Get able to clear your espresso desk—as a result of PLUS is the e book your style-loving, fashion-forward soul has been ready for. Celebrated plus measurement style photographer Lydia Hudgens is formally launching her debut picture e book, and it’s a strong, daring, and visually beautiful love letter to plus measurement our bodies. Printed by Smith Road Books and out there for pre-sale now through Rizzoli, PLUS is greater than a e book. It’s a motion.
Why This E-book Issues
In an business that has lengthy handled measurement inclusion as a development—or worse, an afterthought—PLUS calls for that we see plus measurement style as aspirational, editorial, and completely important. With over 300 pages of hanging imagery, this hardcover e book delivers what the mainstream style area continues to keep away from: expansive, intentional illustration that doesn’t water itself down for palatability.
“Making a e book like Plus had all the time been one thing I needed to do,” Lydia Hudgens shared with us. “Submit-pandemic, the business had shifted—plus measurement illustration at runway reveals had slowed, and I didn’t really feel that the present pictures mirrored the place we’re right this moment. I knew I needed to create new work that felt pressing and present.”
Behind the Lens: Lydia Hudgens
Identified for her editorial eye and work with prime influencers, Lydia Hudgens has lengthy been a visible storyteller reshaping the narrative round physique range. A plus measurement photographer herself, Lydia has photographed among the most fashionable and influential plus-size figures within the recreation—and now, she’s turning the lens towards a broader, extra intentional function.
“I’ve all the time 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 infinite endeavor… Plus was a crucial 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 pictures. It’s the power behind all of it. Each body challenges what style has traditionally deemed lovely. It’s a curated physique of labor that flows like a dialog—generally quiet, generally loud, all the time highly effective.
“Casting was such a key a part of the e book,” Hudgens explains. “I needed a steadiness—some recognizable faces and a few newer expertise… It was much less about standalone hero pictures and extra about constructing visible conversations.”
Shot largely in-studio, the e book presents an intimate have a look at plus-size style via a uncooked, emotional, and editorial lens. “The very first shoot I did for Plus was with Denka, a longtime collaborator and good friend,” she remembers. “I really began crying mid-shoot. It hit me simply how essential the work was—and the way proud I used to be of what we have been creating.”
Authentically Seen, Fiercely Celebrated
Lydia Hudgens is fiercely intentional about how she images plus measurement our bodies—with dignity, nuance, and a rejection of outdated magnificence norms. “I consider in preserving 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 fantastic 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 speak about ‘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 measurement our bodies usually are not a development—they’re a part of style, a part of artwork, and a part of tradition,” Hudgens says. “I hope this e book creates area, challenges perceptions, and helps folks really feel extra seen.”
From fierce portraits to quiet moments of vulnerability, PLUS redefines how magnificence, style, and identification intersect. And because the business continues to backslide on measurement inclusion, this e book looks like each a name to motion and a lifeline.
What’s Subsequent?
After pouring the whole lot into this undertaking—whereas managing continual ache and a restricted price range—Lydia Hudgens is taking a well-deserved breather. However she’s not carried out. “I’ve additionally thought of doing a nude-focused e book,” 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 help to do it proper.”
Till then, PLUS is the second. It’s a crucial addition to each style 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 e book at Rizzoli, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble! Whether or not you’re plus measurement your self, work in style, or just wish to help the sort of artwork that shifts tradition, this e book is one to personal, reward, and rejoice.
As Hudgens places it: “I need this e book 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 carefully on September 4.
Let’s flip the web page on exclusion. That is what plus measurement style seems like. And it’s lovely.
