Calvin Klein Controversy: Would You Call This Model 'Plus Size' or 'A Bigger Girl?'

Myla Dalbesio is Calvin Klein's newest model. At a size 10, she's considered by the industry to be "plus sized," or at least a number of sizes bigger than most fashion models.

Looking at her, though, you would probably describe her as anything but "plus sized."

Therein lies the controversy that has erupted online around Dalbesio. It started with her giving an interview to Elle magazine, who tweeted out the finished article and a photo with the caption, "The newest plus-size modeling star on why her body isn't a trend."

Almost immediately, Twitter blew up with backlash from people arguing that by no means should a size 10 be described as "plus size."

As far as Dalbesio is concerned, she knows she's "a bigger girl" than the majority of fashion models in the industry, but she doesn't describe herself as plus size. In fact, she considers herself to be in a somewhat awkward in-between where there aren't many models of her body type.

"I'm not skinny enough to be with the skinny girls and I’m not large enough to be with the large girls," she said in the Elle piece. "It’s kind of confusing because I’m a bigger girl. 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."

It should be noted that, while Elle described Dalbesio as "plus size," Calvin Klein never said anything about what size range Dalbesio fell into. In fact, it seems that CK hired Dalbesio specifically because she fit somewhere between their definitions of the smaller fashion model and the plus size model.

"The Perfectly Fit line was created to celebrate and cater to the needs of different women," said a Calvin Klein rep, "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."