The fashion industry has been entertaining a new found interest in plus-size models. From Glamour's now famous nude photo shoot with model Lizzie Miller and Crytsal Renn's Hungry, to Mark Fast (the Canadian designer and knitwear maven who recently cast a handful of heavier mannequins for his London Fashion Week presentation, much to some of his associates' dismay); it seems bigger, is some cases, may be better. And apparently, various pockets of the industry are dedicated to making a collective push towards breaking the size-zero mannequin mold.

Glamour magazine has followed its aforementioned shoot with one featuring not one but seven nude models significantly softer and more curvaceous than anything walking down most catwalks. But, what's behind the recent antipathy toward extreme thinness? "The recession has us all in a back-to-basics, tell-it-like-it-is mood, so realer images of women’s bodies seem appropriate now," says Glamour. While there might be something to people - the fashion industry included - being more inclined to cut the bullshit given the greater turmoil communities around the globe are facing, I imagine the most recent developments in the plus-size model movement are unrelated. In fact, the trend seems much more in tune with the public gaining increased insight into the pressure that exists behind fashion's front doors (think: Lara Stone measuring herself against her mannequin peers and thinking size 4 is fat) and being far from impressed.

The fight against models being too-thin has been a hot topic for seasons. But, few cities have imposed regulations; not to mention Glamour is the only magazine making a visible push with regard to embracing bigger bodies. The moral of the story is - as with racial diversity and discussion of less or no retouching - plus-size bodies have a long way to go if they're going to gain acceptance within an industry stuck in its (albeit archaic) ways for decades.