The Body Issue: Jeanie Annan-Lewin on Curve Representation in Fashion Imagery
“It’s clear that bigger bodies are still treated as an exception rather than part of the core audience.”
Jeanie Annan-Lewin is a London-based stylist, editor and creative consultant working across editorial, campaigns, runway and celebrity dressing, with clients including Gucci, Burberry and Nike. Her work is rooted in storytelling and shaped by ongoing conversations around identity, representation and the politics of fashion.
For The Body Issue, Jeanie tells us more about the process behind the scenes with brands, how bigger bodies are often represented in editorials and where she believes future change will come from.
Read on for the full interview.
What can you tell us about the process of working with brands and being briefed? How does it typically come about?
It varies. Sometimes a magazine commissions a story, and I lead the fashion direction. Other times a brand approaches me directly for a campaign or consultation, or I work with an artist or celebrity over time to shape their image. There’s usually a creative brief, mood boards, and discussions with the photographer and wider team, followed by sample requests from fashion houses. That’s often where size inclusivity becomes a practical barrier. The vision can be ambitious, but if the clothes don’t exist in the right sizes, the creative is immediately constrained.
When you first started in the industry, what sort of things were brands requesting in terms of styling? How has that changed?
There was very little conversation around representation. The expectation was to operate within a narrow, white European standard ideal of beauty, with the newest collections on the thinnest models, and little space to question that framework.
Now, the language has shifted. Brands talk about inclusivity, diversity and authenticity far more openly. Some genuinely operate from those values; others recognize them as an industry expectation. The conversation has evolved faster than the infrastructure supporting it, which is why we’re in this difficult situation.
Was there a point where you noticed an influx in curve models being cast by brands?
Between 2019 and 2022, there was clear momentum. More curve models appeared in campaigns, on covers, and occasionally on runways. It felt like a visible shift in an industry that had long ignored a broader reality. Whether that moment marked lasting change or a response to external pressure is still up for debate.
Has the amount of curve models increased or decreased in the last few years?
It’s plateaued, and in some areas has regressed. Curve models are still present, but often in isolated or highly visible moments rather than as a consistent standard. Also, all of the plus-size models have slimmed down, as they’re not being booked as much; some are transitioning into the beauty space. There’s also a tendency for brands to cite a single inclusive campaign as proof of progress while the rest of their output remains unchanged.
When curve models or models with fuller busts are cast, how do photographers and brands typically portray them? Is there a common theme?
There are consistent patterns. Fuller bodies are often styled and shot in ways that minimize them in oversized tailoring, closed-off poses, crossed arms or silhouettes that flatten rather than celebrate shape. When sexuality is explored, it tends to fall into extremes: either desexualized entirely or hypersexualized. There’s rarely the same range, nuance or ease afforded to bigger models. The most successful images are those that don’t treat body size as the subject, and simply allow the person to exist within the frame.
In your experience, does the styling brief change depending on the body size or type?
Yes, I think both explicitly and implicitly. You quickly learn which brands don’t produce samples above certain sizes, so ideas are edited before the process even begins. That becomes a structural limitation imposed by the industry, not the wearer. As a result, bigger bodies are still underrepresented in fashion editorials simply because the clothes are not available to them.
Has there been a point in the industry where you felt like inclusivity and body diversity were changing for the better?
Yes, particularly in the early 2020s. There was a real sense that people were actively questioning long-held ideas about beauty and who fashion is for. The frustration is that progress has slowed. Representation isn’t a milestone; it requires sustained commitment, something the industry seems to be unable to do.
Do you currently feel represented in fashion?
Not fully. There are more people who look like me in the industry than when I started, but representation is not just visibility. It’s access, opportunity and consistency. Also, when you start climbing the ranks, so to speak, there are very few Black women in positions of power, which is a little strange since we’re a constant resource. Pair that with being plus-size, and there are even fewer faces. I still struggle to borrow luxury samples in my size as a fashion editor; it’s clear that bigger bodies are still treated as an exception rather than part of the core audience.
What are the main things you feel need to change? And who does that responsibility sit with?
The most important changes need to happen behind the scenes. Fashion houses need to produce a wider size range. Buying teams need to invest in it. Editors need to commission work that doesn’t frame size as the central narrative. Casting directors need to expand their idea of aspiration. Photographers need to move beyond repetitive visual codes when shooting bigger bodies.
Responsibility sits with everyone shaping the industry. Representation is often celebrated when it appears, but the real goal is a point where it’s so embedded it no longer needs to be highlighted.
