Hayley Hasselhoff praises the growing plus-size movement

Home Top

Two shot at J. Cole concert: Hunt for gunman who opened fire and left victims fighting for life after argument in New Jersey parking lot
Sons of 9/11 victim grew up poor, and were never told they were worth $1m: Their dad died in the kitchen of Windows on the World - then their payout bounced between bureaucrats for a DECADE
'Do you believe in love at first sight... or should I walk around you three more times?': The five cringe-worthy pick up lines that actually DO work revealed
More than 450 civilians, including 100 children, have been killed by US-led coalition airstrikes against ISIS, claims report
Six-year-old girl killed alongside another spectator in circus tent collapse that left another 15 injured in New Hampshire
Trump wins by NOT showing up at final warmup before first GOP debate - as rivals squabble without naming him and new poll gives him 26 per cent of primary voters
Democrats save Planned Parenthood from being stripped of cash - for now - after horror abortion videos as Republicans vow to push measure through
Obama to meet with Jewish leaders to push Iran nuclear deal as poll shows American public opposes pact with ayatollahs
'We cannot repeat the 1970s': NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton calls for crackdown on gun violence after 22 are shot and three killed in New York over the weekend
Jeb is miserable at my rise, crows Trump: Republican frontrunner laughs at claims Bush is happy at The Donald hurting rest of field
Marry Mia Farrow? I've scotch older than her: That's what Dean Martin told Sinatra. If only he'd listened!
Is this why women wear their coats in the office? Air conditioning temperatures in the office are based on the preferences of a middle-aged male
It's not Viagra he needs... it's testosterone: Many men think those little blue pills are all it takes to pep up a flagging love life. But new research suggests they're VERY wrong
Could pears be the best hangover cure going? Fruit's juice can reduce effects of a night's drinking by up to a fifth
Taco Bell fires worker for writing 'PIG' on police officer's food wrappers
Father Bobby Brown is nowhere to be seen at final goodbye for Bobbi Kristina: Cissy Houston and Dionne Warwick lead the mourners as she is buried next to her mother in New Jersey cemetery
'Terrified' mom tells court how unarmed black car-crash victim kicked her door repeatedly while 'asking for help' before she called 911... and a white officer killed him
Brown and Houston families at WAR as photo of Bobbi Kristina in her casket 'is sold for six figures' with both sides blaming one another for the leaked picture
PIERS MORGAN: The best tribute Whitney and Bobbi Kristina's greedy, grasping, fame-hungry relatives and friends could pay them is to shut the f*** up
London to New York in just ONE HOUR: Airbus files patent for a hypersonic jet more than double the speed of Concorde
Ease the AGONY of sunburn: It can be a sign of significant skin damage. Here's how to reduce the redness and pain
'Every time I sat down to eat I was thinking - skinny or fat?' From living off diet coke and tins of tuna, food author reveals how she quit fad diets and started eating to feel good
Shaolin's 'CEO monk' who turned temple where kung fu was founded into commercial empire accused of fathering children out of wedlock and embezzlement
Gay couple who were the first to marry at West Point are attacked in Soho bodega 'hate crime' - but send their attacker packing with his 'tail between his legs'

The 22-year-old daughter of David Hasselhoff has worked as a plus-size model since she was 14
Hayley, who is encouraging people to support a Kickstarter campaign for the documentary Straight/Curve, talked to Daily Mail Online about modeling
She said that she wants the same opportunities that straight-size models get, and to appear in high-fashion editorials

Published: 16:51 EST, 3 August 2015 | Updated: 17:52 EST, 3 August 2015

View
comments

Hayley Hasselhoff is joining the growing chorus of plus-size models who have had enough of the fashion industry's painfully slow move toward inclusiveness.

The 22-year-old is speaking up to encourage others to support a newly-launched Kickstarter campaign that will fund the documentary Straight/Curve, which explores the rise of the plus-size movement.

'People are talking about plus-size models in a different light, and they're grasping the fact we aren’t just models - we have a voice in the body movement that’s going on,' she told Daily Mail Online.

Scroll down for video

Exlcusive: Hayley Hasselhoff spoke to Daily Mail Online about working as a plus-size model, as well as the upcoming documentary Straight/Curve

Lookin' good: Hayley said that she wants all of the same opportunities that straight-size models have, which includes getting cast in high-fashion editorials

In the business of fame: Hayley, whose father is actor David Hasselhoff (right), is part of a movement that's gaining momentum

Straight/Curve, directed by Jenny McQuaile, follows models, photographers, stylists, and other fashion industry players involved in the plus-size fashion and modeling movement.

