胖模特在中國流行起來
As soon as the sky clears one rainy summer day in Guangzhou, plus-size modeling hopeful Wang Jialin hurries out for a test photo shoot. Passersby stare as she poses on the busy street.
在廣州的一個飄雨的夏日裏，天一放晴，有望成爲大碼模特的王嘉琳就匆匆忙忙地趕去試鏡。當她在繁忙的街道上擺拍的時候，行人們都注視着她。
“I’m used to it,” the 20-year-old mumbles. At 165 centimeters tall and weighing 94 kilograms, she stands out in Chinese crowds. The long black floral dress she wears is size 5XL, while most stores only carry small, medium, and large.
“我習慣了，”這位20歲的女孩喃喃地說道。身高165釐米，體重94公斤，她在中國民衆裏很顯眼。她穿着的黑色碎花長裙是5XL號（特大號）的，然而多數店鋪只出售小號、中號和大號。
Wang had never considered becoming a model until her mother, who works in the clothing export industry, came across a plus-size modeling agent and suggested that her daughter give it a try.
王嘉琳的母親就職於服裝出口行業，在她的母親偶遇一名大碼模特經紀人並建議她去試一試之前，她從未想過自己會成爲一名模特。
“Chinese people think of beauty as slenderness,” Wang tells Sixth Tone. She doesn’t remember anyone ever telling her she was pretty until she met modeling agent Huang Fei.
“中國人以苗條爲美，”王嘉琳告訴第六聲（澎湃新聞國際版）。她不記得有人曾說過她漂亮，直到她遇到了模特經紀人黃飛。
Huang is one of the plus-size modeling industry’s pioneering agents. She sees plus-size modeling not only as a business opportunity with real growth potential, but also as a way to change popular perceptions around fatness, beauty, and health.
黃飛是大碼模特行業的先驅經紀人之一。她不僅把大碼模特行業視爲一個有着真正增長潛力的商業機會，也把它看作是改變人們對肥胖、美麗和健康的普遍觀念的一種方式。
In China, plus-size modeling is a relatively new business that only surfaced around 2010. Now, the city of Guangzhou has become the center of the plus-size modeling industry due to the southern coastal region’s flourishing garment export sector and its status as a hub for online women’s fashion retailers. Plus-size models can make over 10,000 yuan ($1,470) per month, twice the average monthly salary in the city, according to state news agency Xinhua.
大約在2010年，中國纔出現了大碼模特，這是一個相對新興的行業。如今，因爲南部沿海地區繁榮的服裝出口業務以及廣州本身作爲女性時尚品線上零售商聚集的核心區域，廣州已成爲大碼模特行業的中心。據國家新聞社新華網報道，大碼模特每月的收入可達10,000多元（1470美元），是這個城市平均月薪的兩倍。
However, strict beauty standards apply, even in the plus-size modeling world. Huang looks for pretty girls who are at least 1.65 meters tall; are under 25 years old; and have a relatively slender waist, a long neck, and — most importantly — a small, photogenic face. “These requirements rule out most big girls who want to be models,” she says.
然而，即使在大碼模特的世界裏，也有着嚴格的審美標準。黃經紀人尋找的是身高至少1.65米，年齡不到25歲，有着相對苗條的腰部且脖子細長的漂亮女孩，最重要的是，她還要有一張小巧且上鏡的臉。“這些要求會把大多數想成爲模特的胖女孩拒之門外，”她說道。
