Plus-size male model breaks the norms and celebrates body positivity
‘All I want to do is to promote self-love and acceptance as you are’
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Your support makes all the difference.A plus-size male model is smashing the stereotypes attributed to both size and gender by embracing his body and encouraging others to do the same.
Arcadio Del Valle is a 30-year-old man from Boston, Massachusetts.
Weighing 405lbs and wearing size XXXXXL clothes, Del Valle used to feel embarrassed about his weight.
However, his self-esteem rose drastically when he began sharing posts on social media.
“I wasn’t confident. It wasn’t the case until about three years ago,” Del Valle said.
In 2015, Del Valle set up his Instagram account @iam_adydelc and has since garnered a following of 8,000 people.
“Growing up in a world where the media urges you to look a certain way, to be a certain weight and to fit into a mould, it becomes engraved in your head.
“When I saw people like plus-sized model Tess Holliday loving their bodies and embracing fashion, it inspired me to start doing the same.
“I began sharing photos of my outfits and my style on Instagram and I was inspired by the good feedback I was getting.”
The pivotal moment of Del Valle’s early modelling career came in September 2016 when he walked the runway at New York Fashion Week for plus-size streetwear brand VOLARE.
“Walking down the runway was just surreal,” Del Valle said.
“My heart was pounding so hard, it almost came out of my chest.
“My sister was in the front row cheering me on and I was so proud to have her support. It was one of my best moments.”
Del Valle, who works full-time as a staff assistant, has since walked in three other major runway shows for brands including VOLARE and Brandon Kyle.
“My whole message is that even if you look a certain way or are a certain size, you can still love fashion and you can do anything you want,” he said.
“All I want to do is to promote self-love and acceptance as you are, regardless your size, gender, or disability.”
Del Valle rejects the notion that he is promoting obesity and brushes aside the negative comments that he sometimes receives over the fact that he enjoys wearing make-up.
He hopes that brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Gap will aspire to become more inclusive in future by making clothes for people with larger physiques.
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