BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Donning a large blue blouse and a skirt, Xing Xing is much like any other model -- all smiles as she strikes a series of poses in front of the camera.
The difference is that she is 166-cm-tall but weighs 85 kg, and is among China's growing number of plus-size models, as demand for plus-size clothes surges amid an increasingly corpulent population.
Xing Xing, 24, from northeast China, currently works as a model for an online Taobao store in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. Taobao is run by e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba.
"I never thought I could be a model," she says. "I always thought I was too fat."
Xing Xing recently caused a stir online, after her story was shared by Pear Video on microbloging site Sina Weibo. As of 11 a.m. Friday, the video had received around 3,700 comments and more than 8,000 likes.
China's breakneck economic growth has allowed people to enjoy fuller diets, but richer ingredients have led to an increase in obesity. The latest figures from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that 30 percent of Chinese adults are overweight, and 11.9 percent are obese.
Meanwhile, obesity has created an insatiable demand for plus-size clothes and plus-size models.
Salaries for these chubby beauties vary from 10,000 yuan (1,580 U.S. dollars) a month to up to 100,000 yuan a month, according to a report on web portal 163.com.
Xing Xing previously worked at a milk tea shop, until one day when she was discovered by a woman surnamed Wang, a Taobao clothes store owner
"It was on a late-night subway train, and I saw this girl in the corner," Wang says in the video. "She instantly caught my attention. I thought she was quite suitable to be a model for my brand, so I approached her and asked if she was willing to model for me."
Xing Xing was hesitant at first because she thought she was "too fat" to be a model, until Wang told her that it was for plus-size clothes.
But being a model is no easy job. Xing Xing says she is not a professional, and does not look as fashionable as cooler models.
"I looked on the Internet about how to strike poses like real models,how to dress properly, and how to present my round face so that it could be better-looking," she says.
The online population remains divided on Xing Xing. While many appreciate her courage and confidence to be herself, some say that her success should be used as an excuse for being fat, which is unhealthy.
Qiu Jianxin, with Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, says that aesthetic diversity, market demand and the rising number of fat people in society are behind the rise of plus-size models.
"Models are traditionally supposed to be thin, tall and beautiful," Qiu says. "But as our society becomes more diversified, attitudes have changed, and plus-sized models have definitely displayed a strong sense of confidence."
Qiu says that plus-size models also help increase the confidence of fat people among the general public.
"But of course, behind obesity probably hides unhealthy lifestyle, and I think it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle," Qiu says.
Although a model herself, Xing Xing admits that society's attitudes towards fat people still make her feel bad sometimes.
"It is not easy for fat girls to buy clothes of our sizes," she says. "When I buy clothes, people often look at me in a weird way."
Xing Xing says that being a fat girl is no big deal, and that her figure and size have been widely accepted in the modeling profession.
"I hope that more of the public can accept us the way we are," she says.
