There are so many pressures on us in this brave new world we inhabit. Social media requires frequent updates throughout the day, work is ceaseless and don't even get me started on how exhausting it is to maintain a healthy social life, go to the gym and remember to cook three square meals a day.

What's more, women face arguably more pressure now than at any other point in history to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.

No longer merely confronted by the covers of glossy magazines featuring perfectly touched up, glamorous models; now we are all forced to contend with the endless filtered corridors of Instagram, where body goals are the order of the day and bikini-clad models stare back at us from sunny vistas.

However, the rise of the body-positive movement has gone some way to combating unrealistic expectations of how our bodies should look.

Plus-size models have made a significant contribution to this new body positive outlook, encouraging women and men alike to embrace their figures and live a happy, healthy life as a result.

However, 20-year-old Sonny Turner, a model who's walked the runway in London and New York, as well as working with Asos, has spoken out about the hidden pressures of being a plus-size model that you might not have considered before;

"Even within the plus-size industry there's still pressure to look a certain way, and a preference to be hourglass. 

"You can be fat but not too fat and you can be plus-size, but you've still got to have a flat stomach. It's annoying because plus-size is supposed to mean being whatever size you are - but within that, there are still restraints."

She also revealed some of the common misconceptions that plus-size models face from the uninitiated;

"I’ve still got to be cautious and watch what I eat, and I still have to go to the gym.

"I think the misconception is that we’re all unhealthy but if I was, I wouldn’t be able to do this job."

In a documentary last year, she spoke about the start of her career and the challenges she faced;

"I do feel like if I was as slim as I was when I first started then I wouldn’t have as many jobs.

"What happened to me when I first signed to Milk, I was definitely not plus-size, but I was not skinny enough to be a straight-sized model [either]."

It's important to realise that plus-size models still face many challenges and misconceptions on their route to inspiring women and men to embrace their bodies.

There are so many pressures on us in this brave new world we inhabit. Social media requires frequent updates throughout the day, work is ceaseless and don't even get me started on how exhausting it is to maintain a healthy social life, go to the gym and remember to cook three square meals a day.

What's more, women face arguably more pressure now than at any other point in history to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.

No longer merely confronted by the covers of glossy magazines featuring perfectly touched up, glamorous models; now we are all forced to contend with the endless filtered corridors of Instagram, where body goals are the order of the day and bikini-clad models stare back at us from sunny vistas.

However, the rise of the body-positive movement has gone some way to combating unrealistic expectations of how our bodies should look.

Plus-size models have made a significant contribution to this new body positive outlook, encouraging women and men alike to embrace their figures and live a happy, healthy life as a result.

However, 20-year-old Sonny Turner, a model who's walked the runway in London and New York, as well as working with Asos, has spoken out about the hidden pressures of being a plus-size model that you might not have considered before;

"Even within the plus-size industry there's still pressure to look a certain way, and a preference to be hourglass. 

"You can be fat but not too fat and you can be plus-size, but you've still got to have a flat stomach. It's annoying because plus-size is supposed to mean being whatever size you are - but within that, there are still restraints."

She also revealed some of the common misconceptions that plus-size models face from the uninitiated;

"I’ve still got to be cautious and watch what I eat, and I still have to go to the gym.

"I think the misconception is that we’re all unhealthy but if I was, I wouldn’t be able to do this job."

In a documentary last year, she spoke about the start of her career and the challenges she faced;

"I do feel like if I was as slim as I was when I first started then I wouldn’t have as many jobs.

"What happened to me when I first signed to Milk, I was definitely not plus-size, but I was not skinny enough to be a straight-sized model [either]."

It's important to realise that plus-size models still face many challenges and misconceptions on their route to inspiring women and men to embrace their bodies.