Meet Ady Del Valle. He’s an openly gay, plus-size male model who has spent the past two years tirelessly challenging stereotypes around male beauty.
The 31-year-old Boston native first began modeling in 2016. Since then, he’s appeared in several magazine spreads and posed for campaigns for MVP Collections and Brandon Kyle Collection at Full Figured Fashion Week. He also walked for Volare at New York Fashion Week.
“Everyone’s process in learning to love themselves and gain confidence is different,” he tells Gay Star News. “I wasn’t like this three years ago.”
He adds, “I just decided not to care what anyone says or think anymore because I was not living for me, but for them. I had to take that power back and just be me.”
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Del Valle says he has plenty of fans, including 13K Instagram followers, but, as to be expected, he also gets the occasional hater.
When asked about trolls leaving nasty comments online, Del Valle says, “It happens, [but] I’ve learned to grow tough skin and prepare myself for it. The positive always outweighs the negative.”
“The attention is nice and super sweet 98% of the time.”
The fact that Del Valle is plus-size and gay can also be a challenge.
“It is not easy being a plus-size on the gay scene,” he says. “You have to work ten times harder to get noticed and accepted. I haven’t had awful experiences, but I’ve seen and heard it from friends.”
He continues, “Even in clubs catered to us bigger men it’s still hard. Unfortunately, the same people in our community sometimes make us feel unwanted or undesired. I’ve dated all sizes myself, some in the industry and some not.”
In regards to health, Del Valle says he’s “on top” of it.
“People assume because of my size I am not watching my health or worried,” he says. “I’m no exception to the average-size person.”
“We should all take care of ourselves the best we can, no matter our size. My health doesn’t determine my purpose and how I do my job.”
And as for people who want to discriminate against him because of his size, Del Valle has only this to say:
“That’s their loss because I’m one sexy plus man. I can hold my own in any crowd and anywhere I go.”
He adds, “I want everyone to feel sexy and wanted because we are. I’ve made countless friends on the scene of all sizes from big to small to muscle, which is refreshing. They got my back.”
thisisnotreal
Hmm how to approach this one…I suppose on one hand it’s nice that he’s out there showing other plus sized people that others like them do exist and you can still be successful while being plus sized. But on the other hand the line between being yourself being proud and unashamed, and promoting an unhealthy lifestyle or unhealthy body image, is so thin it’s basically fishing line and you could argue all day which side this guy falls on.
Andy
STOP calling these people plus-sized and making it seem like them being morbidly obese is OK. It’s not! They are unhealthy and need to do something about it!
Smith David
He is a very handsome guy. However, as a chubster myself, I have to say boldly, this is not healthy. My doctor warns me all the time. I understand that not everyone will fill that cookie cutter unrealistic body image that is worshiped.
But, again, promoting unhealthy living will not help anyone neither is making someone feel bad about their body. It’s important to support and genuinely encourage people to live a healthy lifestyle in every facet of life.
thisisnotreal
Couldn’t agree more. I know that for some people their weight is beyond their control due to medications causing weight gain or conditions like diabetes etc and I agree that shaming overweight people will only make them depressed and hate themselves leading to even more possible weight gain. But I also agree that u can encourage someone and try to help them discover possible solutions to their situation without it coming across like your either attacking them or going the route of over acceptance and justification so it doesn’t need to be fixed.
jlew64
Ummm… Interesting… in women’s fashion, plus-size is size 16 or maybe 18… Maybe not realistic when compared to average consumer but it is what it is. Not sure what “size” this guy is but being plus-sized is one thing… morbidly obese is another. But since he’s getting work, more power to him!
Vince
He needs to cut back on the photoshop. Any more and he’s become a cartoon.
IKilledLizPurr
Oh come on boys he’s large, but morbidly obese? Nah. He’s a big dude is all. I hope he loses just a bit of weight for health maintenance, but he takes a damn good photograph. Serving face for days!
Smith David
@KilledLizPurr…..I agree. He is serving face. I love it! Regardless, I wish him all the best.
OzJosh
He’s unquestionably what any medical professional would classify as morbidly obese – even without knowing his weight and BMI. I suspect a lot of Americans have pretty screwy ideas about how overweight you have to be to be classified as morbidly obese – and they’re clearly kidding themselves.
Vince
Oh please. His tits are practically dragging on the floor. Somebody morbidly obese means that they’re a hundred pounds over their ideal weight.
scotshot
What’s underneath the trowelled on makeup?
