Why do “real” models always have to be naked models?

New York Magazine‘s The Cut asks why when mags feature “plus size” models they’re always naked. I dont’ agree with the whole post, but that’s a damn good question.

All too often, when magazines introduce plus-size ladies to their pages, they are naked. Love put Beth Ditto on the cover nude, and Glamour followed its sensational nude photo of Lizzie Miller with a shoot of a nude semi-orgy of plus-size models. The message is confusing. Is it really that women of average-to-larger sizes are beautiful? Or that not only are these magazines bold enough to feature larger girls, they’re also bold enough to feature them nude?

I really have always wondered why all of the “size” articles and photoshoots at women’s mags consistently have nekkid models. Yes, lots of models – no matter what their size – are featured in various states of undress in magazines. But this certainly does seem to be a trend. What do you think? Is featuring naked models the only way to celebrate the diversity of women’s bodies?