Brittany Doris Wilborn is a woman who understands that purpose is not confined to one stage. The Hartford, Connecticut native has spent more than a decade building a multifaceted career as a plus-size model, actor, dancer, content creator, advocate, and titleholder, but her story began long before she stepped in front of a camera.
Rooted in faith and shaped by a lifelong love of performance, Brittany brings movement, emotion, and intention to everything she does. From earning the title of Ms. Full Figured USA at Large 2021 to appearing in a national Swimsuits For All campaign, she has continued to create space for fuller-bodied women to be seen as more than supporting characters. Behind every accomplishment is the enduring influence of her parents, the faith that carried her through profound loss, and a commitment to helping others feel seen, welcomed, and worthy of taking center stage.
PMMToday: Before the campaigns, runways, and recognition, who was Brittany Wilborn, and what did she dream of becoming?
Brittany: Before anything else, I was raised on family, faith, and community. That is the foundation everything else was built upon.
I came out of the womb dancing and singing, honestly. My mom and her friends would light up while watching me sing and perform living-room concerts to New Edition’s “Cool It Now” or Luther Vandross’s Never Too Much album on vinyl. My dad and I would sing and dance all day, too. I was, and still am, a daddy’s girl through and through.
Around that same time, I fell in love with Janet Jackson, who became my number-one icon and someone I have since had the opportunity to meet. I was also inspired by Michael Jackson and The Jacksons. Watching them planted something in me. I always knew I wanted to dance and act.
Art has always been part of my DNA. I draw and write, too, and I am blessed to say that I am still living the dream I had as a child.
That same love for people shaped how I grew up. My parents were always looking out for others. My mom was a social worker, and my dad worked in construction. Their spirit of service became part of me.
Today, I am a program director for a nonprofit, and I have spent most of my professional life working in the nonprofit and community-service space. Everything I dreamed of as a little girl, performing and caring for people, is part of the life I am walking in now.
PMMToday: What did you have to unlearn about beauty, body image, or worth before you could fully step into your power?
Brittany: I had to unlearn what society deemed beautiful and remind myself that because I was created in God’s image, my worth was already established. I did not need anyone else’s validation to feel worthy.
My body image was truly reaffirmed while working at Torrid, a plus-size women’s retailer, for eight years. That is where I fell in love with myself and with pouring into other women who look like me.
PMMToday: Your work brings together modeling, acting, and dance. What does each creative outlet allow you to express differently?
Brittany: Dance goes back to my childhood. My father and I used to dance to oldies but goodies, music I grew to love deeply and still play almost every day.
Dance allows me to express myself through pure movement. It is universal, a connective thread that helps me relate to different people in different ways without being placed inside a box. I can salsa, bachata, swing, triple swing, ballroom dance, perform hip-hop, or participate in liturgical dance. Dance is freedom without words.
Acting gives me something different. I attended a performing arts high school in Hartford, Connecticut, where I auditioned and was accepted as an acting major. Before that, I had been part of a performing arts community company since first grade.
Acting allows me to take someone else’s story and make it my own while portraying a different character. It gives my emotions range and allows me to step outside my own shoes and enter someone else’s journey.
Modeling, for me, is connected to memory. My dad constantly took pictures of me when I was a child, so I have albums filled with photographs of me. In many ways, that is still what modeling represents: an opportunity to see my growth, remember where I started, and recognize how far I have come as I move from one milestone to the next. It allows me to see myself through someone else’s lens while watching an idea or concept come to life.
PMMToday: The plus-size industry has changed considerably, but representation does not always translate into equal opportunity. Where do you believe the industry is making progress, and where is it still falling short?
Brittany: I believe the plus-size industry ebbs and flows, and right now, we are experiencing an ebb, a low point.
We are in the era of GLP-1 medications, and to anyone taking one for whatever reason, do what you need to do for yourself. This is not a criticism of the people taking them. The issue is that the industry does not seem to understand that even as some people lose weight for their own personal or medical reasons, plus-size women still exist. They still want to shop, look good, feel great, and wear beautiful luxury and couture pieces.
I believe the industry is shortchanging those women dramatically. We are seeing fewer plus-size models represented by mainstream brands, and more brands are using the word “curve” instead of “plus-size.” Even during Fashion Week, we are seeing fewer plus-size bodies in runway shows, campaigns, and beauty-related spaces.
