Like Glamour, Marie Claire has decided it needs to offer more content geared toward plus-size readers. In the November issue, the magazine introduces Ashley Falcon, a size-18 stylist who will be doling out fashion advice in a new column.

In the issue, she shares a little about her experiences working in fashion despite not being able to fit into sample sizes, offering thoughts like, “I long ago made peace with the fact that I’ll never look good in a slinky dress or pleated paper-bag-waist pants, even if Coco Chanel herself came back from the dead and hand-stitched them for me,” and “Big girls love accessories—they always fit, no size tags required.” She also tackles jeans-shopping for women with fuller figures, giving her top three picks for pairs that flatter. Next up, she hunts down cocktail-chic clothes “for all sizes” for the holiday season.

After years of envying Kate Moss‘s seemingly infinite closet and Gisele‘s parade of bang-able boyfriends, a girl would be right to think the hardest part of a model’s life is choosing whose yacht in Ibiza to sunbathe topless on today.

But a few years ago, “America’s Next Top Model” began to peel back the layers of the modeling industry (well, with a weird, Tyra Banks-ian spin), and then a blogger called Tatiana The Anonymous Model chimed in on Jezebel about her take on a model’s life. But the piece de resistance on the Ugly Side Of Modeling canon is Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves by plus-size model Crystal Renn.

Model Crystal Renn appeared on “Good Morning America” this morning to promote her book, Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves. Crystal was discovered by a model scout as a teen in Clinton, MS, and was told she could be a supermodel. But there was a catch: She would need to lose 70 pounds off her 5’9” frame first. She did and got a $250,000 contract.

But after starving herself for years, Crystal decided she didn’t want to abuse her body anymore and decided to let it be the way it wanted to be, which was a size 12. While this isn’t the usual size fashion models come in, Crystal says she has been more successful since being true to herself, appearing on the cover of four international editions of Vogue, in various ad campaigns, and on the runway for Vena Cava, Heatherette, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. We’re not models, but her message is one we should all heed: Be yourself and you’ll get farther in life. Aww ... [GMA]

We told you all about how much positive response Glamour magazine has received from readers for the image of a nude plus-size model featured in the September issue. Lizzie Miller has since appeared on “Today” and copies of the magazine are selling out. Catherine wondered whether the overwhelmingly positive response would result in magazines, and the fashion industry, finally recognizing that beauty comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and that they would start featuring more models like Miller on a regular basis. The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman wrote on his blog, “When I am shooting on the street older women and larger size women often say ‘no’ to my request to shoot them…. I think they have a real suspicion about how the image will be used. I also think there continues to be a growing disconnect between the fashion community and ‘average’ women in general.”

If a recent blog post from “style expert and bon vivant” Adrien Field is any indication, we still have a long way to go.

When it comes to new ways of marketing products, businesses are really trying to cash in on social networking. The latest to stake a claim in the internet forums is retailer Lane Bryant, the plus-size mall chain. The new website, called Inside Curve, will allow users to give feedback and interact with the brand, as well as talk with other users. Says a company rep, “Our woman loves fashion, loves color, and insists on being on trend and knowing what’s coming next. Inside Curve is her opportunity to join thousands of women who feel the same way.”

Because digital marketing is still relatively new, taking an initiative like Lane Bryant’s brings up a lot of questions. Can social networking actually help your brand and business? Does it defeat the purpose of an online community if it’s created solely by sponsored content? And more specifically, for women: Is Lane Bryant attempting to mold out a better space for plus-sized women, as skinny fashion networks outnumber full-figured forums?

So what do you think? Cheap trick? Or a pioneer in bringing new options for women? [BusinessWire.com]

The empire that is Jessica Simpson keeps expanding. (Sigh.) From her humble music roots, she’s moved on to hair extensions, shoes, bikinis and now plus-sized bras. Simpson latest launch is designed exclusively for girls with fuller busts (good news for those of you who complained about this dilemma!). The bras will be part of a larger line (heh) of lingerie that Simpson plans to debut in stores this fall and will include matching underwear, regular-sized bras and sleepwear. The entire range will be available in various prints and fabrics from seersucker to Moroccan-inspired patterns. Interested or over it already? [The Thread]

Most fashion shows are known for emaciated, twig-like models strutting down runways, but there’s a different kind of fashion week going on right now. Full-Figured Fashion Week took five years to organize, but, at last, arrived in New York yesterday. Until Saturday night, designers will show buyers and the press their clothes for plus-size women, as well as take part in panels such as “The State of the Curvy Community.”

“The main objective is to show the consumers and buyers that there are other designers out there,” organizer Gwen DeVoe told The Daily Beast. She also said plus-size women care about looking good, rather than having tunics and jersey dresses as their only options.

I’m on the borderline of sizes between plus and misses—a 14/16 that can easily fill an 18 after a Snickers bar. So, every time one of my friends takes the plunge, I have to try to squeeze into dresses that look great on all the other, thinner girls. I get to sport that skin sausage look, which, although unflattering, helps me get lucky with the single groomsmen—they look at me and can tell I’d do anything to get out of the tight dress.

For once, I’d like to wear a dress that fits me and doesn’t cause post-traumatic dress disorder. It’s not any of the brides’ faults, they are true friends. Most boutiques and designers only go up to a size 8, 10, or 12 at best. What am I supposed to do, sew two dresses together?! Or, the shops are strictly for big beautiful women and they only go from 14 up. What are those skinny girls supposed to do, cut the dress in half?

