A big obsession with the natural body beautiful

While skeletal models continue to stalk catwalks around the world, this year in Perth something big happened in the modelling world.

And it was spearheaded by the Perth Fashion Festival, who for the first time dedicated a show to a group they termed "real women".

Though the "real women" term turned a lot of people off, with slim women pointing out they were real too, the show featuring plus-sized models really struck a chord in a climate obsessed with the often conflicting ideas of beauty, health, size and self-esteem.

Natalie Wakeling led the plus-size model charge at the Perth Fashion Festival. Photo: Getty Images
Shoppers packed the fashion central tent in the city to see women of all shapes, sizes and ages show off a killer attitude to go with their womanly figures at the Every Body Counts show.

Competition winners strode alongside more established plus-sized models - including the country's most famous, Natalie Wakeling - with Nova radio presenter Gemma Walsh among the standouts. It was the confidence and swagger with which they commanded the catwalk that had the audience enthralled.

The sentiment at the show was best summed up by Wakeling's modelling ethos.

"Join us in our mission to change opinions, change perceptions and create a new way of thinking. Curvy is sexy, curvy is confident, curvy is back and better than ever," Wakeling said.

But The Perth Fashion Festival was not the only organisation to join the bigger-is-just-as-legit modelling movement during the year.

Department store Myer again used plus-sized models in store shows to allow shoppers to see how garments would look on figures similar to their own.

Designers around the world caught up with the belief that stylish clothes should not be limited to small sizes, with even super chic New York department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue including bigger sizes in luxury labels like Chanel, Armani, Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta.

Taking body image issues to a new naked level, Marie Claire magazine published nude and untouched images of model Jennifer Hawkins in their February edition. Despite the fact that Hawkins possesses one of the most lusted-after super fit bodies in the country, the magazine and an eating disorders foundation suggested the pictures promoted awareness of positive body image.

This perplexed the many women around the country who took to the images with a magnifying glass to search for the apparent flaws the images apparently demonstrated - and came up with nada. A tiny crease at her waist was deemed by some to be a flaw, while others suggested that if she weren't to have a crease in the area (read: skin) while sitting down she would be unable to stand up.

Other mags fired back at Marie Claire, publishing naked images of woman who did not have the body of a supermodel, to show readers what those pesky "real women" really looked like underneath their clothing.

But debate has raged around the world about how big qualifies a model as plus-sized and how big is too big?

Health commentators pointed out that obese models portrayed unhealthy body images, just as the long criticised super-thin models did. Others demanded that those with bigger bodies be loud and proud.