Should the ‘plus size models’ Vogue Italia issue be celebrated? Or does dedicating an entire issue to these larger women just highlight them as being different?
Should the industry norm for fashion magazines just be a variety of women in all shapes and sizes?
Tweet me your thoughts @ashaleo #plussize
Vogue: Underweight models need not apply!
Vogue has announced it will stop working with models who are under the age of 16 or appear to have an eating disorder
I’ve modeled since I was 13 years old, the fashion industry is a huge part of my life and its shaped who I am today. In those many years I’ve seen changing notions of what ‘beauty’ is. When I was in my early teens the age of ‘heroin chic’ was predominant. Malnourished, waif-like girls who were highly androgynous. Now in my thirties I gladly welcome the movements supporting ‘real beauty’. Women’s bodies come in all shapes and sizes, something that should be celebrated.
The fashion industry is responsible for setting a realistic view of what ‘beauty’ consists of. In this age of celeb-mania, nothing can govern a girls perspective on their own image more so than the images they are bombarded with on a daily basis from glossy magazines.
However its nothing new to promote the idea of healthy living with exercise and a balanced diet. What concerns me is the power of digital manipulation, and how it creates false ideals for women to aspire too. Some images which can be so heavily manipulated that they are anatomically impossible to achieve.
I don’t believe that the general public understands the multitude of sins that can be vanished away with one click of a mouse button. Waist lines can be shrunk, legs can be lengthened, complexions can be evened. The final image of your favourite model or celebrity can be a far cry away from what the original was.
But what does that mean for the viewer? Fad diets, work out DVDS, highly priced miracle creams all in aid of recreating an image that was never real to begin with. With of a surge of interest in ‘thinspiration’ or ‘proana’, perhaps its time that the fashion and entertainment industry reveal the truth behind their images? Or are we to ever be following this concept of ‘treadmill happiness’, always aspiring and aiming for a body that can never be realized, as it simple doesn’t exist.
- Asha Leo
Every celebrities nightmare… UNRETOUCHED PHOTOS!
Well, I don’t mind sharing with you guys the ‘before & after’ versions of a shoot I did recently. I think it just highlights the capabilities of retouching. The red squiggles are the notes for where the re toucher should pay particular attention. Ive had my thighs slimmed down, my hips made narrower, the skin tone on my face and stomach evened, and my arm pit and elbow softened.
It seems absurd how the tiniest lumps and bumps are erased in one simple click, and yet also, that they feel the need to change it in the first place!
Im happy I reach for second helpings when we have dinner, I love me some cheese!!! And you often have to wrestle a glass of red wine out of my hands. But I do it all in moderation!
In my last personal trainer analysis I was told I had 17% body fat, which for my age, puts my in the ‘healthy’ bracket. And yet, here we are, still having my body digitally altered.
What defines the perfect figure? Who dictates how a body looks most appealing? Personally, I think its those curves that make me unique, they are part of me and I’m proud to have them.
When Carine Roitfeld launches a magazine, everyone pays attention. CR is the new solo project from the former Vogue Paris editor.
Roitfeld shocked many with her very unlikely choice of cover star for the premier edition. Kate Upton. In her very short career, Kate has faced heavy criticism at her chances of cracking the fashion industry. She regularly faces snipes about her ability to be a ‘real model’ due to her voluptuous body. But her appearance on the debut issue has earned young Kate some major fashionista kudos.
Kate’s figure and image has been widely debated. Despite snagging the highly coveted cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Victoria’s Secret dubbed her “too obvious” and refused to work with her in their up coming runway show. Their casting director, Sophia Neophitou even compared Kate to a “footballer’s wife”. Ouch! “She’s like a Page 3 girl,” Ms. Neophitou said, referring to the scantily clad voluptuous women featured in The Sun, a London tabloid. “She’s like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy.”
Meaow! Saucer of milk for Ms. Neophitou! Was there really any need to be so mean, especially at a time when quotes can go viral?
Just so you understand, Kate Upton is a US size 4. Today, the average American woman is 5’4″, has a waist size of 34-35 inches and weighs between 140-150 lbs, with a dress size of 12-14.
So, why did Roitfeld choose Kate? “No one will imagine me having a cover like this, but I want to be very positive about fashion,” Roitfeld told the New York Times. “It was an idea I shared with Bruce Weber about babies, animals, and little girls. I didn’t want a normal model. I wanted someone with a sensual body, someone who could be a mother for all these babies. Honestly, from the first time I worked with her – I saw in Sports Illustrated some pictures she did with Terry Richardson. I would not say she’s a controversial model, but she’s not a classic model. And I like that.”
So its a BIG thumbs up for Kate’s curves from the Queen Fashionista, Carine Roitfeld. Hopefully a lesson learned about healthy role ‘models’ and their place in high fashion. Who else will follow suit?
A huge round of applause for a swedish retailer using ‘Real Size’ mannequins in their stores! It’s about time! How long till other stores follow suit?
Geez.
Although I’m all in favour of promoting ALL kinds of healthy body types, I do think we should question our use of the term “real women”.
Why does celebrating one physical characteristic (like skinniness or curviness) always seems to negate the value of its opposite, even if that opposite is just as natural and just as good?
You know what real women are? Curvy, yes, but also slender. And athletic. And muscular. And short and tall and big-hipped and small-chested and hourglass and skinny as a toothpick. And all the combinations in between.
If you are flesh and blood and identify as a woman, you’re not only a real woman, but you’re also a beautiful woman.
Working as a model and also for my own satisfaction and health, its a daily investment to maintain a toned, slim figure. Why should having a low percentage of body fat deem me as not “real”? Am I an android or a figment of your imagination?
Perhaps as a society we should work harder to promote that a REAL healthy body image is available in multiple sizes!
