A photographer has been met with backlash after revealing that they charge extra to shoot plus-size models.
The baffling revelation was first brought to light on social media by Megan Mesveskas, owner of modeling agency Model Nexus. Mesveskas, 24, says that her company is dedicated to promoting body diversity, and part of her job involves sourcing test photographers for her clients.
However, Mesveskas says that after reaching out to a New York-based photographer, she received an email back saying that they charge $100 extra to shoot "plus/curve" models, with the "standard" rate being $950.
Model Sixtine Rouyre, who is signed to Mesveskas' agency, later shared the story with her 570,000 TikTok followers, saying in her post: "This is just one more example of how awful the modeling industry is to literally anyone over a size zero. Like, how does this make any f**king sense?"
Check out Rouyre's video below:Rouyre then asks: "How does it make sense to charge more because the person standing in front of you, that you're taking photos of, is bigger?"
She concludes the video by saying: "Your fatphobia is showing. It's f***ing disgusting. And you should be ashamed of yourself."
Rouyre's video has since amassed more than 100,000 views, with people outraged by the unnecessary mark-up.
"That guy should not have a business," one person commented.
"Yikes. Photo is the same regardless of who is in front of the camera," a second TikToker added.
A third wrote: "I’m a curve model, and I honestly hate this industry so much sometimes. I feel like we are reverting to old ways."
After Rouyre's post went viral, Newsweek reached out to the photographer, who clarified that the email was not written by him, but by his studio manager, and that it had been taken out of context in the TikTok posts.
The photographer also told the outlet that the reason he charges $100 more plus-size models is due to the time and costs involved when obtaining "creative and high end" clothing for the shoots.
He claimed that the curve models he has worked with in the past want the same "high-end stuff" that the "straight-sized models have".
The photographer said that he has a wide array of clothes for curve models that he sought out and purchased himself, with each look costing around $1,000.
He said that he purchased the clothes so that all his models get the looks "they deserve", adding: "$100 is absolutely nothing compared to what I do for these girls."
Meanwhile, you can follow Model Nexus on Instagram here.