I know that seems like it should be the easiest thing in the world to do. And you'd be perfectly entitled to wonder why "plus-size" models are so uncommon in magazines and other parts of the media to begin with. I'll try to answer a few of the questions you've asked most:

What's up with women like Lizzie Miller being called "plus-size," anyway? As Genevieve Field writes in our November issue, most "plus-size" models actually aren't plus-size humans. It's one of the perversities of the modeling industry that women are moved into "plus" divisions once they're anything larger than a six. (They actually have to wear cutlets and padding to model plus-size clothing.) Strange but true.

__ And why don't you see more "plus" models in fashion stories?__ Well, lots of reasons, but partly because the clothes are so flippin' small. The "samples" we borrow for shoots are generally cut to fit a size zero-to-four frame. (If we just went out and bought bigger sizes from the store, those styles would be off the racks and unbuyable by the time you saw them in Glamour.) Why do designers cut so tiny? Beats me, but Glamour plans to cheer on those who work with us in glamorizing women of all sizes from now on. It's not always easy for them: When designer Mark Fast recently put three size 10-ish models on his London runway last week (all looking highly hot), two of his top creative people reportedly quit in protest. Whatever! Mark's apparently going on to do a line for Topshop. Happy ending.

Is showing larger-size women...unhealthy? It's a serious question: Amid the cheering for Lizzie Miller on glamour.com was a distinct strain of criticism from readers who worried the photo promoted obesity. First things first: Lizzie's not obese. (At 180 and 5'11, she's maybe a couple of pounds overweight.) But more than that, I don't buy that showing women in a variety of sizes will discourage heavier ones from maintaining a healthy weight. Glamour assistant editor Margarita Bertsos--who wrote about her own 75-pound weight loss for Glamour--said it best: "This photo in no way sends a message to me that I should quit taking care of my body... It has the complete opposite effect on me, reminding me to love myself, treat myself well (and that INCLUDES a healthy diet and exercise), and showing me that I can and should smile in my nakedness and belly rolls, because I'm worthy of that kind of that unabashed self-love right this second. We all are!" Amen.

To be clear, I'm not on the "real women have curves" bandwagon here, arguing that only bodies like Lizzie's are "real"--and that slender women are all unreal waifs who should just eat a cheeseburger and get over themselves. Turning the tables so we can bash one type instead of another isn't the answer. Celebrating the fact that we're all born different is. Think about it: In real life, women of all shapes and sizes have crazy sex appeal and killer confidence. Why should our own pages look any different?

We'll do our best to live up to this standard in the future: shooting models who diverge in every way from the cookie-cutter norm. Is it a retreat from fantasy? Of course not: If we wanted unadulterated reality, we could just print everyone's driver's-license picture. But I happen to think that a fantasy every reader can have a piece of is the most powerful fantasy of all. Thank you for encouraging us to try to provide it, and for pointing the way forward here. Your words inspire me daily.

Now tell me, what did you think when you first saw the group photo above? And how much reality, and how much fantasy, do you want in a magazine, and from the media?

PS: FYI, to those of you who took the time to contribute to my editor's letter, a while back, thank you! You'll see some of your (awesome!) comments in the November issue on newsstands next week.

More on the Body Image Revolution:__

Read the feature story: These Bodies Are Beautiful At Every Size

Photo Gallery: See The Models Who Bravely Bared It All

Get Body-Confidence Secrets From Plus-Size Model Crystal Renn (featured above!)

The blog post that started it all: The Photo You Can't Stop Talking About: Meet "The Woman on p.194"

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