You, Too, May look like a MODEL!!!

Sweet 16: Plus-size model Chloe Marshall reaches Miss England final

By Katie Franklin and agencies

Last Updated: 1:55am GMT 22/03/2008

A 16-year-old girl has defied the super-thin modelling status quo by becoming the first size 16 model to be selected as a finalist for the Miss England competition.

	Chloe Marshall: "It's possible to be beautiful and not a standard sized zero"

Chloe Marshall, from Guildford, beat seven other slimmer girls to the title of Miss Surrey and will now compete in the national finals.

Chloe, a beauty therapy student, said she decided to become a model to give a confidence boost to other "curvy" girls.

"It's really exciting, I'm really, really happy. I'm lost for words, I started to cry and everything. I'm over the moon," she said.

"I wanted to go through to the Miss England finals to break through the stereotype that you have to be tall and skinny.

"I wanted to make a bit of a statement. When I studied the other entrants for the Miss Surrey competition I concluded that pretty as the contestants were, they were equally all uniformly blonde and Barbie doll like.

"I want to show girls out there that it is possible to be beautiful and not a standard sized zero.

"My mum is really happy and proud of me that I am doing something not just for myself but other people as well and my friends are really supportive, they can't stop going on about it."

Miss Marshall, who is 5ft 10in tall and has a 38DD bustline, has been signed by Models Plus model agency.

Stevie Walters, of Models Plus, said Chloe had a "luscious" figure and a bright future ahead of her.

"Chloe is gorgeous-looking and we are sure she will be snapped up by fashion companies who want to project a realistic and achievable image to their customers," she said.

Chloe's success comes as the debate about the use of size zero models in the fashion industry continues.

The debate was sparked last year when a Uruguayan model, Luisel Ramos, 22, died of heart failure after starving herself.

In November, a 21-year-old Brazilian model, Ana Carolina Reston, died from anorexia.

The deaths prompted organisers of Madrid Fashion Week to ban underweight models, while Milan followed suit with a code of conduct to stop anorexic-looking models being used in shows.

The British Fashion Council, however, refused to ban size zero women from taking part in London Fashion Week.

Doctors and women's groups have expressed concern that the use of underweight models encourages anorexia in the industry and sends a dangerous signal to girls.

SOURCE HERE

Granted, I actually would like to get down to size 16 but this is STILL a good example of being bigger (but not huge) but still beautiful and healthy. Healthy matters much more than size. Just, you know, keeping it in Perspective.

Because today I broke down at the pool and bawled in the dressing room. I just happened to catch a glimpse of myself, sideways in a mirror, in a gray shirt and jeans, and I saw, quite LITERALLY, an ELEPHANT.

Like, I looked over and thought, "I'm an ugly ugly ELEPHANT." and started to cry and sob loudly. Even though I had JUST worked out for an hour and was feeling pretty good before. It just HIT me... or, you know, charged at me with mean tusks. I don't know what happened, but it was so clear, I wished I was dead. I hate depression so much.