Curvy model Jordyn Woods: Labeling people as plus-size 'is not cool'

Natalie Hage is covering all things curvy for Yahoo Lifestyle, as a first-timer at New York Fashion Week and beyond. Read her articles for an honest take on navigating the world as a plus-size woman, and follow Hage on Instagram for more.

Canadian-based plus-size retailer Addition Elle had its breakout runway show during New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, and I was so excited to attend. One of the collections shown was by Jordyn Woods, who is making a splash as a plus-size model, designer, and influencer — and, of course, as Kylie Jenner’s BFF.

Woods’s collection boasted 15 pieces with everything from a military jacket to statement denim. Woods loves the fact that New York Fashion Week is starting to include a diverse mix of bodies — but that’s not enough for her.

Jordyn Woods walks the runway for Addition Elle. (Photo: Getty Images)
Jordyn Woods walks the runway for Addition Elle. (Photo: Getty Images)

“I definitely do see a lot of shows providing more diverse casting,” she says, “but I’m ready to see more.” She tells me that there are so many kinds of bodies, including tall, petite, thick, thin, and everything in between, and that she’s ready for them to be included in New York Fashion Week.

Woods let me in on a little bit of her own journey with being plus-size. “I’ve always been a curvy girl. I’m curvy … there’s no doubt about that.”

While she loves the plus-size bodies popping up on the runways, Woods thinks that putting labels on people “is not cool,” and defining them by a simple term like “plus-size” shouldn’t fly.

I loved getting Woods’s point of view because it’s different than mine.

I definitely don’t mind the term “plus-size,” whether in reference to my body or my clothes. It’s a simple descriptor to me, but I totally agree with Woods that defining people solely by these terms would diminish how complex we all are.

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