Last year, British Model, Charli Howard, became a sensation within the modelling world after posting a scathing open letter on her Facebook account, addressed to her former representatives.

Howard’s “ex” modelling agency had dumped the 5ft8″ model, for being “too big”, despite only being a UK size 6-8 (US size 2). The full letter is below;

Now, I am no model, but it’s not hard to see why so many young women and aspiring models have their self-confidence shattered after being deemed “not good enough”, or “the wrong shape/size”. Surely models should be models for people of all shapes and sizes.

Not only that, Charli was and is a gorgeous to begin with – so what was their problem?

Anyway, it seems their loss was the world’s gain, as Howard gained global recognition after having her story written up in Vogue, Elle and Dazed and Confused, as people all over the world showed their support for Charli, and others in the same situation.

Now, Howard has been signed to Muse NYC, and has recently teamed up with Daniel Sachon, a 20-year-old photographer from London, in order to create these “classically sexy” black and white photos exclusively for Maxim.

Howard also sat down with Maxim to discuss the body-shaming controversy that “rocked the fashion world”. unrealistic beauty standards and her future in modelling;

Maxim: Why do you think the industry holds models to such rigid beauty standards?

Howard: I get why there’s high beauty standards, because fashion is a fantasy world. It removes you from the worries of your everyday life and allows you to dream. You’re buying into something unobtainable and therefore have to look unobtainable to the average person.

I didn’t think my post would go viral, so found it terrifying when it did. I truly thought I’d ruined my chances of ever modeling again. But luckily, I received an overwhelming amount of support from people around the world and was signed by an amazing agency, Muse NYC, that not only believed in me as a model, but saw me as a human being. I’m now in a position where I don’t have to put unrealistic pressures on myself and can still model, which I never thought would be possible.

What are you trying to convey with these new photos?

Daniel wanted to do something that celebrated my shape, and I loved the idea. I’d been so self-conscious about my body during my first couple of years modeling that I wanted to celebrate how womanly and confident I felt now. I’m in such a happy place and at peace with my body. I think all women should embrace their femininity and curves and this was a way of me doing that.

Top models like Gigi Hadid also say they’ve been criticized for being too curvy. Do you see a greater acceptance happening for models who aren’t rail-thin?

I think we’re starting to be more accepting, but still have a long way to go—not only in the fashion industry, but in society as well. Women are so sexy and fascinating and I just wish the industry would drop labels such as “plus-size” and start celebrating women and their beauty in its various shapes and sizes.

Sounds good to us. What are you working on next?

I’ve got so many exciting things in the pipeline and can’t wait for what else the future has in store. I plan to support more body confidence projects and to write. All I can say is, watch this space 😉

And after seeing these snaps, I honestly cannot wait to see more of Charli in the future.

This woman is exactly what the modelling industry needs. A woman who can speak for herself and against the unrealistic expectations thrown in our faces; she’s a woman who can look in the mirror and not only love and accept what she sees, but is also happy to show off to the world and make success happen for herself.

She’s a real woman who stands for real women.