Does a person actually love themself when they wear a mask in public?
dinard38
As others have stated, he is CLEARLY morbidly obese. Definition of morbidly obese is having a BMI of 40+. I’m nowhere near the size of this guy (6’0″, 275) but even my BMI clocks in at 39. He’s WAAAAAAYYYY over 40 BMI.
justgeo
What to say? Just cuz some of us like bacon or pork dosen’t mean that a dude looking like a pig deserves to be called HOT beautiful or anything other than obese. Way beyond PC. Get a grip and find the middle. THE DUDE IS OBESE and F(*^G Gross. Why giving him the print space ‘cept for piss off pleasure?
dinard38
I have to agree. I don’t mind a man not being a size 30 waist (yuck!). 34-38 waist would be ideal. But this dude? That’s like a 52-56+ waist.
iamru2
And I fret when my pump is not as good as last weeks lol I feel bad for people like him , it must be difficult as part of his weight issue is genetic , but part is his eating habits and lack of excercise. I also don’t get his attitude that it’s discrimination if someone isn’t attracted to him. And lastly I don’t believe that he looks in the mirror and thinks “damn im hot”!
dwes09
And you can bet that most who pursue him fetishize obesity rather than seeing him as a complete person. I have heard obese men complain about that.
ShowMeGuy
His face is beautiful…..Kardashian…sickeningly beautiful. Health wise, he is too big for his knees to support his weight for the typical lifespan of a human. He’ll be all crippled up by the age of 50 needing the motorized shopping cart to travel anywhere.
I don’t have to be sexually attracted to anyone who’s appearance doesn’t make my nipples get hard and my butthole to start twitching…..it isn’t discrimination.
dwes09
I had a friend from boy scouts who went from a highschool quarterback to similar morbid obesity in a matter of 10 years. By his late 30s he was suffering bone necrosis in his feet, joint damage in his knees and both cardiac and respiratory issues. His body was similar to this guys, pushing 400 lbs and 6′ tall.
He died about 15 years ago. It is great that this mam has a seemingly positive body image, but looking at his response to questions about health, it is clear he understands he is compromising his health.
dwes09
He was my age, so 52 when he passed. Back then I was logging an average of 100 miles a week on my bicycle…he could barely walk 2 blocks.
I’m still pretty fit, 2400 miles in 2018. Hopefully more this year. And I am about 20 lbs heavier than I’d like.
Creamsicle
I wish more people would take the health consequences of obesity more seriously. I 100% agree that everyone should have a positive perspective on their body as it is, but we should also all be aiming for healthy weight. This isn’t about what is and is not attractive. People can sleep with and ogle whomever they want as far as I’m concerned.
The obesity epidemic was declared in late 1999. We can witness first-hand the damage that obesity and morbid obesity does in the aging Baby Boomers, as well as how much chronic illness strains the American medical system. We now have had an entire generation where it is common for children to have grown up never experiencing healthy weight. It is going to be hard to teach adults that their lifelong habits and behaviors are wrong.
As much as I support this guy loving himself, he has to acknowledge that he is 31-years old. He still has time to back out before the negative consequences of morbid obesity start to affect his mobility and health. Also, his facial structure is a genetic gift as well. Most people’s faces will bloat up along with the rest of their body, but his face is just barely starting to be affected by his weight. He has had to be very lucky on multiple fronts to look as good as he does right now.
Heywood Jablowme
This article uses the word “discrimination” but it’s unclear whether it refers to employment discrimination or dating discrimination (or we could say “dating”/casual sex discrimination). But knowing Queerty, I’m guessing they probably mean dating/sex! We should all be wary of this.
Employment discrimination is defined in law, codified by Congress and legislatures, and cases are argued in the legal system. The analogy doesn’t really carry over into dating & sex. If it did, that would be a very weird system.
andrewl
Again echoing above comments good luck to Ady Del Valle for making a career. Not at all my idea of male beauty and it is highly unlikely I would be tempted to purchase anything he modelled. However, the larger issue (no pun intended) is that Ady and other over weight men and women may be fooled into believing that their over weight figures are now accepted as standard beauty. It is the opposite in fact, the fickle fashion industry is treating them as freaks or at best objects of curiosity to provide shock value. Once this fades they will be tossed aside. So much for their perceived feeling of acceptance. I am sorry to say this but it has happened many times before.
Creamsicle
I dunno. I agree that prior attempts to get exposure for plus size models has been a novelty act for much of the fashion industry, but Americans and Europeans are getting fatter. America is leagues ahead of most of Europe in terms of fatness, but overweight and obesity is increasing throughout the developed world and even in parts of the developing world, thanks to Western Fast Food chains trying to explore new markets.
With the rapid increase in weights, it’s entirely possible that America will be a road map for the world. Calls for “realistic” models with BMI 35+ could pressure more companies to use more of these plus-size novelty acts, at least for their lower end products.
Griff_Greymuzzle
There are several Plus Sized models out there making a living. King Size Direct employs several. But as others have said, this is not Plus Size, this is Morbid Obesity. I just recently dropped 150lbs and I can tell you I notice a HUGE difference in what I can and cannot do, but since I was heavy most of my life, I felt “normal” and “healthy” mainly because I didn’t know what the other side felt like. I’m still no gym bunny, but I am in a lot better health than I used to be and the difference is amazing. I feel bad for this guy because he’s talked himself into being proud of being unhealthy. I know he SAYS he’s healthy, and maybe right now, he is. But he’s 30. Give him 10 years, when his knees start to give, his arches have fallen and diabetes has set in. I assure you his pride about being plus sized will be tempered by reality.
