If you’ve ever heard of the #DropThePlus campaign and wondered who the origin was, I wondered no more… The #DropThePlus campaign was the brainchild of Australian model Stefania Ferrario. Perceiving women who are just over size 4 as shaming, Ferrario launched the campaign to ban the term in the modeling industry by joining forces with TV presenter Ajay Rochester. The campaign has generated a lot of buzz online and has been hotly discussed in Australia and elsewhere, helping it gain wider recognition. Reviews on the subject have been mixed but largely positive. Here is an overview of his career as well as highlights of his life.
Who is Stefania Ferrario?
Stefania Ferrario is only but the model professional name, she was born on June 14, 1993 and was named Stephanie Denise Kightley by her English father, Russell Kightley. His mother Lilia Ferrario is of Italian descent. Ferrario was born and raised in Canberra, Australia. Her love for the cameras started at school and at the age of 16 she started modeling professionally.
Despite the discouragement of some friends and acquaintances who thought her body was a bit large for what the modeling industry would want to accommodate, Ferrario paid a photographer and created a portfolio with which she went job hunting. She quickly made a name for herself on the Australian modeling scene and soon began representing brands overseas.
She has worked with Australian brands such as Target(Australia), Sportsgirl and Berlei. Among the foreign brands she has created are Fiorella Rubino (Italy) and Flow (Malaysia). She is the face of a lingerie line by Dita Von Teese sold in Australian department store Myer. Stefania Ferrario not only enjoys posing for the cameras, she’s also all about championing selfless causes. She attracted a lot of attention in February 2012 when she shaved her hair to raise awareness and funds for cancer, alopecia and trichotillomania.
Her bold move caught the attention of several others interested in raising awareness for the same diseases, including fashion photographer Peter Coulson. Coulson was writing his book In My Pants at the time , the proceeds of which he was to donate to the Cancer Council of Australia to help raise awareness. During the campaign, Coulson photographed her for the book.
Many who had never heard of the Aussie model know her as a result of the #DropThePlus campaign. Ferarrio started the movement after a debate over a certain model who was bullied for standing up for her right, which shouldn’t be considered a plus-size model.
Inspired by the model’s boldness and a desire to end the industry’s constant bullying of so-called “plus size” women, Ferrario posted a naked photo of herself on her Instagram page with the writing ” I AM A MODEL” on her body, the caption carried the hashtag “#droptheplussize” used for discussions on the subject.
Ferrario argues that while the name “plus size” was helpful at first, it’s time to scrap the term because it makes them feel pigeonholed and creates a “them and us” mentality.
The Australian model also called on the entertainment industry to do more to promote different body types as opposed to the preference for lean and tall body types that have been sold to the world as the ideal body type for women. . Ferrario says removing this label would not only normalize thicker body types, but also boost the self-image of taller women, which would encourage them to enter the modeling industry.
Stefania Ferrario is signed to Models 1, an agency that uses “curve” rather than “plus size” to describe plus size women. The curve, she says, doesn’t carry the stigma as “plus-size” because it’s been a celebrated word for years, making it a more apt description.
6 quick facts about the Australian model
1. Stefania Ferrario identifies as bisexual.
2. She is trilingual and speaks English, French and Italian.
3. She stands at a height of 5 feet 8 inches. Her measurements are 39-28-40 (inches). Her natural hair color is brown while her natural eye color is light hazel.
4. She runs a You-Tube channel, bearing her own name, where she posts about modeling, fitness, health and everything else.
5. She has a younger sister called Zoe whose photo she first posted in April 2016.
6. At Melbourne Fashion Week in 2017, Ferrario was one of four women whose faces were used.