On the plus side

>> Super-size supermodels butt their way into the fashion action

By PHILIP PREVILLE

So you want to be a model. You're attracted by the glamour. But you don't want to deal with sexually predatory agents and photographers. You don't want to develop any addictions to cocaine or speed. And you don't want to end up with anorexia or any other eating disorder.

The answer is simple: gain weight.

In the burgeoning industry of plus-size modelling, you don't have to deal with any of that. Few chubby chasers roam the corridors of power in the fashion industry. And you can eat whatever you want.

"I eat a lot and I love chocolate," says 19-year-old Ashleigh Foster, size 14, Canada's home-grown plus-size supermodel-in-the-making. "When I go out for lunch with my agents, we stuff ourselves. I've never been told to avoid any particular type of food."

Even so, total gorge-fests are out of the question. "It's all about proportion," explains Ashleigh, a native of Toronto. "My selling point is that I have an hourglass figure. I have to work to keep it and to keep it toned. Two years ago I got lazy and turned into a size 16, and the modelling work dried up." Ashleigh says she's currently at her shapely best: 5'11" tall, 175 pounds, 41" bust, 33" waist and 44" hips.

Ashleigh's reps at the Ford Agency in New York call her a supermodel. Truth is, she's no Emme (pronounced 'Emmy,' the plus-size model voted one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1998). Ashleigh has yet to appear in Mode, the only successful North American plus-size fashion magazine. But she has done shoots for numerous teen magazines in the past year, including Cosmo Girl and the 2000 edition of YM Prom, which is on newsstands until the end of April.

And while she's not pulling in a supermodel-size salary (the Kate Mosses of the world can easily earn $6,000 an hour), Ashleigh's career is on the rise. The plus-size modelling and apparel industry is growing fast in the United States, where one-third of all women are size 16 or larger.

"Things are getting better, and they're also getting more competitive," says Ashleigh's agent, Gary Dakin. "Some of our plus-size girls are now commanding up to $5,000 a day. More designers are making plus-size fashion. And whereas the industry used to be dominated by women in their late 20s or early 30s, now they're looking for younger models--around age 15."

Canada-wide marketing

North of the border, no one knows how many women are plus-sized (Statistics Canada has never collected data on women's fashion sizes). And the country's small population makes for a plus-sized marketing challenge. "Plus-size fashion retailing can't be broken down into niches here," explains Joanne Nemeroff, president of Montreal-based plus-size retailer Pennington's. "You can't cater to a single age bracket, you can't specialize in formal wear. The Canadian plus-size market isn't that big."

Penningtons, with 99 stores (up from 22 in 1995) located exclusively in suburban strip mall locations across Canada, is a plus-size superstore: formal and informal wear, shoes, coats, lingerie, and anything else that comes in a size 13 or more. "Aside from Addition-Elle, our only competition is Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Zellers," she says.

One problem remains: getting teenagers to visit their store. "Teens prefer downtown mall shopping even if the stores don't offer anything in their size," Nemeroff explains. "What we've noticed is that when teens do come to our store, they usually have to be dragged by their mothers."

To attract more teens, Pennington's recently launched a nationwide supermodel search: they're looking for someone aged 16 to 24, size 14 and over, to model their new line of junior wear. "We're looking for someone who exudes self-confidence, who understands that plus-size means beautiful."

Aspiring plus-size models can pick up an entry form at any store location or on the Web (www.penningtons.com).