Plus size models strut past ultrathin ideal

France's obsession with waifs means its fashion industry snubs many women with bigger body types, but there is no need for a ban on ultrathin models, said the patron of a plus size Paris catwalk show underway this weekend.

"It's a cultural blockage," explained Clementine Desseaux, a 26-year-old French model who lives in New York.

The size-44 brunette gets year-round catalog and campaign modeling work in the US, where she emigrated four years ago, compared to rare jobs in France, as US department stores recognize that most women aren't slim, she says.