The idea of plus-sized models have become common in the West, but they are still a rare sight in Asia.
However, with how well-received Chinese model Gong Zhen is, we think more plus-sized women might aspire to be just like her.
The 1.7m tall Shandong native weighs 80kg — plus-sized female models usually weigh more than 70kg — and has been photographed more than 700 times for ads aimed at larger women since her modelling debut in 2020.
Today, the 29-year-old commands about 3,000 yuan (S$547) a day and is considered one of the top-performing plus-sized models in China.
According to a recent interview with Ziniu News, Gong Zhen comes from a wealthy family. She used to run a restaurant but decided to shutter it due to low-profit margins.
She was talent spotted when she was asking for a refund from a shop owner on WeChat.
Apparently, the shop owner was captivated by photos of Gong Zhen on social media and convinced her to come to southern Guangdong, a province in Guangzhou to work as a model.
We are guessing the business owner saw there was money that could be made.
According to Chinese online retail consultant agency Market IDX, plus-sized womenswear online sales hit 15.6bil yuan (S$2.8bil) in 2020.
Initially feeling uncomfortable posing in front of the camera, Gong Zhen turned to the Internet for professional modelling advice while practising her poses.
According to Gong Zhen, being a model is no walk in the park and she can work up to an exhausting nine hours a day.
During the fashion industry’s peak seasons, multiple outfit changes are common, with each shoot lasting about five minutes.
In the interview, she shared that before her modelling days, her heftier weight always made her feel inferior to everyone else.
She said that even when she got mocked and bullied in school, she would not retaliate.
Gong Zhen credits her parents for encouraging her to embrace her true self. She learned how to wear make-up and plucked up the courage to go out of her way to make friends.
“I appreciate the current version of myself. I no longer feel inferior due to the shape and size of my body. Instead, I recognise my own value and uniqueness,” she said in the interview.
Her success in the modelling world seems to have also given her a new lease of confidence and she may try her hand at starting her own clothing line in the near future.
Netizens have since responded positively to her story, with one calling her a “goddess” and another saying he is “attracted to her confidence”.