We also watched as Kaisa (pronounced Ka-sha), the only plus-sized modelista out of the five remaining contestants, struggled with her self confidence. I can only imagine how hard it must be to be sizes larger than your competition. And so far she’s been so vibrant … so strong. But it seems that if you bring a “large” girl to a foreign market, dress her in foreign clothing, and then put her in front of the editor in chief of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, you’ll watch her crumble and go home. I can’t help but wonder: Is the high fashion world ever going to be accepting of plus sized models? It sucks, really, because this girl is gorgeous. In last night’s episode, we watched as she tried on clothes from designer Noureddine Amir for a walking challenge. And we kept watching. And we watched some more. In her words, she tried on more than “half the store” until she could find something that fit her “fiercely real” curves. Her emotions read all over her face. And personally, as a girl who dealt with weight issues for a greater part of my teenage years, my heart slowly broke for her. Of course, struggling with your size is one thing — but this girl is proud of her curves. So to watch as the fitters got frustrated with her size, it’s just insane to me that they don’t even SELL clothes “that big.” Let me reiterate something. Kaisa is not a big girl. Look how small her waist is here:
So what, she’s a size 4? A size 6 maybe?! In front of panel, where Sozzani joined as the fourth member, Tyra asks if she would put Kaisa’s photo in her magazine. The editor said no. And thus, my heart officially broke. I just can’t help but think that her size is something some editors aren’t willing to accept as “high fashion.” I look at her, and I see a strong model. She’s captivating. and come onnnnn, she’s so much nicer and more genuine than any other model left in this competition. Before Kaisa made it onto cycle 16 of ANTM, she had a contract with Wilhelmina Models. The Illinois native was the only one who had serious professional experience. And now, her bags are packed and she’s headed home. She told the cameras: Thatta girl. I believe that this is what’s best for her, after all. She deserves to be told how beautiful she is. She deserves to work with people that will appreciate her. Do you think Kaisa’s size is what got her sent home? Image via The CW