I do see some progress. There are agencies casting models above a size 18, and that matters. However, there is still so much work to do.
I often see the same models getting the opportunities. They are amazing and deserve their success, but there are other equally amazing models who deserve to be seen, too. Women with different proportions and body shapes, especially those above a size 20, are still not represented adequately.
That is part of the reason I am involved with the Extended Plus Network, which was created to serve plus-size creators who wear a 2X and above. Even among the handful of agencies casting talent above a 2X, there is still a significant gap. EPN exists to help bridge that gap and bring visibility to people whom the industry continues to overlook.
Plus-size fashion still feels like a secondary category within the larger fashion industry.
PMMToday: Do you think social media has created more opportunities for extended-size talent, or has it simply introduced a new set of expectations?
Brittany: I think both are true.
With UGC, user-generated content, a creator does not necessarily have to appear on camera or post the finished content on their own platform. That can keep the creator, plus-size or not, somewhat hidden, with little public recognition attached to creating the content.
In that sense, social media has created genuine opportunities. If you produce strong content, brands may want to work with you regardless of your size.
However, the larger question is whether brands actually cater to extended-size talent. That is where I believe we continue to see a lack of opportunity, not because the talent is not there, but because there are not enough brands intentionally creating space for it.
PMMToday: What does authentic inclusion look like to you beyond featuring a visibly plus-size model in a campaign?
Brittany: To me, authentic inclusion goes far beyond featuring one visibly plus-size model.
It includes models with disabilities who may need accessibility accommodations, models who do not reflect society’s traditional standard of beauty, and people representing different colors, shapes, sizes, and lived experiences.
It means not showing us the same person repeatedly or presenting the same plus-size body type again and again. Plus-size does not look the same on every person. Authentic inclusion means making room for people who are genuinely and unapologetically themselves.
PMMToday: Take us back to your ‘Swimsuits For All’ campaign. How did you learn that you had been selected, and what was your first reaction?
Brittany: I submitted for Swimsuits For All’s national campaign in October 2023. The application asked us to upload a video wearing a swimsuit, and posting the video on social media was optional.
I had not seen anyone else use the casting hashtag yet, so I told myself, “Brittany, post your video now.” I believe I was the first person to post one. Denise Bidot reshared it, and then Swimsuits For All reshared it, too. I remember thinking, “Even if I don’t get selected, I still did something.”
I learned that I had been chosen while sitting at a friend’s dining-room table. I received an email saying I had been selected, but I honestly thought it was spam.
I looked up the company on LinkedIn, called the telephone number, and eventually messaged Swimsuits For All directly on Instagram to confirm it. They told me that, yes, I had been selected. I was in shock.
I had not expected to be chosen. I already felt as though I had accomplished something simply by putting myself out there.
PMMToday: Why was that particular moment so important to you, both personally and professionally?
Brittany: The year I submitted was the same year my mother passed away. She transitioned on June 6, 2023.
Submitting that video was the first thing I did for myself after losing her, and it was the first thing that made me feel like Brittany again. It meant even more because pursuing opportunities like that was something both my mom and dad had encouraged me to do throughout their lives.
Professionally, I had often gotten in my own way. I would become trapped inside my head while trying to pursue my goals and dreams. I am my own worst critic, and my fear of not succeeding would sometimes stop me before I even tried.
That was one of the moments when I said, “No more.” Life is short, and I believe God did not give me these gifts and talents so I could sit on them. I believe He will make room for my gifts. Who am I not to believe that while still claiming to be a follower of His?
PMMToday: What did it mean to see a body like yours represented through a platform with the reach of Swimsuits For All?
Brittany: It meant that I was seen and welcomed in that space. More importantly, I hoped my presence would help other women who looked like me, women who shared my shape, wore my size, or were larger than me, feel seen and welcomed, too.
I wanted them to be able to envision themselves in a campaign, confidently wearing a two-piece, bikini, or any swimsuit they loved. To me, it was the epitome of inclusivity.
That hope became a reality during and after the campaign. We went live during the shoot and shared a great deal on social media, so people were able to see behind-the-scenes moments in real time.
Even after the campaign launched, I found myself tagged in posts and Stories I did not know existed. Women said I looked like them. Some said they had never thought they could do something like that, and others said seeing me had given them hope.
