There’s something really special about talking to someone who is still growing.
And honestly, the debate over Cartanya Maynard and plus-size representation feels bigger than one actress landing her breakout role.
It feels like watching someone actively reshape what visibility for plus-size women looks like on screen while also figuring it out herself in real time.
This is exactly what it felt like when we sat together. broken heart high star Cartanya Maynard.
I’m not someone who pretends to have a complete understanding of my life. In other words, it refers to a person who says, “Oh, this is scary,” but walks straight towards that object anyway.
And by the end of our conversation, I just kept thinking about how many plus-size women would see themselves in her story.
Cartanya isn’t speaking from far away and out of reach, so the conversations feel incredibly real. Active unlearning is currently occurring in real time.
Reliability has not yet been determined. Self-doubt still pops up in the room from time to time. Yet through it all, Cartanya Maynard is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young actresses to come out of Australia.
Honestly, this makes her even more relatable.
She shouldn’t have been here, that’s what makes this story so good
One of the first things that struck me while researching Cartanya was that acting wasn’t even the original plan.
So was the music.
She talked about experiencing burnout and studying music before developing tinnitus after years of exposure to loud noises.
And if you’ve ever tried so hard toward one dream that your body finally tapped you on the shoulder and said, “Girl, enough is enough,” you probably understand such a turning point.
But instead of seeing it as a failure, Cartanya pivoted herself.
That core ultimately led her to acting, even though she admits that she almost gave in to fear.
Oh, let’s stop here for a second. How often have you almost missed an opportunity because you told yourself you weren’t ready?
How many plus size women have waited years to feel confident enough before trying out what they actually wanted?
What Cartanya said during our conversation stayed with me long after the interview ended. “Even if you feel scared, just do it.”
That feels like the whole ethos of her career right now.
Why Cartanya Maynard’s plus-size representation resonates so deeply
At one point during the interview, Cartanya began talking about growing up without seeing women who looked like her on screen.
It’s not just Indigenous women.
plus size women.
“None of them looked like me. None of them were my size,” she explained.
And to be honest, I think these words will touch many people’s hearts.
Because many plus-size women grew up learning that visibility comes with conditions.
You might find it interesting.
You may become a supportive friend.
You may be able to know the transformation story.
But is it desirable? Complicated? romantic? What about the actual lead? It was often reserved for others.
No, it’s not just our feelings. research from Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media Representation in film and television has been shown to directly influence how people view themselves and their potential. And it absolutely shapes your confidence when you haven’t seen yourself reflected in a meaningful way for years.
Cartanya spoke openly about internalizing that message. She even admitted that when she finally started seeing plus-size women on screen, she saw them as exceptions rather than proof that there was room for them too.
That part really fascinated me because I think so many women pick up on that idea without realizing it.
You begin to treat your dreams as if they belonged to someone else.
Cartanya, on the other hand, is here slowly deconstructing that idea role by role.
For Kartanya, representation is more than just visibility
One of the things I really appreciated about our conversation was how intentional Cartanya talked about community.
As a proud Troll Woolway woman who is part of Tasmania’s Aboriginal community, Cartanya spoke about the responsibility she feels as one of the few Indigenous leads in Netflix’s global series.
And while many might describe such visibility as pressure, Cartanya framed it differently.
She described it as an honor.
“I want to show young Aboriginal girls who want to be on screen that I’m here for them and let them know that because I did it, they can do it too,” she told us.
That part stuck with me because I could hear how personal it was to her.
Earlier in our conversation, she talked about how she grew up obsessed with movies because she rarely saw women who looked like her on screen. And now she’s becoming that person for someone.
It’s not small.
Conversations about representation can sometimes be flattened into buzzwords online, but moments like this remind us that what people believe is possible for them can actually change.
research from USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has repeatedly spoken out about the lack of representation of Indigenous peoples in film and television around the world.
That’s exactly why actresses like Cartanya Maynard are so important right now.
And honestly, one of the things I love about Cartanya Maynard is that she doesn’t talk about success as a personal experience.
She continued to receive instruction.
To the family.
To those who believed in her before she fully believed in herself.
When you talk to her, the basis for this becomes clear to you right away.
Let’s talk about Zoe Clark’s fashion
I had to ask her about the costume. broken heart high Because Zoe’s wardrobe needed its own fan club.
Just a blazer? can’t believe it.
And when Cartanya Maynard started talking specifically about that green dress, I immediately understood why she loved it so much. She explained that she immediately felt powerful when she put it on.
But what made the moment even more interesting was hearing her explain how nervous she was initially about dressing as a plus-size actress.
“What if I can’t find the costume?” was one of the fears that ran through her head before attending the show.
And plus-size women know exactly where that fear comes from.
Shopping plus size can already feel exhausting before you add cameras, fittings, and industry beauty standards.
But instead of making her feel like she has a problem to solve, broken heart high The costume team fully embraced Cartanya Maynard. Some costumes were made especially for her.
I loved hearing her talk about her experience because fashion is about making you feel noticed. It should help you feel more like yourself, not less.
Also, as a side note, I’m all for bringing dramatic blazers back into everyday fashion. Ready in no time.
Cartanya wants plus-size women to finally have a love story
This was probably one of my favorite parts of the conversation. Because I could hear how important this was to her personally.
When asked about her dream role, Cartanya said she would love to play a romantic role someday.
Not in a gimmicky way either.
She wants plus-size women to experience love stories on screen that are layered, emotional, sexy, awkward, fun, and human.
“I want to be part of the change,” she explained.
Honestly? same.
Because plus-size women deserve more than being treated like supporting characters in stories about glamor.
The research is American Psychological Association: Psychology of Popular Media found that larger-bodied characters remain underrepresented in romantic stories across media. And even when plus-size women are included, they are often denied the same softness and romantic complexity afforded to smaller characters.
Real life, on the other hand, tells a completely different story.
Plus-size women experience love in messy, beautiful, and complicated ways just like everyone else. We date, we cheat, we fall hard, we get heartbroken, and we start all over again.
And hearing Cartanya talk about wanting to help normalize things on screen felt important.
Not because plus size women need permission to be loved.
Because when we are surprised, the audience should stop acting surprised.
“Feel the fear and just do it.”
By the end of our conversation, I realized that Cartanya’s story wasn’t actually about fearlessness.
It’s about movement.
She just keeps moving.
Even as she reimagines herself and navigates an industry that still has a long way to go when it comes to plus-size representation, Cartanya continues to show up anyway. That drive to keep moving forward while solving things is part of what makes her so attractive right now.
You can hear it in the way she talks about finally stepping onto the international stage. Upcoming series on HBO and Sky war.
There’s excitement, but there’s also gratitude. You will truly understand how quickly your life can change when you stop letting fear control your decisions.
What struck me most was the sincerity of our conversation. Cartanya did not try to present himself as someone who already understood everything. And that vulnerability made the entire conversation feel grounded.
It’s so authentic that you can still hear her younger voice in the conversation. The girl, who loved movies and wanted to act, decided to try anyway, since she didn’t see anyone who looked like her.
And now she will become someone else’s representative.
It’s powerful.
And personally? I think we’re just seeing the beginning of what Cartanya Maynard is going to do next.
Source: The Curvy Fashionista – thecurvyfashionista.com
