Glamour's Plus-Sized, Tummy-Baring Model: 'My Normal Is This' (VIDEO)

A single photo used for an article on self confidence in September's issue of Glamour magazine has caused a buzz in the modeling world. Meet Lizzi Miller: a 20-year-old, 180-pound, 5-foot-11 bombshell whose size 12-to-14 body matches that of the average American female. After she was captured smiling and showing a bit of a tummy, the Glamour website was immediately overrun with positive comments, inspiring editor-in-chief Cindi Leive to reconsider the models shown in the magazine's pages. Read Leive's blog post on the photo and the model.

WATCH as Lizzi tells The Today Show's Matt Lauer, "I'm not saying that a size 2 isn't normal...but my normal is this."

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Comments

[tjinc]

At 5'11" and 180 pounds, she is a tall sturdy woman as shown in the photos, but NOT a plus size. At her height, unless she were markedly underweight, a size 12 to 14 would be right for her.

She's also way outside the proportions of the average American adult female.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that, with the explosion in obesity, the fashion industry is trying to "mainstream" the truly overweight. That's just as bad as legitimizing anorexia.

[LogicalGirl]

I am a 5'10" woman who weighs 190. Here in the US, when I tell people that I would like to lose some weight , they act surprised and tell me I look great. However, when I visit my relatives in the Netherlands, they agree with me! Very few of them are overweight, and none are too skinny. The last time I bought a pair of pants over there, I had to buy the largest size, something like a XXXL (I wear a 12 or14 here). I had one shop assistant tell me they didn't make an item I was looking for in my size. She wasn't being mean, just matter of fact.

I don't think women should try to starve themselves into a size 2 when their body type is not naturally that size, but I do think that Americans, on average, weigh too much. The problem is inherent in our culture which pushes excess at every possible opportunity and does not encourage personal responsibility. We have a right to eat as much as we want, fast food companies have the right to not be held accountable for the CRAP they push in their restaurants, parents have the right to feed their children crappy food that makes them fat and contributes to their early onset of Type 2 diabetes. And then when we get sick or die at a young age due to poor health that is contributed to by a horrible diet, it is someone else's fault.

[ladydragon]

to get rid of that baby pouch: lay on your back with your head on a bench that is slightly raised, your head should be positioned on the lower portion of bench, with your legs and feet together; lift upward until your hips slightly raise from th bench = Reverse crunch.... do 3 sets of 10 crunches at least 4 x a week....don't forget to regulate your breathing. you're only 20 you should not have that pouch at your belly.

[chroma601]

Then again, it looks kinda nice to me. Have some ice cream!

[ruthinking]

I had to double check her age. I was surprised that she is only 20.

[fondalove]

Sad that she's considered plus-sized.

[osusana]

What's up with that?? Size 12 to 14 is the AVERAGE AMERICAN WOMAN for crying out loud. That they create a whole new size chart to appeal to the ano rex ics is an insult to the American woman. I'm sorry but what the he// is a size 0??

[RobinSeattle]

That "0" is reflective of the amount of interest I would have in someone that thin.

[ChuckDarwin]

You have half a point...Size 12 to 14 is average THESE days, because the average American woman these days is overweight. In the not-too-distant past size 8 was considered average...ask your mother!

That said, Miller's frame is the reason she's 12 to 14. I bet she would be an 8 if she were proportionally smaller--say 5'7-145 instead of 5'11-180.

[ellawensmom]

So glad you brought this up. I've long felt that if you are a size 0, you should in fact be invisible.
I also agree that this woman isn't plus-size. She's normal. You can find a 12-14 in regular size clothing stores. Plus size is usually anything over 14.

[Bushisgone]

now she looks like a real female

The skinny models look gross

[Rosalie Fry]

See, that's just hurtful to skinny models. Does their size mean they're not real women? They don't go around saying that fat people look gross.

[chroma601]

Actually, they do.

At any rate, this woman does not approach obesity.

[norepublicanleftbehind]

This woman is not fat. She looks normal.

[Rosalie Fry]

I definitely prefer Lizzie's phrasing over other phrasing I've heard. Saying "I'm not saying that a size 2 isn't normal...but my normal is this" is a more positive spin than Dove's campaign for "real women." Does that make me, as a size 4, a "fake woman?" It goes both ways.

[Chico41]

Just because this is what the average American woman looks like, doesn't mean it's healthy. She's not terribly obese, so I'm sure this doesn't cause her many, if any health problems. But I have a problem with people saying it's okay to be overweight.

I'm sure any doctor will tell you for their height, most women in the U.S. are overweight. When the average weight of Americans is 300 pounds, are we going to accept that as okay because it's the average?

[Indie Delta]

I completely agree.

[chroma601]

I disagree.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/06/24/Study-Slightly-overweight-live-longer/UPI-64961245860812/

[tjinc]

Emphasis on the "slightly overweight". That is not what we're seeing nowadays. The report also states that they live longer than "dramatically thin" or "obese individuals". That one is a no-brainer. The comparison was NOT made against people of a healthy, normal weight.

[ReesieKitty]

She looks normal. Has she had a baby? A lot of women who are well toned always have some loose skin on the belly and upper arms after pregnancy. It is perfectly natural - also, she is sitting in a way that scrunches up her stomach, so it isn't going to be perfectly flat in that picture no matter what.

[missviv]

I love all these little boys on here calling Lizzie fat and complaining about her belly, I assume all these guys have the bodies of David Beckham or Tyson Beckford with only 6%body fat? Stop fearing real women, children!

[kbella]

She's a beautiful woman, but she is far from average. Sure, she wears the average size of most American women, but she is 5'11"....that is FAR from average. A lot of women her height can't fit into anything less than a 10 no matter how skinny they are because of their bone structure.

[MoFromTheIlladelph]

I love full figured women, ladies like Tocarra, Chessika or Kerry Marie are a delight on the eyes. This chick however is NOT full figured - nor is she as attractive as alot of voluptuous models who's actually more plump then her! She's just flabby and untoned with the belly just being 49 flavors of sad. Yes I am all for being pretty while not being supermodel skinny - but pancake bellies is NOT the way to promote this ideal. Get her to do situps or crunches PLEASE!!

[sense11]

I Love Plus Size Models:):):)

Always have. always will.

[sojournart]

Although I applaud that which contributes to women having a better self-image, the cynic within myself feels that this is just a way to increase print sales of Glamour, to women that do not have a healthy BMI. Additionally, I think that such photos do more harm than good. There is a difference between an average American woman's appearance, and a healthy (according to BMI) woman's appearance. By obscuring that difference, you contribute to perpetuating the appropriateness of the average American lifestyle and diet, which are not healthy. BTW, I am a male, 6'2" tall, and should have an optimum weight of #180 (same weight as the Glamour). When I tell my friends that I need to lose weight, they are kind and say, "you would look too skinny if you only weighed #180". It is a wake-up call for me however, when I have a MD appointment, and see most of the medical staff exhibiting an appropriate BMI.