Mikayla Wain is a young plus size model from Australia who inspires thousands of women both in her home country and all over the world with her tireless positivity, honesty and outfit inspiration.
why she’s revered ✨
- A rare voice in the Australian plus size movement for women bigger than a size 14
- Provides plus size outfit inspiration for women in warm climates, focusing on swimsuits and summer dresses
- She’s a genuine ray of light
I’m so stoked to be able to draw on many different women from many different places and walks of life who’ve inspired me to love my body. Mikayla Wain from Sydney, New South Wales in Australia, is one of them. Mikayla has done professional modeling and also posts outfit inspo regularly on her socials. She has over 25,000 Insta followers at the time of writing which is a testament to not just how influential, but how relatable she is to women in our movement.
swimsuits for all campaign
I discovered Mikayla on Instagram but her rise to fame was initially from a collaboration with the brand Swimwear Galore and the Body Image Movement in Australia back in 2018. The campaign saw Mikayla team up with several other models to show off the bright, bold swimsuits and how swimsuits could be for women of any size.
The campaign earned national coverage in Australia but the coverage is an example of the struggles we as plus size women still face. The tone of the article is overall positive, as it cites Mikayla as “one of the faces of the body image movement.” However, a brief scroll through the only three comments left on the article is shameful.
Two of the comments are negative, and one abhorrent, that I won’t give further credence to here, and they show just how fatphobic a lot of society still is.
The worst part is, Mikayla seemed to be the only true plus size woman that was featured. I personally don’t think this campaign promoted women of size enough, and the backlash from the article proves still, how far society needs to come.
mikayla on the true struggles of growing up big
Mikayla truly stands out as someone who wants to challenge the status quo. I’m glad I found this article because she speaks well in her interview with the paper about her struggles growing up. She says how her career as a top dancer in Australia was basically ended because they told her she was too big. The quote from Mikayla was: The reality was as a plus-sized girl, I worked twice as hard to get to where I was. It was a very tough time, I lost people I considered friends and I chose not to return the following year.
This is something that sadly, we’re all too familiar with. It is important, however, that Mikayla shared the realities of being a bigger and taller girl growing up. Because yes, it’s tough. People aren’t kind. Mainstream plus size models often feign empathy in scripted Instagram posts, but have no actually relatable stories to galvanize their audiences like this. It’s not hard to see how Mikayla has become so popular.
She was complimentary about the brand too. She said growing up she often had to fit herself into thick, dark-colored swimsuits, and she raved about the colors and options available in the range, though admittedly nowadays these variants are more openly available to us.
QUOTE
The reality was as a plus-sized girl, I worked twice as hard to get to where I was. It was a very tough time, I lost people I considered friends and I chose not to return the following year.
mikayla’s outfit inspo 👗
City Chic are a brand I can really get behind, and Mikayla is one of the reasons why. How great does this swimsuit look on Mikayla? The plunge around the chest is amazing and the detail around the midriff adds class to the look while also allowing for a bit of stretch. Having worn some of these I can attest to that!
There’s something about one-tone swimsuits I love and the color of this is so vibrant as a result. You can tell this is not Mikayla’s first rodeo, she has that model look about her, and that hair is just 💯
Mikayla has this awesome vintage style about her when she goes for the fits that aren’t swimsuits. This is a great example of her own style, again with the help of City Chic and a local brand, and both the top and the skirt have a wonderful flowy feel about them.
The loose skirts work great on body types like mine where we have a bit more around our tummy and they feel so comfy. As well as rocking tall plus size maxi dresses, the maxi skirt/top combo is one of Mikayla’s go-tos and I love the look on her.
mikayla’s measurements and transparency
- Mikayla is 5 foot 10 inches tall
- Her Australian dress size is a 4XL
- She was open about having an injury that resulted in a weight gain and posted about this on her Instagram page. Her highest weight was 174kg, or 383lbs. At the time of writing, Mikayla has started working out as part of her recovery and announced she is now 154kg, or 340lbs. I think it’s really important we are open about things like this, weight gain is rarely a result of us simply “being lazy” and the more people are aware of the different factors that can contribute to weight gain, the better. Anyway, Mikayla looks beautiful whether she is 340 or 383!
notable facts about mikayla
- She has modeled for several fitness brands in Australia and provided great inspiration: seeing tall, plus size women in activewear is rare and important in breaking down barriers
- She used to be a gymnast
- She is honest and open about why she gained weight. You would never see a mainstream plus size model talking about their weight this specifically, like ever. Her transparency is to be applauded.
