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AHEAD OF THE CURVE
AFTER dating a string of slender women, singer Zayn Malik is swiping in a different direction.
We told how the former One Direction star had signed up to plus-size dating app WooPlus following his split last October from Gigi Hadid, the mother of his 16-month-old daughter Khai.
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Zayn is certainly not the only man who thinks bigger is better when it comes to love.
Plus-size dating has become serious business.
There are now a host of apps and sites championing “big beautiful women” (BBW) and targeting the guys who prefer them to skinnier girls.
We speak to a number of plus-size daters, as well as a slim guy who reckons curvy girls are better in bed.
'Mixed-weight couples can be hard but his feelings are real'
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FITNESS instructor Megan Goldberger, 25, from Bridgend in South Wales, started seeing Si Kobia, 27, after meeting him on the plus-size dating app BBWCupid.
Megan, who stands 5ft 3in tall and wears a size-22 dress, says Si, an admin manager, loves her curves. She believes plus-size dating apps let girls like her shine and says: "I first met Si in December. He said in his app profile he liked girls who were into fitness with curves.
"I’m a size 22 and a fitness instructor for big girls. I also do pageants, so I know how to bring the glamour and dress to show off my figure.
"We hit it off right away and exchanged tons of messages before going on a date at the London Eye.
"I love that Si isn’t afraid to say he fancies bigger girls, unlike some slim guys I’ve dated in the past.
"Si is proud to have me on his arm and take me out for dinner or to a club and not hide me away.
"People may be surprised to learn my type is super-fit men with muscles, like Si. It may sound hypocritical but we can’t help who we fancy.
"Being in a mixed-weight couple isn’t always easy. Sadly we do sometimes get strange looks when we go out and I hear the odd jibe from thin girls asking what a “hot” guy is doing with a “fatty” like me. That hurts but I try to ignore it.
"I know Si’s feelings for me are genuine, so that’s all that matters.
"Zayn has given men of all shapes and sizes the courage to say they like big girls and that’s something to. celebrate.
Si adds: "I date all types of women but I have a thing for plus-size girls, which is why I use those specific apps.
"When I saw Megan’s profile on the dating app, I knew I had to message her.
"She’s beautiful and I love her curves. We also share a love of fitness.
"Plus-size dating apps are great because if you do like bigger girls, it saves looking at thousands of profiles to find the one big woman on a standard dating app. But girls can be bitchy about me dating a larger lady, which I can’t stand".
'Bums and boobs are in, beauty isn’t just a size-eight'
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ADMIN manager Jade Dando, 25, from Swindon, Wilts, is 5ft tall and wears a size 18 or 20. But she prefers slim guys and says: "I love that there’s now loads of plus-size dating apps, proving just how much men like big girls.
"On “normal” apps we feel we stand out like sore thumbs and can get left out, mocked and abused. Or we get thin guys fetishising us, which can be creepy and make you feel violated.
"Others don’t look at your profile properly and ditch you when you set up a date and remind them how big you are.
"But big bottoms and big boobs are all the rage now and the idea of beautiful being a size-eight is changing.
"But I must admit, I don’t like fat men and prefer thin guys like Zayn. It may sound hypocritical but I do. Today I’m proud of my size but growing up was hard.
"My slimmer mates always had boyfriends at school and I was always the single one.
"Sometimes I think guys asked me to parties because they felt sorry for me.
"When I first used dating apps, there was a real stigma associated with plus-size women.
"Men assumed I was desperate. It was humiliating. I won’t accept second best or be anyone’s sympathy date.
"Zayn is showing men it’s OK to like big girls and nothing to be ashamed of."
'Men are no longer scared to admit they prefer curvy girls'
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PAGEANT coach and mother-of-one Hannah Golding, 32, from Swindon, Wilts, is 5ft 6in tall and wears a size 20. She uses a number of plus-size dating apps, including the one Zayn is on, WooPlus.
She says: "I wanted to show people that plus-size women are loveable and just as valuable as slim women.
"WooPlus is great. It targets men who love plus-size women and allows you to weed out the time-wasters. On normal apps, many men list plus-size as their “kink”, which makes you feel like a freak.
"A lot of men use plus-size women for cheap thrills and lead you on, then don’t show up on the date.
"It’s just a laugh to them – probably something they sit around doing with their mates.
"One guy who was messing me about on Tinder finally admitted he was only talking to me as a dare.
"Others use fake profiles and treat a plus-size woman as an easy hook-up, because of the assumption we are lonely and desperate.
"The worst are guys who think if you are plus-size, you must want to be “fed” to gain weight and they fetishise us.
"On WooPlus, the men are serious about liking curvier women.
"I feel much more comfortable on plus-size dating apps and now there’s so many to choose from. It’s a huge market and one that keeps on growing.
"As a plus-sized girl, it can be hard meeting people in “real life”.
"I’ve been out with my girlfriends who are under a size 18 and been totally ignored by blokes and treated like the token “big-girl pal”.
"It’s why I use TikTok and Instagram to talk about plus-size relationships and dating, sharing my experiences.
"For years lots of men have kept their love of big girls a dirty little secret and pretended to like thin girls.
"In 2022, more people are using plus-size apps, proving men are no longer scared to admit to their mates they like plus-size girls.
"I can’t believe Zayn is a fan of big girls, especially after he dated tiny girls like Perrie Edwards and Gigi.
"I was shocked – but he’s flying the flag for us girls. We are no longer the butt of people’s jokes and are just as sexy and relationship-worthy as slim girls."
'Guys secretly want to date larger women'
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BAR manager Joe Hutchins, 26, from Truro in Cornwall, loves dating plus-size women – but he reckons guys are afraid to admit it to their friends.
Joe says: "I was thrilled when I heard Zayn liked big girls. He’s a good-looking bloke and usually dates stick-thin models. But by signing up to a plus-size dating app, he’s inspired men to be more open about liking larger ladies and not worry about what their mates think.
"I love plus-size women. I like something to grab on to. They’re also better in bed. One of my previous girlfriends was a size 18 and another was a size 20. They were also more adventurous between the sheets than some of my slimmer ex-girlfriends.
"I often find super-skinny girls are needy, worrying about everything they eat and do – and how they look naked.
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"Growing up, a lot of bigger girls were teased in school or last to be asked out. I know loads of blokes secretly wanted to date them but were too afraid of what their mates might say.
"Zayn isn’t the type of bloke you think would fancy a bigger girl, especially after dating Gigi and Perrie. But now he is showing men they should play the field size-wise."
Small willy? There's an app for that...
WHATEVER your tastes, there is a dating app out there for everyone.
Here are some niche apps for particular interests . . .
Dinky One – for men with a small penis
Tastebuds – for people to bond over music
Raya – like Tinder for famous people
Loosid – for teetotallers
Feeld – for open-minded singletons and couples who are into kinky sex and/or threesomes
S’More – picture the telly show Love Is Blind, but on a dating app
Lumen – for over-50s
Bald Dating – does what it says on the tin, helping the hairless find love
NUiT – for astrology nuts, making matches according to the stars
HER – for queer women and non-binary people
Dig; Tabby – for owners/lovers of dogs and cats respectively
Kippo – for video gamers
Zayn Malik plays emoji game on plus size dating app