New York Fashion week 2016 has changed the face of fashion forever. New York has been known not to follow rules, and this year Fashion Week definitely broke rules for the better. From September 8-15, fashion shows raided New York City and the only thing on the runway that amazed the crowed more than the clothes were the diverse models.

Designers like J.Crew, Christian Siriano, Kanye West and many others decided to feature a diverse set of models ranging from different size, age, and race for this years show because they wanted to showcase “real women.” Mumbai-based designer, Archana Kocchar, featured teen acid attack survivor, Reshma Qureshi, to walk in the FTL Moda show. Qureshi says she has never felt more beautiful and she wanted her appearance to show confidence and hope in other acid attack survivors.

Christian Siriano told Cosmopolitan, “I just think it’s a lot of time and a lot of work … We’re all in the world together, you know? And the models in the show who are ‘plus size,’ they’re not in a special place, they’re not wearing different styled outfits. They’re just beautiful girls who are in the show, like normal. Everything’s normal. That’s how it should be!” The world has been influenced by the fashion industry through magazines, fashion shows, social media and almost any platform that can be imagined expressing that to be “beautiful” you must be a certain size, race or have certain features. However, these designers have thrown all of society’s expectations out of the window and by having such a diverse set of models this year, these famous designers are taking a step into the future because women will no longer feel like the need to be a size 2 to feel beautiful, they can be themselves because they are “real women” and that is true beauty.