Models Speak Up In i-D's Size Matters Series

Cat videos aren't the only valuable thing to binge watch on YouTube. British magazine i-D just wrapped up an eye-opening video series called Size Matters, and it's worth taking 10 minutes to check 'em out. In the videos, four members of the modeling community open up about their experiences with the industry's damaging standards and lack of size diversity.

At two or three minutes each, the short films give us non-models a small but shocking look at what it's like to try to fit into the industry's size demands. Of course, we see it from the outside — the images we're shown perpetuate unrealistic size standards and body image issues, without a doubt.

But to actually be in the industry? Well, that's where the effects seem to be most damaging. Model Rosie Nelson, a US size 6, was told to literally lose weight until she was "down to the bone." It seems absurd, but that's just it. It is ridiculous. Plus size model Sabina Karlsson recalls a disturbing experience with a casting director in Milan, who literally squeezed her thighs and told her she was "too big."

Plus size model Barbie Ferreira gets in on the conversation, as well as fashion commentator and diversity champion Caryn Franklin. All four women have unique paths, strong messages, and one core belief: It's time to open up the conversation and encourage the portrayal of healthy, happy models at every size.

Check out what they had to say below:

Rosie Nelson

The model who started it all. After starting a change.org petition to implement fashion week health checks that's since garnered over 100,000 signatures (!!!), Nelson was a key player in sparking the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image's UK inquiry into model health, according to i-D.

Barbie Ferreira

Known for her firecracker personality and killer Instagram game, Barbie has been outspoken about the lack of representation for "in-between" girls. Her story is an inspiring one, though — her determination and belief that change is possible is seriously body-pos.

Sabina Karlsson

Possibly the most moving of all of the videos, Swedish model Sabina got real about the pressures of the modeling industry, how it feels to be told you're not skinny enough, and why it's so important for society to see girls of different sizes in the media.

Caryn Franklin

Caryn is a fashion commentator and the co-founder of the All Walks Beyond the Catwalk initiative, which promotes diverse beauty ideals, according to i-D. She shares a term her students came up with that's more in line with what curvy models represent: life-size. Now that's more like it.

Don't forget to watch our video following androgynous model Rain Dove around NYFW. To watch more short documentaries or learn fun food and beauty hacks, subscribe to Bustle's YouTube page.

Image: i-D/YouTube