Size 14, 190 Pounds: A Model Figure (Published 1997) (2024)

THE moment came, as it inevitably does. She stood, turned and started to walk. Her lime green T-shirt tucked into her form-fitting pants, she lifted her head and smiled. The men had left the restaurant by now. The women had not. In front of her, they smiled back. Behind her, their eyes followed her pants, amply filled by a pair of hips as broad as her shoulders. Some looked concerned. Some looked relieved. All looked at their plates.

Emme Aronson was going to the ladies' room, and at 5 foot 11, 190 pounds, she's hard to miss. Emme (pronounced like Emmy), as she is known professionally, is the world's leading model for plus sizes, which means size 12 and above. And that means 60 percent of the women in this country. Emme herself wears a 14 or 16 and a size 11 shoe. Though her agency, Ford Models, would not divulge her exact earnings, it did say that Emme is the top moneymaker in her division worldwide.

Most women would kill to have Emme's face, with her great bones and wide eyes, recently on billboard display in Times Square for Liz Clai borne's plus-size line, Elisabeth. Just as many would kill to have her confidence.

''I try and wear clothes that are tighter,'' she said. ''I have a stomach and a fleshy butt. This is just another body type; it's not slovenly. I have great proportion.''

Does she also have cellulite? ''Of course,'' she said easily. ''And I have a gut. But when you look at everyone else, they have one, too. So, instead of standing in front of the mirror saying, 'You look horrible,' I don't stay away from bikinis. The last time I went to the beach I wore a thong. Sometimes I go a little overboard to get to a balanced place. It's all attitude. I'm never going to be size 10, 150 pounds again. But if I feel great, that's more attractive than trying to cover up with a towel.''

It's also attractive to eat with a woman who admits to an appetite. When the waitress at Park Avalon, on Park Avenue South, described the day's specials, Emme's response was ''Mmmmmmmm.'' First she ordered a glass of chardonnay, followed by an appetizer of a swordfish hand roll with tabbouleh and an entree of crab cakes. She doesn't pick. She eats.