'Believe in your body and join hunt for the top plus-size model'

Simply Be is calling for London women sized 12 and above
Banned: the Yves Saint Laurent advert has been criticised for showing an 'unhealthily thin' model
Picture: PA

The hunt for the next top plus-sized model was launched today amid controversy over the use of an “unhealthily underweight” model in an Yves Saint Laurent fashion advert.

As part of the #CatwalkContender campaign, retailer Simply Be is calling for London women sized 12 and above to put themselves forward as potential models for the brand.

From today women can tweet or Instagram their full-length picture to @Simplybeuk using the hashtag #CatwalkContender. There will also be casting days held throughout July.

Size 24 model Tess Holliday has been picked to front Simply Be's summer fashion campaignPicture: Lou Denim
LOU DENIM - PRESS IMAGE

A panel of judges, including broadcaster Jameela Jamil, Cosmopolitan fashion director Shelly Vella, and Anna Shillinglaw, MD of model agency Milk Management, will then pick their next top model. The winner will be awarded a year’s modelling contract and the chance to feature in the brand’s Christmas advertising campaign.

It comes as Simply Be announces American size 24 model Tess Holliday as the face of their #SimplyBekini summer “body confidence” campaign.

#CatwalkContenders

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For the project, women are being asked to post pictures online of themselves in swimwear to show they embrace their bodies regardless of their size. This follows the Advertising Standards Agency banning a controversial Yves Saint Laurent advertisement featuring a model with very slim legs and a visible rib cage. The ASA said the advert, which appeared in Elle UK magazine, was “irresponsible.” The magazine is yet to comment on the ruling.

There was also controversy over a Protein World advert that appeared across the capital last month, featuring a woman in a bikini under the strap line “Are you beach body ready?”

Cath Ryan, head of brand at Simply Be, said: “We all see beautiful women on the streets of the UK daily who could easily have a successful career in modelling, but they think their size is a barrier.”

Jameela Jamil said that fashion “is for everyone, it’s not just for skinny girls!”

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