Plus-size fashionistas are going to have a harder time finding clothing that fits because plus-size clothing companies are being hit as hard by the recession as high-end designers and department stores. Many stores have decreased the amount of plus-size clothing they carry or have eliminated the department altogether. Plus-size clothing costs 10 percent more to manufacture, and the demand for it isn’t as high as smaller-sized garments. Sad. At least they can still shop at Faith 21 and Pure Energy. [Fashion Indie]

Oh, no! We forgot to celebrate our new favorite holiday, International No Diet Day, on May 6th!

But it’s cool. We can still score some body-image karma by grabbing a copy of Lessons From the Fat-O-Sphere: Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce With Your Body by bloggers Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby.

Both women call themselves bloggers of the “fat acceptance movement,” Harding at Shapely Prose and Kirby at The Rotund. These cool ladies critique our society’s obsession with skinny bitches and cover topics like how most diets don’t work and how women can be healthy at lots of sizes, not just when they’re Olsen-twin thin.

Maybe you want to buy it to empower a bigger woman in your life—or maybe you’re the bigger woman who wants empowerment. In any case, we’re really excited when anyone acknowledges what real women look like. [$13.95, Lessons From The Fat-O-Sphere]

The Gossip’s chanteuse Beth Ditto let Superdoll Collectibles give her the Barbie treatment to promote her line for Evans, a plus-sized clothing chain in the UK—and here she is!

We’re psyched the Beth doll will be stage-diving at a rock show while Barbie’s back at the Dream House, doing her nails and mooning over Ken. But it’s rather annoying that Beth-the-Doll is a slimmed-down version of Beth-the-Singer. Real life Beth has belly rolls and wears wackadoo kabuki makeup; she doesn’t have pristine skin or sexy Barbie doe eyes.

As Big Fat Deal put it, “Beth Ditto’s supposed dolly doppelganger has all of her thigh dimples lipo’d away. So close and yet, so far.” We’re not saying the doll’s got to have cellulite—although that would make us feel better about ours. It’s just that the doll Beth looks, well. plastic. [Vogue UK via Big Fat Deal]

Forever 21 will debut a plus-size collection in May called Faith 21. Us Weekly dished on Faith 21 in a recent issue, but the mag misleadingly connected Kim Kardashian to the new line.

Here’s a little faith for fuller-figured fashionistas: On May 1, they can try on a new plus-size line, Faith 21, from hip bargain chain Forever 21 (Kim Kardashian is a fan). “It’s for a curvier girl that loves fashion,” marketing manager Linda Chang tells Us of the knit and woven tops, dresses and jeans, ranging in size from XL to 2XL and all priced at less than $31.

I’m fat. I have gigantic ta-ta’s and a fat ass(et). While I didn’t always see it as such (high school was rough), as an adult, having all those extra mouthfuls has certainly come in handy—just ask my boyfriends.  But okay, I’ll admit it; being a large lady, I’ve worried about the possibility of suffocating a man to death while sitting on his face. Gasp! Can you imagine me on the local news trying to explain that crime against nature?! But do you know what is a worse fate? Being inhibited in the sack just because you’re a big, beautiful woman. That would be the real shame. With that in mind, I am all for some female empowerment for my fellow fat chicks!  However, I should qualify that statement by saying it sucks twice as hard when “sexperts” pretend to be supportive and then dish out condescending advice.  A perfect example of this mean girl tactic is The Sun‘s “Big Girl’s Guide To Sex.” It sounded promising, but in reality, the article features bedroom tips on how to make yourself look thinner, as if that really means sexier. Well I call bull tit! More, after the jump…

I was very skeptical when I heard about Essence’s special “Voluptuous Issue” this morning. I thought maybe it would be a gimmick like Vogue Italia’s “Black Issue”. And I didn’t see a need for a special issue celebrating full-figured women because Essence seems to do just that on a consistent basis. One of the reasons I’m not a big fan of this lady mag is because each month they have a section on how to wear a certain outfit in any size. The problem is the first size is an eight. I’m no where near that size, so I felt excluded each time I picked up the magazine. I also, for the life of me, couldn’t figure out why a magazine would celebrate a lifestyle that could lead to health problems. According to the Obesity Society, black women and men have the highest prevalence of obesity than any other race or ethnicity. But after reading the magazine, I had a greater understanding of the thinking behind this issue.

We have some news for Tyra Banks—a size eight dress isn’t plus size and America’s Next Top Model winner Whitney Thompson ain’t no fat girl charity case. The new “plus sized” model is on the cover of the June issue of Seventeen, sending the message to America’s highest risk group for eating disorders that a perfectly fit size eight means you’re a big girl. Adolescents already have enough body issues without a thin girl getting called thick. This is some major mean-girl fashionista bull crap. If you’re gonna give us a plus-size superstar, she better be big enough to play the part. [Bitten & Bound]

There’s a new queen in England, and she’s got more poise than Her Majesty and more cleavage than Elton John. It’s 17-year-old, size 16 beauty queen Chloe Marshall! She’ll be strutting her stuff in the Miss England Pageant in July, but she’s already become a media darling. “What I am promoting is a healthy girl who looks after herself and doesn’t try to force her body to be something its not,” Chloe told Hello Magazine, which was excited to get her to slip into something less comfortable—the white rhinestone bikini she’ll be confidently wearing in the competition. Proudly flying in the face of skinny minnie pageant girls like the tragically dumb blonde Miss Teen South Carolina,  Chloe is a refreshingly smart spokesmodel who is bravely going where no plus-size girl has gone before. This pretty warrior princess couldn’t be happier to show off her ambition. “It’s what I was born to do – posing for the camera. And as I keep saying, I love my body. People seem desperate to get me to say that I don’t, that deep down I’m not happy and would rather be thin, but the fact is I wouldn’t change myself at all.” We wouldn’t change a thing either, hot stuff! [Dlisted]