Watching a visibly plus-size, full-figured woman confidently wearing a bright two-piece bathing suit meant something to people I had never even met.
PMMToday: How did you become involved with the Extended Plus Network, and what initially drew you to its mission?
Brittany: I became involved with the Extended Plus Network approximately six years ago, when Caroline launched it. She posted a casting and shared her vision of creating a space where plus-size creators and entertainers could be seen, heard, and given meaningful opportunities.
As a plus-size model, dancer, and actor, with dance being my first love and acting right behind it, I immediately knew I needed to be there.
I do not see enough women who look like me on television, on the big screen, or in other entertainment spaces. We are so often cast as the fat, insecure friend. I wanted to be part of changing that, and that is what EPN represents to me.
PMMToday: For someone learning about it for the first time, how would you explain what the Extended Plus Network offers its members and the broader plus-size community?
Brittany: The Extended Plus Network offers visibility, but it also provides its members with creative direction, development, marketing, and strategy.
Caroline, its founder, is also a photographer and has the experience and creative eye to help a model or creator understand what to produce, how to produce it, and what brands are seeking. She provides informed feedback and helps members get their work in front of the right people.
EPN gives plus-size people an opportunity to stand out. Caroline facilitates conversations with brands, agencies, and other industry professionals to identify where the gaps exist and find ways to fill them.
She supports the development of EPN’s members while offering the broader community a place to strengthen their skills, understand what is and is not working, and pour into one another.
Talent is not determined by size, even when society suggests otherwise. This space exists so we can receive support and give that same support to others.
PMMToday: EPN recently gathered for its first retreat. Can you walk us through the weekend and share some of its most memorable activities and experiences?
Brittany: The retreat was amazing. I am still reeling from that weekend.
The meet-and-greet dinner was one of its most memorable moments. There was no apprehension, ego, or mean-girl energy. We immediately connected and vibed as though we had known each other for years.
We went around the table introducing ourselves, sharing our “why,” and talking about what helps us thrive in this space. We also had a talent showcase. Elle sang her heart out, and I consider her the first plus-size Latina superstar, and I performed a spoken-word piece about being a confident plus-size Black woman.
The support in that room was incredible, and the experience resonated deeply with all of us.
Everything that followed was filled with teamwork, laughter, and a willingness to pivot when necessary. The next day, we went to the beach for individual and group photographs, had lunch together, and created UGC featuring brands we genuinely use. It gave us an opportunity to practice, receive valuable feedback, and learn from one another.
We also exercised together while wearing clothing from Expanse, a brand creating activewear specifically for plus-size people. We laughed and cried, and everything was rooted in love and authenticity.
We visited Della Curva, a plus-size bridal boutique in Los Angeles, where each of us was styled in a beautiful dress that honored our individual body type and shape. We created content around what I would call the “plus-size bridal experience.”
That is an experience plus-size women, and plus-size people in general, are too often denied: the ability to walk into a boutique, salon, or store and find pieces created to fit their bodies instead of being expected to force their bodies to fit the available pieces.
People sometimes say that women cannot work together or that women are naturally catty, but every woman in that room demonstrated the complete opposite. It was a breath of fresh air.
We created content, made memories, and had honest, down-to-earth conversations. We poured into one another and helped each other. It meant everything to be in a space with people who understood your journey, even though each of us was walking a different path within it.
It is something I believe everyone should have an opportunity to experience, and I plan to experience it as often as I can.
Thank you Brittany, for sharing your truth, your. life and your advocacy with all of us.
As Brittany continues stepping into the purpose she believes God placed on her life, she is not simply asking the industry to make room—she is showing it exactly what has been missing. Her journey is a powerful reminder that when we fully embrace our gifts, we give others permission to recognize their own.
Cover Credits: Photographer: Francisco Gutiérrez, Makeup: Christina Gutiérrez Hair: Domonique Walker Wig Maker: Shay
Swimsuits For All Image Credits: Photographer: Ben Watts, Makeup: Marie Josee Lafontaine, Hair done by: Domonique Walker & styled by(in the bahamas): Adam Maclay, Styling of all accessories for swimsuits: Gabriela Langone
Follow Brittany Wilborn on her social media platforms.
Instagram, Youtube, Threads , TikTok, Facebook
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