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.

在广州的一个飘雨的夏日里，天一放晴，有望成为大码模特的王嘉琳就匆匆忙忙地赶去试镜。当她在繁忙的街道上摆拍的时候，行人们都注视着她。

“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.

“我习惯了，”这位20岁的女孩喃喃地说道。身高165厘米，体重94公斤，她在中国民众里很显眼。她穿着的黑色碎花长裙是5XL号（特大号）的，然而多数店铺只出售小号、中号和大号。

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.

王嘉琳的母亲就职于服装出口行业，在她的母亲偶遇一名大码模特经纪人并建议她去试一试之前，她从未想过自己会成为一名模特。

“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.

“中国人以苗条为美，”王嘉琳告诉第六声（澎湃新闻国际版）。她不记得有人曾说过她漂亮，直到她遇到了模特经纪人黄飞。

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.

黄飞是大码模特行业的先驱经纪人之一。她不仅把大码模特行业视为一个有着真正增长潜力的商业机会，也把它看作是改变人们对肥胖、美丽和健康的普遍观念的一种方式。

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.

大约在2010年，中国才出现了大码模特，这是一个相对新兴的行业。如今，因为南部沿海地区繁荣的服装出口业务以及广州本身作为女性时尚品线上零售商聚集的核心区域，广州已成为大码模特行业的中心。据国家新闻社新华网报道，大码模特每月的收入可达10,000多元（1470美元），是这个城市平均月薪的两倍。

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，即使在大码模特的世界里，也有着严格的审美标准。黄经纪人寻找的是身高至少1.65米，年龄不到25岁，有着相对苗条的腰部且脖子细长的漂亮女孩，最重要的是，她还要有一张小巧且上镜的脸。“这些要求会把大多数想成为模特的胖女孩拒之门外，”她说道。

（翻译：Dlacus）