Size 16 entrant to Miss England is a first

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Voluptuous Chloe Marshall is challenging the underfed fashion industry stereotype by becoming the first ever size 16 Miss England entrant.

The vivacious 17 year-old is already topping her regional heat and has her sights set on the final in July.

And her success has sparked off the 'size zero' debate which had raged during London Fashion Week when some designers threatened to boycott the event if models were forced to produce a certificate to prove they were healthy.

With her vital statistics coming in at a curvy 38/32/42 and standing 5ft 10 inches tall, Miss England organisers are hoping to explode the myth that to be a model you have to look emaciated.

Miss England director Angie Smith said: "We are not looking for the skinny waif. We like to think we represent real beauty. Chloe has a beautiful face and she's in proportion and there's definitely a call for girls like her.

"Women are fed up with looking at skinny girls, they want to see real women."

Last year, Jen hunter, the size 12 winner of TV show Make Me a Supermodel triggered the size zero debate when she was criticised for being 'stocky' despite the average dress size of British women being size 16.

Chloe, a beauty student, is competing in the Miss Surrey regional finals. The competition has already had 10,000 entrants in over 100 heats since July 2007.

She told The Mirror: "Girls are under such crazy pressure to be thin these days. I'm not a stick insect but I've got a strict exercise regime and I enjoy looking pretty."

Pics:Curvy Chloe

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Pics:Or do the slim stars get your vote?

Columnist:Should 'real women' leave modelling to the professionals?