Will activism be required for the supermodels of the future? Charli Howard thinks so.

"People don’t just want to see models anymore," says Charli Howard, who could be considered one of the first, new-wave activist/models.

During a recent video conference, the British model, who shot to fame after a pointed (and wonderfully expletive-filled) letter to her former agency went viral, shared her experiences and insights on what she said is a quickly-changing industry.

"Over the course of a night it literally rocketed," she said about the fateful letter she posted on Facebook in October. "I think it just really resonated with people. They look at magazines, at editorials and billboards and they feel so misrepresented."

She took the agency to task for letting her go due to her size, which she says they called "too big" to book gigs despite the fact that she was roughly a U.S. size 2. "I refuse to feel ashamed and upset on a daily basis for not meeting your ridiculous, unobtainable beauty standards, whilst you sit at a desk all day, shovelling cakes and biscuits down your throats and slagging me and my friends off about our appearance," she wrote.

"I had no idea it was going to go viral but it did," she said, and it's easy to believe. Though she had some steady work then, she started her career late for a model at age 21, and struggled to remain a sample size (typically size 0), often making herself ill.

"For someone who was not in the right mindset that really messed me up," she said.

So she took out her frustration on Facebook, and it struck a chord. Her points about restrictive beauty standards hit at the right time: The definition of supermodel is changing, not just to include a greater diversity of sizes, but with a desire for women and men to have an authentic personality and clear message, most-often delivered on social media.

"I do think the future of fashion it’s no longer just about being a model, you have to have a voice with that as well," she said.

The combination and voice has benefitted the outspoken Ashley Graham -- who is on the cover of the August issue of Cosmopolitan and has had an all-around stellar year -- not in spite of the curves that might have inhibited her at one time, but perhaps because of them and her body-positive Instagram posts. As well as Candice Huffine, who recently left Muse Management for Ford Models, and has made waves as the outspoken face of many new plus size lines including Rachel Roy's and Violeta by Mango.

And Howard, who shortly after writing the letter, signed with Muse Management to be on their "influencers" board, an industry term that distinguishes the type of model for clients and usually includes either straight or plus. Muse has been aggressive in recruiting a more diverse set of models, particularly with this new board that represents models of a variety of sizes and ethnicities, but all have a strong social media presence.

"Social media has given a platform to girls who wouldn’t be noticed before. Whose body shapes were different than the ideal, or even whose faces weren’t the ideal," she said. "Social media has also helped me for getting more well known."

And she plans to pay it forward. She's the spokesperson for the #makemeamuse competition, a joint venture with Muse Management and the social media site, clapit, that's taking submissions through July 13. The campaign is looking for someone who has a big personality and expressive face, like this new generation of supermodels. The winner will receive a three year contract with Muse for their influencers board and become the global face of clapit. To enter, complete the registration form on the app, upload at least five expressive photos and use the hashtag #makemeamuse. Users with the most claps, the app's reactive version of likes, will become finalists. For more information, see the clapit website.

"I do think the future of fashion it’s no longer just about being a model, you have to have a voice with that as well," she said. "But as long as agencies are willing to open up their mind about ideals of beauty and what beauty is defined as I think that can only be a good thing."