Lydia Hudgens Launches PLUS: A Plus Measurement Picture Guide

Get able to clear your espresso desk—as a result of PLUS is the e book your style-loving, fashion-forward soul has been ready for. Celebrated plus dimension style photographer Lydia Hudgens is formally launching her debut picture e book, and it’s a strong, daring, and visually gorgeous love letter to plus dimension our bodies. Revealed by Smith Avenue Books and out there for pre-sale now through Rizzoli, PLUS is greater than a e book. It’s a motion.

Why This Guide Issues

In an business that has lengthy handled dimension inclusion as a development—or worse, an afterthought—PLUS calls for that we see plus dimension style as aspirational, editorial, and completely important. With over 300 pages of hanging imagery, this hardcover e book delivers what the mainstream style house continues to keep away from: expansive, intentional illustration that doesn’t water itself down for palatability.

“Making a e book like Plus had all the time been one thing I needed to do,” Lydia Hudgens shared with us. “Submit-pandemic, the business had shifted—plus dimension illustration at runway reveals had slowed, and I didn’t really feel that the present photographs mirrored the place we’re right now. I knew I needed to create new work that felt pressing and present.”

Behind the Lens: Lydia Hudgens

Recognized for her editorial eye and work with prime influencers, Lydia Hudgens has lengthy been a visible storyteller reshaping the narrative round physique range. A plus dimension photographer herself, Lydia has photographed among the most fashionable and influential plus-size figures within the recreation—and now, she’s turning the lens towards a broader, extra intentional goal.

“I’ve all the time gravitated towards photographing bigger our bodies,” she says. “However the course of of manufacturing over 300 pages of editorial work in nearly a 12 months was an infinite endeavor… Plus was a mandatory and deeply private evolution of my work.”

What Makes PLUS So Revolutionary?

It’s not simply the fashions (a mixture of acquainted faces and thrilling new expertise), or the hanging styling, or the sheer presence of those photographs. It’s the power behind all of it. Each body challenges what style has traditionally deemed stunning. It’s a curated physique of labor that flows like a dialog—typically quiet, typically loud, all the time highly effective.

“Casting was such a key a part of the e book,” Hudgens explains. “I needed a stability—some recognizable faces and a few newer expertise… It was much less about standalone hero pictures and extra about constructing visible conversations.”

Shot largely in-studio, the e book presents an intimate take a look at plus-size style by means of a uncooked, emotional, and editorial lens. “The very first shoot I did for Plus was with Denka, a longtime collaborator and pal,” she remembers. “I truly began crying mid-shoot. It hit me simply how essential the work was—and the way proud I used to be of what we had been creating.”

Authentically Seen, Fiercely Celebrated

Lydia Hudgens is fiercely intentional about how she images plus dimension our bodies—with dignity, nuance, and a rejection of outdated magnificence norms. “I consider in holding issues actual: stretch marks, cellulite, physique texture—these aren’t flaws. They’re human,” she says. “I’m not right here to reshape our bodies. I’m right here to mirror the great thing about what already exists.”

This isn’t about “flattering angles” or token inclusion. Lydia Hudgens challenges photographers to raise their work past cliché illustration. “Don’t discuss ‘flattering.’ Don’t use phrases like ‘confidence’ as a protect. Simply make house and deal with [plus size models] with the identical respect and inventive funding you’d give anybody else.”

A Visible Archive for the Motion

Past the style, PLUS is an archive—a visible protest and celebration rolled into one. It forces us to confront how little house has been given to our bodies exterior the norm, after which boldly carves out a brand new one. “Plus dimension our bodies should not a development—they’re a part of style, a part of artwork, and a part of tradition,” Hudgens says. “I hope this e book creates house, challenges perceptions, and helps folks really feel extra seen.”

From fierce portraits to quiet moments of vulnerability, PLUS redefines how magnificence, style, and identification intersect. And because the business continues to backslide on dimension inclusion, this e book looks like each a name to motion and a lifeline.

What’s Subsequent?

After pouring every thing into this undertaking—whereas managing persistent ache and a restricted finances—Lydia Hudgens is taking a well-deserved breather. However she’s not accomplished. “I’ve additionally thought of doing a nude-focused e book,” she teases. “I’d like to maintain constructing on this basis, but it surely all comes right down to having the assets and assist to do it proper.”

Till then, PLUS is the second. It’s a mandatory addition to each style lover’s bookshelf and a rallying cry for deeper illustration in editorial storytelling.

Able to Personal a Piece of Historical past?

Pre-orders for PLUS are open now and you’ll pre-sale this e book at Rizzoli, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble! Whether or not you’re plus dimension your self, work in style, or just wish to assist the type of artwork that shifts tradition, this e book is one to personal, reward, and rejoice.

As Hudgens places it: “I need this e book to problem the concept that solely sure our bodies are worthy of being photographed, styled, or celebrated.”

The official launch of PLUS by Lydia Hudgens kicks off on Tuesday, September 2 within the US, Canada, and Australia, with the UK and Europe following carefully on September 4.

Let’s flip the web page on exclusion. That is what plus dimension style appears like. And it’s stunning.