Charli Howard

Howard has worked for numerous brands and fashion campaigns, including Maybelline, Redken, British Vogue, Allure magazine and Pat McGrath.[1] She is one of the faces of Pat McGrath's beauty line and considered a "McGrath Muse".[5]

Howard had tried, unsuccessfully, to model in her teens, being rejected from numerous agencies. At 21, she was signed to a London-based agency after her friend submitted her Facebook photos without her knowledge.

In 2015, Howard was dropped by her then-London model agency for allegedly being "too big"[6] to model. In response to being dropped, she wrote a lengthy Facebook post that subsequently went viral, with thousands of shares, with Howard appearing on Channel 4 news[6] to share her side of the story. Upon hearing about the post, New York-based model agency Muse Management signed her, and Howard moved to New York.

Controversially, Howard is considered a "plus size" model, despite only being a UK size 10-12/US 6-8. In an interview with Hello! magazine, Howard is quoted as saying, "I've got a D cup boob, I've got a size 10 to 12 hip - well, a 12 probably - and I've got a tummy that never seems to go away, no matter how many sit-ups I do... I'm curvy, but I know that I'm not a plus-size model and I've not given myself that term. That's what other people label me."[7]

In January 2019, Howard was announced as the new face of global lingerie brand, Agent Provocateur.[8]

Howard published two books in 2018: Splash,[3] a middle-grade novel surrounding issues such as bullying, friendships and body image, and Misfit,[2] a memoir about Howard's battles with eating disorders, OCD, and anxiety. Howard told the Guardian newspaper that she wishes to “create strong literary characters for girls”[4] in her books. Misfit was published in February 2018 by Penguin Random House.[4] In it, Howard describes her battles with eating disorders and other mental illnesses, including anxiety and depression.[4]

Howard's first children's novel, Splash, was published by Nosy Crow books in July 2018.[3] In an interview with Hello! Fashion Monthly magazine, Howard says she wrote the book "to pass the time". Author Jacqueline Wilson described Splash as a "much-needed book that will strike a chord with so many girls - and help them dare to be different."[9]