Size 10 model makes history by landing Calvin Klein campaign

Model Myla Dalbesio has made history by landing a coveted Calvin Klein underwear campaign, even though she is considered plus-size by the fashion industry's standards.

At a U.S. size 10 (UK size 14), the 27-year-old from Wisconsin is too curvy for a standard sample size zero or two, but plus-size is traditionally classified as size 12 and up, putting her right in the middle.

'It's kind of confusing because I'm a bigger girl,' Myla, who stands at 5ft 11in, told Elle. 'I'm not the biggest girl on the market but I'm definitely bigger than all the girls [Calvin Klein] has ever worked with, so that is really intimidating.'

Myla, who describes her body type as 'in the middle,' looks stunning in the 'Perfectly Fit' campaign, flaunting her curves in a black bra, her brunette hair slicked back.

She says the ad, which also features the more 'straight-sized' Jourdan Dunn, Ji Hye Park, Amanda Wellsh and Lara Stone, is revolutionary in that it doesn't address that fact that she is the lone 'plus-size' model in the group.

'I'm not skinny enough to be with the skinny girls and I'm not large enough to be with the large girls , and I haven't been able to find my place,' she explained. As such, 'this [campaign] was such a great feeling.' 

And yet some people have taken to Twitter in outrage that she could even be considered a 'bigger' girl. 

'Genuine WTF moment,' one critic wrote in a tweet directed at Elle. 'This woman is described as "plus-size" and "a bigger girl". Aaaraagahagaagahahagahahag'.

Another person said: 'I wouldn't consider her a plus size model. Her height and her muscular tone should not categorize as a "big girl."' And a third commented angrily: 'How is that plus size??' 

Despite the outcry, which seems to be directed at Elle rather than Calvin Klein, Myla says landing the campaign has made her hopeful that size is becoming less of an issue in the fashion industry. 

'It's not like [Calvin Klein] released this campaign and were like, 'Whoa, look, there's this plus-size girl in our campaign,'' she explained.

I'm not the biggest girl on the market but I'm definitely bigger than anyone Calvin Klein has ever worked with 

'They released me in this campaign with everyone else; there's no distinction. It's not a separate section for plus-size girls.' 

A statement released by the fashion house expresses the same sentiment. 

'The Perfectly Fit line was created to celebrate and cater to the needs of different women,' a spokesperson told MailOnline.

'And these images are intended to communicate that our new line is more inclusive and available in several silhouettes in an extensive range of sizes.' 

Myla, who is currently signed by Jag Models after being scouted at 16 when she was crowned Miss Teen Wisconsin, has opened up in the past about being encouraged to lose weight in order to fit into the 'standard' modeling size.

The model, who also works as a performance artist, has spoken in the past about her darkest days when she found herself heading down a path of drugs and eating disorders. 

Fitting in: Despite the controversy, Myla says landing the Calvin Klein campaign has made her hopeful that size is becoming less of an issue in the fashion industry

She told Fashionista in 2012: 'I tried for a long time to make myself [lose weight]. I tried throwing up after I ate and that's awful. That is painful - I would never wish for anyone to do that ever.'

The model revealed that she would spend weeks eating nothing but calorie-free black olives and pickles and spending hours in the gym to try to slim down to a more typical model weight.

She then gave up modelling for two years to concentrate on her studies but it was Crystal Renn who paved the way for her return as a plus-size girl.

Myla said: 'They told me about plus modeling which was something I'd never heard of before.

In the middle: 'I'm not skinny enough to be with the skinny girls and I'm not large enough to be with the large girls... 'This [campaign] was such a great feeling', explained Myla (with model Danielle Redman)

'But then they [scouts Jeff and Mary Clark] showed me, and this is when Crystal was really starting to pick up speed, so I walked into Ford and the first thing Gary [Dakin] said to me was, "You're the next Crystal Renn," and then they signed me.' 

But Myla has also noted that she is encouraged to have landed the Calvin Klein campaign, despite not fitting into the super-skinny mold.

'Look at the history of the brand, they launched Kate Moss, and this is the woman who started this whole trend of waif,' she told Entertainment Tonight earlier this year. 

'To see a brand like that embracing a greater range of sizes… it's really special.'

Source: Dailymail