Our Role Model: Meg Bradley

To start off 2012 on an extra positive note, we thought we would introduce you to Meg  Bradley,  who is not only a great model but an inspiring woman as well.   Meg wears many hats -  mom, stepmom, director of sales, writer, mommy blogger and a fantastic model that through her stellar career  has helped form the plus-size modelling industry in Canada. She was the first plus-size model to walk in a major Canadian runway show – for Brian Bailey’s Toronto Ready to Wear Show before LG Fashion Week came into existence.  Meg was breaking barriers and forging new terrain at a time when plus modelling hadn’t reached the levels of acceptance in the fashion industry as it has today.

After taking a few years  off after the birth of her son, now 6,  Meg returned to modelling and joined our agency. We couldn’t be happier! We asked Meg to share her story with us and we are sure you will find her as inspiring as we do!

I started modelling over 20 years ago.  My Mom showed me a catalogue featuring women that were size 14+ and that was the first time I had ever seen a woman model with a body larger than a size 6.   She encouraged me to look into modelling and I did what my Mother told me!  I found the agency that represented those models and went for an audition.  I had my first booking with The Bay a week later and   I was on my way.

I was the first plus size model to do Toronto’s Fashion Ready to Wear collection for Brian Bailey.  It was over 15 years ago and I was a size 16.  The media, the designers, the audience had never seen a model over a size 6 working that runway.  I strutted my stuff that day and could hear the gasps and whispers from the audience.  It encouraged me to stand tall and take the moment in.  I made the front page of the Toronto Star’s fashion section the next day!  It was a great moment and I felt part of the movement for change and acceptance of plus size.  The following year, there were 3 plus models in that show.

My modelling career definitely slowed down after having my son 6 years ago.  I remember modelling a bridal gown when I was 5 months pregnant and thinking that this will be my last booking for a while!  I did pose when I was 9 months pregnant on the cover of a pregnancy magazine and then modelling went on the shelf for a few years with only the odd gig here and there.  I asked the Ben Barry Agency to give my modelling career some CPR and see if we couldn’t spark it up again.  So, I am back and my son is 6 years old now.

I have not always been confident about my curves or my height and modelling definitely boosted my confidence over the years.  When I was in my early twenties, I had to fake it until I made it.  When I first started modelling, I had to put on an air of confidence for the camera.  Over the years, there was no longer a need to fake it because I had become confident.  It is hard to pinpoint when this transition happened.  It just did.   I think my curves are sexy.  My favourite look is a wrap dress that shows my shape.  I have also come to love my hips and butt.  That relationship took a little longer, but I did get there!  I now wear my pants a little snugger than before because I actually want to show off my asset!

Prior to having kids, modelling was a great way to make money and have fun.  Now that I am a stepmom to teenage twin girls, I do think about what I am doing differently.  I never saw diversity in the modelling world while I was growing up because at that time society’s idea of beauty was very limited.  Twenty years later, it is getting better, and I am proud to be part of that movement.  There are still miles to go but every year brings greater change and acceptance.  This young generation of women are still exposed to overtly sexual images portrayed by very thin women but at least there are options now that weren’t there before.     My stepdaughters are now 15 years old and have a healthy attitude towards their personal beauty.   We often talk about the advertisements or music videos and discuss what took place behind the scenes to make it all happen.  The girls do have insecurities about other things like friendships, boys and school grades; however, their confidence about their bodies and their appearance is non issue.  I love that and hope, in some way, I was part of that influence.

I love representing the plus-size consumer.  I have been a size 14+ since I can remember so this size is my ‘normal.’  I especially enjoy doing runway where I can see the reaction of the plus-size women in the audience when I am coming down the runway.  They are cheering me on and I am strutting extra confidently for them. I love doing runway because you inevitably get to meet the audience after the show.  I enjoy that because women will give me their feedback about the outfits I wore and let me know which one they plan to try on.  They are excited about the fashions they are seeing on the runway and know that they are not excluded because of their size. They were represented and can be inspired to buy something beautiful for themselves.  I get especially excited when a woman asks me how she can become a plus model.  She recognizes her own beauty and potential and that is an empowering moment.

I am happy to offer myself genuinely to the modelling world.   If you see a picture of me laughing, it was because I was really laughing!  I like being authentic when I model.  I like to joke around with the photographer while they are taking my picture so the laughs and smiles are real.

We are so proud and inspired by Meg’s industry trailblazing and the positivity  she regularly promotes through her words, actions and career.  We look forward to sharing more of her work on our site in the future. To find out more about her, please visit her blog Raising Davis or look out for her regular columns in Parents Canada.