Size 8 Miss NJ USA Considers Herself 'Plus Size.' Huh?!

Messalina Morley is going to compete in the Miss New Jersey USA event this Friday. Morley tells NorthJersey.com that what sets her apart from other contestants is that she is plus size. Morley admits she is somewhere between a size 8 and 10.

"I agree it is difficult to understand how a woman who is a size 6, 8 or 10 can be labeled as plus-size." Morley tells the reporter from NorthJersey.com, "but that's what society, the media and the fashion industry have decided."

Let that last sentence sink in: That's. What. Society. The. Media. And. The. Fashion. Industry. Have. Decided.

While Morley has resigned to life as a plus size woman, representatives from Miss New Jersey competition deny they consider anyone above a size 6 plus size.

"All girls are seen equally," says Michelle Zoglio, a coordinator, Miss New Jersey USA. "This is not a pageant for women who are plus-size, short or tall. We never talk about size."

Morley, who was entered in the beauty competition at 15 thanks to a someone nominating her, feels she is at the forefront of body inclusively. "Being in a beauty pageant allows women from any background, and all sorts of experiences to show that they are beautiful, that I am beautiful how I look. There is no prescribed body type. In a beauty pageant, you can show that anybody is beautiful."