Can A Plus Sized Model Earn As Much As Tyra?

Whitney Thompson, 20, became the first "plus-sized model" to win on America's Next Top Model (TWC) on May 14.  Thompson is between sizes 8 and 10, a first for the show.  She took home a year-long contract with Elite Model Management], a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl (PG) cosmetics and a cover photo on Seventeen magazine.

But do plus-sized models command the same fees as straight-sized models?

Yes, they do, says Susan Georget, director of the Ten-20 division at Wilhelmina models in New York City. A plus-sized model can earn just as much, if not more, than a straight sized model depending on the work she's hired to do. "Just like a straight-sized model, you can make a career out of it," says Georget. "But not everyone's going to make a career out of it." 

Most modeling agencies represent women who are between sizes 2 and 6. Georget mostly handles women sizes 8 to 16 because that is the range that advertisers are looking for. That said, not every plus-sized model is a good fit for full-time work. Even though her division is called the 10-20 division "there's not enough work over a size 16," Georget says. 

That could change, however, because plus-sized modeling opportunities are continuing to increase. When Georget started at Wilhelmina more than 20 years ago, the three big modeling agencies in New York –Ford, Elite and Wilhemina-only had about 50 models among them who were considered plus-sized. Today, each agency has 50 to 75 plus-sized female models, compared to upwards of 100 straight-sized female models, she says.