I want to say I understand that having an excess of a singular model in the rotation can be an issue with practice.
However, in the many years that this site has been live, and during all the times we've had a single or multiple similar models absolutely dominate the tools with their presence, we have never been asked to remove a model or a type of model from our tools (edit: with the exception of who Kim mentioned for the reasons stated). Rather, there has been a call for diversity to add more people of different bodytypes. We've been desperate for years to add more and more models to our tools because human beings are diverse and we want them represented.
Ask yourselves: if Alex was a smaller sized person, would you still feel this strongly about it? If not, that's a good indication it's time to reflect on how you see large people.
Speaking from a non-moderator position: I find it a little difficult to not see this suggestion as one that came about primarily as a response to a person's size and how it's inherently undesirable, if I'm being honest. Kim and I have been fighting tooth and nail to add more diversity to the tool by including people from all sorts of backgrounds, and it's deeply upsetting that when we used to have average to thin weight models in excess, nobody ever asked us to remove them from the tools like this. Ever.
As a fat person, I have a photoshoot planned this fall/winter with a photographer whom I imagine will take enough pictures to rival Alex's contributions to add officially to the site. I've never modeled for figure studies before, but I desire to be represented as a fat and disabled person who wears medical equipment to live.
Topics like this make me feel insecure and consider not adding to the tool to help solve a lack of diversity, because if I'm 'too much' people will not shy away from publicly demanding that I don't get to have a place like thinner and more abled models. Please be more thoughtful with your words and suggestions. Fatphobia and fat/disability hatred is deeply ingrained in our cultures to the point where most study tools simply don't have any larger or disabled models available at all. And when we finally do, we get a response that insists it's best if we remove a model from the site or reduce their contributions.
That's just not okay. It's never too late to reflect on our own biases and how the way we talk about topics like this keeps harmful biases intact.
