The requirements for female plus-size models are no different from those of other models, except for larger bust-waist-hip measurements; the minimum acceptable height is generally no shorter than 5'9"/175.3 cm and they must have clear skin, good bone structure and a well-proportioned body. While there are a small number of male plus-size models represented by agents, there are no clear height and size requirements.

The type of work that plus-size models engage in is of comparable variety to that of their smaller-sized counterparts. Advertising campaigns, magazine editorials, catwalk work, garment fit modeling, and live and pre-recorded TV presentations and commercials comprise much of work available. Increasingly, female plus-size models are also being utilized by the media to stimulate debate on healthy self-esteem and body image, especially regarding struggles with eating disorders.

Synonymous and interchangeable with plus-size model is "full-figured model," "extended-sizes model," and "outsize model".

Fashion designers are starting to look more closely at the earning potential from plus-size clothing, and have used plus-size models for their advertising campaigns and catwalks. Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano both used plus-size models in their Spring 2006 showings in Paris. Italian plus-size fashion house Elena Mirò now regularly stages biannual prêt-à-porter shows during Fashion Week in Milan. Mark Fast and William Tempest each used plus-size models during their own London Fashion Week showings for Spring 2009, and again as part of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk event held on September 19, 2009 in association with the British Fashion Council.

Although U.S.-based manufacturers used larger models to show their plus-size clothing as early as the 1940s, the bias against larger consumers and models pervasive in the fashion industry worked to keep this particular concept of modeling out of the general public's eye until the early 1990s.

Lane Bryant began trading in the early 1920s as a producer of clothing for 'Expectant Mothers and Newborns'. By the mid-1920s, Lane Bryant started selling clothing under the category 'For the Stout Women', which ranged between a 38-56 inch bustline. The earliest catalogs used illustrations to sell their products, but by the mid-1940s photographs were integrated into the catalogs as the evolution of printing technology made this option available. After a hiatus through the 1960-1970 period, Lane Bryant again began using plus-size models.

Gary Dakin headed New York's Karin Models' Curves division, only to leave after a short time to develop the Ford agency's Ford 12+ model division in their New York office. In Constantine Valhouli's 2001 plus-size model documentary Curve, Dakin states, "We're celebrating our 25th anniversary of the Ford 12+ division. It was the first and longest-existing plus division in the industry."(sic) Wilhelmina NYC agent Susan Georget started the Wilhelmina 10/20 division in New York 1994, recently re-branded W Curve. Together, these agents created agency divisions that have continued to recruit the highest calibre of models in the industry and are credited with expanding opportunities for plus-size models beyond working solely for plus-size clothing retailers, although Georget and Dakin have now removed themselves from day-to-day booking tasks.

While these agencies are responsible for driving the growth and scope of work for plus-size models, there are a large number of reputable agencies located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and internationally in the U.K., Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and Australia.

Celebrities who wear clothing larger than a standard U.S. size 8 have increasingly been attracting endorsement contracts as advertisers seek to extend size-acceptance into the film, TV and music industries, and/or make use of their family or other connections. Please note that women who have lost weight, dropping below a U.S. size 8, since gaining popularity do not form part of this entry, nor do women unrepresented by model agents.