Size 6 Beauty Queen Told She’s “Too Big”

Apparently the Miss United Continents UK 2017, Zoiey Smale, is “too large,” according to the event organizers. Instead of dropping from her size 6, Miss Smale decided to relinquish her title in protest.

Plus-size models and celebrities are becoming more and more popular, but the aesthetic for tiny, it would seem, is demanded yet by some. Board certified plastic surgeons familiar with body contouring and helping patients lose unwanted pockets of fat weigh in on the story and the new aesthetic.

What’s Wrong with Size 6?

From celebrities to sports figures to models, plus-sized women are en vogue. The skinny, tiny aesthetic is giving way in popular culture to curves, at least for those not organizing beauty pageants.

“I think my wife gets the Athleta catalogue and they’ve got some plus-sized girls in there in that workout stuff,” shares Dr. Bruce Van Natta, a board certified plastic surgeon in Indianapolis. “I picked it up once and I’m like, ‘Man, this is cool!’ They’re not all that way, but at least they’re showing there’s some diversity.”

Plastic surgeons like Van Natta routinely see patients looking to lose a little bit of poundage, but the population at large has to remember plastic surgery is not weight loss surgery. Board certified plastic surgeons always prefer their patients to be exercising and in good shape prior to procedures like liposuction, tummy tucks, and buttock and breast augmentation. These patients aren’t looking to be stick thin necessarily, just shore up what they have after hard work.

The procedures listed above are not always about volume; usually, it’s about contour. A little lipo here, fat transfer from the waist to the buttocks, removing excess skin… these goals are to impact contour, not create thin people. “It’s OK!” says Van Natta. “You can be comfortable and happy with your body even if you’re carrying a little extra weight. I think it’s sad that the industry, if you will, is perpetrating this unrealistic expectation.”

Miss Smale’s decision to turn down the competition may also play into the media’s hands of helping push the idea that big is not bad. “If she didn’t want to be part of it because she’s too large then she’ll probably get more press and attention for that statement than her crown!” shares board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Caroline Glicksman.

Being comfortable in your skin is typically the top priority of plastic surgeons, which is why procedures use words like “augmentation.” Great results are from patients who just want a little here or a little there, not to become someone else entirely.