Zach Miko may have been heralded as the world's first 'plus size' male model, but the term is something he wants to see scrapped.
In a new interview with Refinery29, the US-born model perfectly elucidated why we need to 'drop the plus'.
"Plus means additional and extra," he said. "There is nothing extra about a single human being. It makes you feel like you are a leftover person."
"Whether we like it or not, terms like 'big' and 'plus-size' have developed very negative connotations over the years," he contnued. "They shouldn't, but we live in a society where big is bad but skinny is good."
Miko's agency IMG uses the terms Brawn and Curve to describe their 'plus size' model boards, and it's something he would like to see as the standard.
"Brawn means power and physical strength. Curve is confident, sensual, and sexy," he said.
"It takes all the positive aspects of size and highlights those rather than having negative hang-ups with words."
Speaking about his decision to sign Miko, IMG CEO Ivan Bart told Teen Vogue: "The body positive messaging and size diversity is something that’s relevant and something that continues to be on everybody’s mind.
"We have to extend the conversation for men."
