Driving down the road, billboards of models line the streets, advertisements on television and social media consistently pop up and daily magazines publish new editions with various models displaying the newest trends and products. In the last few years, advocating for more inclusive models has grown increasingly popular and drawn more attention to the modeling industry. Models from different ethnicities, races and body types can now be seen as the face of luxury products and designer companies, but sadly, it has not always been this way.

Not long ago, even as close as the beginning of the 2000s, models were primarily white and skinny, setting a misrepresentation to many women looking to these magazines for beauty standards and at times, even unrealistic expectations of appearance and body type. Now while the problem did not fall on the specific models themselves, it lay with the lack of diversity and representation of women of different races, ethnicities and body figures.

The first plus-sized model, Melissa Owens Miller, appeared in Time Magazine, 50 Most Beautiful People in 1994, making her the first to set a new precedent for models around the world. However it was not until around the year 2016, when all around, more inclusivity could be seen all across the board.

Today, as we drive down roads, swipe past ads on our apps and stare at commercials on the TV, we see a wide variety of models. All who look different from one another, who display the beauty in difference and who give society the confidence needed to be themselves without feeling a pang of guilt or insecurity.

Yes, we have come a long way in diversity when it comes to models and the diversity we see in this industry, but we still have a long way to go. And diversity must continue to be added to the modeling world. The more we continue growing, the closer we become to truly seeing everyone with love and inclusivity despite looks, race, size or anything else.