Plus-Size Models Look To Change The Game At New York's Fashion Week

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- The world-famous Fashion Week is in full swing in New York and this year it isn't all about size-2 supermodels.

This year, plus-size models are looking to change the game, CBS 2's Cindy Hsu reported.

"Fifty-percent of the population are size-14 and above. That's about 150-lbs, 5'4"," fashion expert Catherine Schuller said.

Eden Miller made history with her plus-size line at last year's fashion week. Miller designs clothing for women size 12 to 24.

"Last September, I was the first designer to ever show plus-size at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York," she said.

Miller's line made it "under the tents" a reference to the week's biggest, most prestigious shows. There are also hundreds of other, smaller shows, around the city where plus-size models said that more designers should be using models that women can relate to.

"It's important because we are what everyday women look like," plus-sized model Emery Childs said, "People strive to be what they see in the magazines and unfortunately most of the time these are really, really, skinny women."

Giselle Samson appeared on the show "America's Next Top Model" eleven years ago when she was a size-4, but things quickly changed.

"Then I started to develop like normal people do and now people were telling me 'no you can't model anymore, you're too fat,'" she said.

Samson is now a size-8 and said that thankfully the world is changing.

Plus-size model Chane Valls said that it is important to send a healthy message to young girls.

"Believe in what you stand for as well as love your curves," she said, "And love who you are. That's my message to all the children out there."

Valls said the public needs to let designers know that they need real sizes for real women.

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