American Apparel's search for plus-size model may be won by spoof entry intended as campaign AGAINST controversial brand

Cherry pie: Nancy Upton, from Dallas, is taking an unusual stand against American Apparel's search for a plus-size model

American Apparel's search for a plus-size model to celebrate its new XL range was never going to be without its critics.

The oft-controversial company last month launched a 'next big thing' competition to find a U.S. size 12-14 model, encouraging women to present photos of their bodies for a public vote.

But one woman was so insulted by the company's approach that she has entered the competition in her own parodying style - submitting photos of herself gorging on or surrounded by stereotypically high-calorie foods.

Her spoof entry has been so successful that she may even win the poll.

'My name is Nancy Upton. I'm a size 12 and wanted to show American Apparel my fresh face (and full figure),' her Tumblr site, dedicated to her competition entry, reads.

Her contest entry at americanapparel.com simply says: 'I just can't stop eating.'

The pictures show size 12 Ms Upton, from Dallas, TX, in a series of suggestive poses, languidly posing in a bath full of ranch dressing in one and lying naked, prostate on a bed of lettuce and with an apple in her mouth, mimicking a hog roast, in another.

The purposefully mocking pictures are an attempt to highlight the offence caused by the cattle call approach to finding a face of the brand and the overt plus-size contextualising of the search.

'I don’t believe that beauty should be qualified as BECAUSE of someone’s size or IN SPITE of someone’s size. Beauty is beauty, it’s fluid, it’s objective and it doesn’t need to be justified to or by anyone,' writes Ms Upton on her blog.

American Apparel's site says: 'We're looking for fresh faces (and curvaceous bods) to fill these babies out. If you think you've got what it takes to be the next XLent model, send us photos of you and your junk to back it up.

Fried chicken: Ms Upton entered the competition mockingly but is coming second in the online poll

'Just send us two recent photographs of yourself, one that clearly shows your face and one of your body.

'Show us what you're workin' with!'

Website visitors are asked to rate the girls on a scale on one to five, with one deemed 'not quite' and five 'XLent.'

So far, 976 women have entered the contest, the closing date of which is today.

As it stands, Ms Upton is in second place in the American Apparel poll - and may win the competition if votes continue to flow her way.

Degrading: Voting on the poll closes today and so far 976 plus-size women have entered the contest

Support for Ms Upton's attack on the campaign is self-evident - though some votes may have been cast unwittingly, without sensing the satire behind the shots.

But 5ft 7inches Ms Upton, who fits a Gap size 12 according to her Twitter feed, has come in for both praise and negativity for the satire.

One Feministe.com reader, CastofClue, comments: 'Offend and degrade women that are overweight…check. Look horrible while attempting to send some type of message...check,' while others applaud Ms Upton's 'bravery.'

On her blog, Ms Upton hastens to clarify her position: 'I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who chooses to display their body to other people, be they plus-sized, petite or anywhere in between.

Ranch dressing: The risque shots are deliberately suggestive and sexualised

'I believe the women who entered the American Apparel “contest” are beautiful, brave people, and my attempt here to respond to the company’s course of action is JUST that- it is in no way a comment or critique of the women who have submitted photos.'

She says on her blog that she did not plan on winning the contest.

'I most certainly would not model for American Apparel, because (pretty obviously) I don’t agree with their business practices. I also would not expect to be asked to do so, even if I receive a majority of the votes (something I never planned on),' she writes.

'That being said, someone will. While I disagree with the message American Apparel is sending in the way they handled this competition, other people do not... And I respect that opinion.'

American Apparel has seen itself on the receiving end of a string of racial and sexual allegations of late. Its CEO, notorious industry bad-boy, Dov Charney, is a known womaniser and recently revealed to the New York Times that he has aspirations of living a lifestyle similar to that of Hugh Hefner's infamous 1970s era at the Playboy Mansion.

The move to finally include XL sizes is seen as an attempt to boost the company's bottom line, after the it announced in April that it may be forced to file for bankruptcy.

[Source : dailymail.co.uk]