seemed like a good idea.

I’m a tiny bit (like two inches) taller than she is, but I’m also a size 18/20. I know there’s still some demand for “plus-sized models” and it actually means PLUS-SIZED in many of the alternative circles my friend has worked in. But after six months going through all the avenues my friend suggested to me, talking to all the people she thought might help, and looking for model calls and ads within 50-miles of my area, I haven’t been able to find much work. One of the two photographers I talked with was only willing to pay $50 to take pictures of me and the other said they didn’t want to work together after I showed them pictures. I know I’m conventionally pretty (not to deliberately sound concieted or anything, just based on what lots of people tell me), I do my hair and makeup really well, and I think I have really good dress sense. I even look good (I think, anyway) in pictures. The only difference between me and my friend is our sizes. She is “skinny” and I am UNACCEPTABLY FAT and NOBODY wants to take pictures of me, or if they do they think they can pay a steep discount because I’m “less” than a skinny girl.