The film, which is set for release in fall 2016, will also examine the relationship between the fashion industry and the media, as well as how those industries effect society and body image.

Now Jenny and the documentary's producers, Franses Simonovich and Jessica Lewis, are looking for more funding to set up shop at New York Fashion Week, where they plan to go behind the scenes at a 'huge' fashion show.

They already have several well-known plus-size models on board, including Hayley, Jennie Runk, Leah Kelley, and Heather Hazzan.

Hayley explained her enthusiasm, saying: 'I am involved in a movement that is really helping the world as fashion is something that is relatable to all ages, sizes, and races, and to be able to intertwine fashion with being a body advocate is really... making people open up their eyes.'

New film hopes to highlight the plus size modeling industry

Early beginnings: The 22-year-old started her modeling career at the age of 14 after signing with Ford Models

Greater goals: She said she doesn't always want to have to strip down to her underwear just because she is plus-size

Donate! Hayley also appears in a video promoting Straight/Curve and the film's Kickstarter campaign

One of the issues that the documentary explores is the effect that the lack of plus-size images has on young, impressionable girls.

'We have young girls who are feeling really bad about themselves because of the images that my industry's putting out, and this has been a problem for years and years and years,' model Jennie Runk, 26, explains in the film. Jennie, who is perhaps best known for her 2013 swimwear campaign for H&M added: 'I lived through it, my sister lived through it, all of my friends lived through it, and now I'm in a place where I'm part of that industry, and I can therefore be a part of the solution.'

While the images presented by the media when Hayley first started out in the industry were still of mostly thin women at the time, the model told Daily Mail Online that she was lucky to have other plus-size role models around on set that she could look up to and turn to for advice.

After signing with Ford models at age 14, the Los Angeles native said the first shoot she booked involved wearing swimwear; thankfully for the teenager's self-esteem, there were more experienced models around to put her at ease.

Diving in: The Los Angeles native revealed that her first modeling job involved posing in a swimsuit

Ladies to look up to: She felt lucky to have other women around at the early photo shoot to put her at ease

Group experience: Hayley said that she thinks that men and women all struggle with their bodies

'These women had curves and were toned and beautiful,' she said. 'To be 14 and still figuring out my way, and to see these women, I got very inspired by them. When you are young, you look at older women and say, "Oh, I want to be like that," or: 'I hope one day I am that sophisticated or that beautiful."'

Not that her self-esteem hasn't taken hits. Hayley added that, when she was younger, she definitely noticed that she didn't look like some of the other girls in school.

'I think we’ve all struggled with our bodies,' she said. 'When you are growing into your body, whether you’re a female or a male, you don’t understand why you don’t look like the next person or why the popular girl has boobs before you do. You just don’t understand why it’s happening.'

But starting to model at such a young age offered a major boost of confidence, as modeling can feel quite glamorous - especially when everyone on set, from make-up artists to photographers, are telling you how gorgeous you look.

In need of self-esteem: Jennie Runk (picture), who many know from her 2013 H&M swimsuit campaign, said it's a problem that young girls feel bad about themselves because of images put out by the fashion industry

Well-rounded: The documentary features several plus-size models, as well as photographers and stylists

Impressive roster: Heather Hazzan (pictured) is one of several models who appears in the film, which is already in production

'A lot of people ask me, "How are you so confident?" or: "Did you have years where you struggled with your body?"' she said. 'And I think being a plus sized model helped me a lot. I think it was cause I was 14 and I was going to these shoots.'

Now she just hopes that other plus-size women can get the same attention that she's gotten - and that she herself can get the same attention as non-plus-size models.

'I want to achieve what straight size models get to achieve, and that is high fashion and editorials and not feel like I need to strip down to my lingerie every five minutes because I am a plus size model,' she said.

Beauty boost: Hayley thinks that modeling from a young age helped her to be more confident

Setting the record straight: There are misconceptions about the plus-size industry, Hayley said, and she thinks this film can help clear them up

Her time to shine: Hayley added that plus-size models like her have a voice in the growing movement to represent more figures in fashion

In a promotional clip on the film's Kickstarter page, Leah Kelley, 27, shares why she got involved with the project.

'I'm so proud to be a part of the Straight/Curve film, which actually has the possibility to revolutionize the modeling world by challenging a sizeist fashion industry to not only shatter the stigmatizing one-size stereotype, but embrace the body diversity that exists among all women,' she says.

Hayley adds: 'I think people have a misconception about what the plus-size industry really is [based on] what the media presents it as, and there's so much more to it. And I think that it's only fair and it's only right for the people out there in the industry and the world to know what is really going on.