The media’s standard of beauty often comes in a tall and impossibly thin package.

But thanks to events like the recent British Plus Size Fashion Weekend in London, women are seeing that beauty can come in all shapes and sizes.

Bermudian Tiffany Butterfield-Douglas had the chance to represent curvy girls from around the world last weekend when she was picked to strut her stuff on the catwalk for fashion lines, including: OPhees, ASOS Curve, Pink Clove and Jane Watson.

She described it as a “truly amazing” experience. “I will definitely remember it for years to come,” she added.

Ms Butterfield-Douglas said taking part in the high-profile event taught her the value in embracing her true beauty and being proud of what plus women have to offer the fashion world.

“We have so much style that can’t be defined by the number on our dress tags,” she told The Royal Gazette.

“There are more mainstream brands venturing into plus sized fashion, but we’re still under-represented. That’s why it was so great to see new plus sized designers showcasing their work and providing us curvy girls more options.”

Ms Butterfield-Douglas currently works in fashion merchandising at a UK fashion and lifestyle brand.

She said: “I’ve always loved fashion, and after studying styling in Milan, Italy, I decided to venture into a career in head office retail.”

While on a shopping trip in Brixton in 2012, she came across an ad for British Plus Size Fashion Weekend. However, she was too late to try out for the 2013 event.

She decided to follow the event’s Facebook page in case she spotted any future castings and was thrilled when another opportunity presented itself.

“When the casting call came out for this year’s event, friends encouraged me to audition,” she said.

“Once I got the e-mail saying I’d been picked, I was ecstatic, but surprised as well. There were so many beautiful girls who model professionally at the casting, I wasn’t sure I stood a chance.”

Ms Butterfield-Douglas said taking part in last weekend’s event was a life-changing experience.

Not only was she able to meet and make friends with other models, she was also able to get tips and advice from some of the pros to prepare for her moment in the spotlight.

“One [of the models] really took me under her wing, so now I refer to her as my ‘model mommy’. We bonded so much, it was like I had known them for years,” she said.

“After the shows, I was also introduced to a few designers and agents whom I hope to work with in the future.”

The experience did come with a few challenges. Ms Butterfield-Douglas said she was notorious among friends for her love of flat shoes, but she had to come to grips with wearing high heels considering she was only five-feet-six-inches and noticeably shorter than some of the other models.

“I’ve never had such foot pain in my life after hours of practice in those shoes,” she said.

“Also, the average size of the plus model is a UK 14/US 10, which I am bigger than, so a lot of the samples didn’t fit me. But I soldiered through both obstacles to prevail.”

This was the first time she has ever been able to participate in a big, international event like this, but she said the exposure “was amazing”. “It was so great to meet people from all over the world, and work together to produce a great show,” she explained.

“I would absolutely try out again next year and encourage others to do so as well. The confidence it gave me cannot be compared.”