Get able to clear your espresso desk—as a result of PLUS is the guide your style-loving, fashion-forward soul has been ready for. Celebrated plus dimension trend photographer Lydia Hudgens is formally launching her debut picture guide, and it’s a strong, daring, and visually gorgeous love letter to plus dimension our bodies. Printed by Smith Avenue Books and out there for pre-sale now through Rizzoli, PLUS is greater than a guide. It’s a motion.
Why This Guide Issues
In an trade that has lengthy handled dimension inclusion as a development—or worse, an afterthought—PLUS calls for that we see plus dimension trend as aspirational, editorial, and completely important. With over 300 pages of hanging imagery, this hardcover guide delivers what the mainstream trend area continues to keep away from: expansive, intentional illustration that doesn’t water itself down for palatability.
“Making a guide like Plus had at all times been one thing I needed to do,” Lydia Hudgens shared with us. “Submit-pandemic, the trade had shifted—plus dimension illustration at runway reveals had slowed, and I didn’t really feel that the present photographs mirrored the place we’re immediately. I knew I needed to create new work that felt pressing and present.”
Behind the Lens: Lydia Hudgens
Recognized for her editorial eye and work with prime influencers, Lydia Hudgens has lengthy been a visible storyteller reshaping the narrative round physique variety. A plus dimension photographer herself, Lydia has photographed a number of the most fashionable and influential plus-size figures within the sport—and now, she’s turning the lens towards a broader, extra intentional function.
“I’ve at all times gravitated towards photographing bigger our bodies,” she says. “However the course of of manufacturing over 300 pages of editorial work in nearly a 12 months was an unlimited endeavor… Plus was a mandatory and deeply private evolution of my work.”
What Makes PLUS So Revolutionary?
It’s not simply the fashions (a mixture of acquainted faces and thrilling new expertise), or the hanging styling, or the sheer presence of those photographs. It’s the power behind all of it. Each body challenges what trend has traditionally deemed stunning. It’s a curated physique of labor that flows like a dialog—typically quiet, typically loud, at all times highly effective.
“Casting was such a key a part of the guide,” Hudgens explains. “I needed a stability—some recognizable faces and a few newer expertise… It was much less about standalone hero photographs and extra about constructing visible conversations.”
Shot largely in-studio, the guide provides an intimate take a look at plus-size trend by means of a uncooked, emotional, and editorial lens. “The very first shoot I did for Plus was with Denka, a longtime collaborator and buddy,” she remembers. “I truly began crying mid-shoot. It hit me simply how essential the work was—and the way proud I used to be of what we had been creating.”
Authentically Seen, Fiercely Celebrated
Lydia Hudgens is fiercely intentional about how she images plus dimension our bodies—with dignity, nuance, and a rejection of outdated magnificence norms. “I imagine in holding issues actual: stretch marks, cellulite, physique texture—these aren’t flaws. They’re human,” she says. “I’m not right here to reshape our bodies. I’m right here to mirror the great thing about what already exists.”
This isn’t about “flattering angles” or token inclusion. Lydia Hudgens challenges photographers to raise their work past cliché illustration. “Don’t discuss ‘flattering.’ Don’t use phrases like ‘confidence’ as a protect. Simply make area and deal with [plus size models] with the identical respect and artistic funding you’ll give anybody else.”
A Visible Archive for the Motion
Past the style, PLUS is an archive—a visible protest and celebration rolled into one. It forces us to confront how little area has been given to our bodies outdoors the norm, after which boldly carves out a brand new one. “Plus dimension our bodies will not be a development—they’re a part of trend, a part of artwork, and a part of tradition,” Hudgens says. “I hope this guide creates area, challenges perceptions, and helps folks really feel extra seen.”
From fierce portraits to quiet moments of vulnerability, PLUS redefines how magnificence, trend, and id intersect. And because the trade continues to backslide on dimension inclusion, this guide appears like each a name to motion and a lifeline.
What’s Subsequent?
After pouring every little thing into this challenge—whereas managing continual ache and a restricted price range—Lydia Hudgens is taking a well-deserved breather. However she’s not executed. “I’ve additionally thought of doing a nude-focused guide,” she teases. “I’d like to maintain constructing on this basis, but it surely all comes all the way down to having the sources and assist to do it proper.”
Till then, PLUS is the second. It’s a mandatory addition to each trend lover’s bookshelf and a rallying cry for deeper illustration in editorial storytelling.
Able to Personal a Piece of Historical past?
Pre-orders for PLUS are open now and you may pre-sale this guide at Rizzoli, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble! Whether or not you’re plus dimension your self, work in trend, or just need to assist the type of artwork that shifts tradition, this guide is one to personal, present, and have a good time.
As Hudgens places it: “I need this guide to problem the concept that solely sure our bodies are worthy of being photographed, styled, or celebrated.”
The official launch of PLUS by Lydia Hudgens kicks off on Tuesday, September 2 within the US, Canada, and Australia, with the UK and Europe following intently on September 4.
Let’s flip the web page on exclusion. That is what plus dimension trend seems to be like. And it’s stunning.