Creamsicle
Congratulations on the weight loss! 150 lbs lost simply blows my mind. I have been working on losing about 25 lbs since July (down by 18 so far!) and I already feel much better than I did when I was pushing 190 lbs. The difference in mobility after losing that much weight must feel like gaining super powers by comparison.
dinard38
Congrats on the weight loss. I myself would like to lose 60-70 lbs. Correction, I NEED to lose that weight because the health issues are piling up. I know it’s possible, but it’s not easy. I love fried chicken. LOL!!!
bigoncheeks
nice job – more power to him
Kangol
He has a beautiful face and doesn’t need the photoshop. (Or that bleached blond hair.) For health reasons he probably ought to lose some weight because, as others have pointed out, the body, even one with a big frame, can only take so much weight as we age, and anything north of 230-250 at most heights for men is pushing (and those weights are probably too) high. Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, joint problems, all of it will hit with a vengeance by 45-50. So he can stay a thicc/plus-sized model, slim down a bit, and still keep his body positivity going strong. I hope there’s someone around him to encourage him down this route.
supernaut
I don’t know how much he weighs but I’m 175 pounds and 33, I have varicose veins, a bad right knee and carpal tunnel syndrome, so I’m good in terms of health problems for now, but I ride a bicycle and I like to walk, so that’s my balance. I love this guy’s confidence, I envy it, but if you have tits and you can’t see your penis, that’s a problem.
Morrisson
Obesity is currently the second largest killer in the United States and is a world wide epidemic. Normalisation of this behaviour is not helping in the slightest. He probably relegates comments demonstrating the link between weight and health as negative and ignores them. No doubt he is on the cognitive dissonance train and aint getting off till the ride is over. He says his ‘health doesn’t determine his purpose’, but his purpose does determine his heath. Ignoring facts seems to be one of the biggest issues with people like this. He should not be given publicity just as anorexic models should not. It would appear Queertys only agenda beng ‘the gay one’ is not quite true they seem to be balls deep in identity politics too
Greg
Stop eating. Spare us the sight of your sagging tits.
“I just decided not to care what anyone says or think anymore because I was not living for me, but for them. I had to take that power back and just be me.”
It seems like you just decided not to care at all, or you’re living for your next meal.
“That’s their loss because I’m one sexy plus man. I can hold my own in any crowd and anywhere I go.”
If you say so. Of course you can because there’s so much to hold and nobody else wants to hold it.
Adelin
wow its cool
mellowmanps
What a bunch of bitchy queens… Your idea of good looking may not be the same as everyone as you assume. Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “if you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”
nitejonboy
I don’t know where all these beautiful face comments are coming from, between the extreme angle eyebrows and the odd beard I think his entire face just looks bizarre. And speaking as someone who is overweight and is working hard to change that, I think it is one thing to be happy with yourself and know you are doing your best, but it’s another thing to be delusional and think you don’t have a problem. He is morbidly obese and he’s on the way to cardiac arrest if he doesn’t start improving. I’m not saying he can’t be comfortable in his own skin, but you can still make efforts to improve your quality of life and not remain stagnant. I had a heart attack last year and they are not fun. Since then I’ve lost 25 lbs and am in cardiac rehab 3 times a week and am eating better. It’s not easy but what’s the alternative, death ? My mom died of heart disease, it’s not gonna be me!
Tombear
I’m a bear but I’m not obese. I work out regularly and eat healthy. Fact: the majority of morbidly obese bears I knew all died prematurely in their late 40s, early 50s. Do what you want with your body, I’m not fat shaming I’m just relating my life experience. If you are morbidly obese you will be lucky if you live to 50.
Tombear
Being morbidly obese is a health issue. Have you ever thought why you seldom see morbidly obese men over the age of 50?
dinard38
Well, at 6’0″, 275, I’m no small dude. Nowhere near the size of this dude, but I’m big boned (haha!. That phrase always tickled me). Enough with this ‘plus-size’ bs. Let’s call it what it is. Morbidly obese. Fat.
I think it’s dangerous to promote ‘plus-size’ as if it’s ok or healthy. It’s not.
It kinda reminds me of that movie, Bear City, where the older, morbidly obese gentleman, Michael, wanted to get a gastric bypass, but his fat fetish boyfriend Carlos didn’t want him to. I mean, Michael could barely walk without sweating up a storm. His knees were hurting all the time because of carrying around all that weight. And he had problems finding a job because no one wanted to hire an obese man. Unfortunately in the end he decided not to go through with the surgery to keep his man. I thought that was a terrible message this movie was sending. Michael’s symptoms is the reality of being that overweight. High blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, etc. So no! One shouldn’t settle for being plus size at the risk of their health.
Sorry dude. I see nothing sexy about all those fat rolls and breasts that hang down on the stomach.
Rex Huskey
yep, he fat.