Sunday, October 2, 2011
Fast Fashion
Colorlines featured the number of models at 2012 S/S New York Fashion Week who were models of color. The bottom line: more than usual, less than should be. Also, rock on Miss J.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Fast Fashion
Fast Fashion will be posts on the blog that are quick links to
stories. Sometimes I will not have time to fully address an issue, or
more likely someone else will have done a much better job addressing it
than I ever could. So here goes:
A wonderful and creative woman named Nancy Upton decided to enter American Apparel's "plus size" modeling contest as a joke. She then proceeded to win by a freaking landslide. Her story is here.
A wonderful and creative woman named Nancy Upton decided to enter American Apparel's "plus size" modeling contest as a joke. She then proceeded to win by a freaking landslide. Her story is here.
A Model Life
It's Fashion Week in New York, so the internet is abuzz with stories of fashion shows, models, bloggers and more. This story popped up on Life Magazine's Tumblr today.
That is some snarky slut-shaming and pre-Second Wave nostalgia goin' on there. First of all, I find it pretty preposterous to think that all models (every! single! one!) have hair extensions, or wear "skimpy" bikinis or want to be Tyra Banks. Some models have extensions and some don't. Some like to wear bikinis and some like to wear one-pieces and some don't like to wear anything at all.
As far as post-career talk shows are concerned, I think it is safe to say that models should have other plans for their lives besides just modeling. In an industry that values youth to an extreme degree, models do not get as many jobs past the age of 30. It wouldn't be wrong to imply that someone else in a youth-centered field (like professional sports) should look outside their current situation and prepare for a time after they can no longer compete professionally. Sure, there are a few celebrated models that are 40 or older, but those are few and far between. Modeling as a profession isn't the end-all be-all for most models. Many models go on to do many different things, such as designing clothes or photography or acting or singing or entrepeneurship or science or technology or starting a family or non-profit work or writing or literally every other possible life choice out there. Guess what, Life Magazine? Models are people too, and people have diverse interests. (gasp!)
Finally, we have the good ol' modesty to look out for. Remember the days when all ladies wore dresses and covered their stomachs and looked like Betty Draper? Remember when models would just sit there and shut up and never have an opinion or a personality and really loved squeezing into painfully uncomfortable undergarments? Gosh, those days were perfect and nothing bad ever happened and no one was ever unhappy. The gendered language in this story is difficult to ignore, implying that today's models have gotten out of control and no longer act like Ladies. Using words like modest and quaint and diva, words that are very culturally gendered, makes us as readers understand that Life Magazine is specifically focused on female models and their behaviors. Not to mention that out of 35 pictures in the slideshow, only one featured a male model.
Come on models, get it together. You're only there to look good and be nice and stay quiet.
 |
| photo via Life Magazine |
"It wasn't always hair extensions, skimpy bikinis, and post-career talk shows. Back in the day, fashion models were about (gasp!) the clothes, and having a made-for-TV diva personality was less important than looking good in the client's outfits. See the fashion runways of yesteryear -- modest, quaint, and not a thrown BlackBerry anywhere in sight."
That is some snarky slut-shaming and pre-Second Wave nostalgia goin' on there. First of all, I find it pretty preposterous to think that all models (every! single! one!) have hair extensions, or wear "skimpy" bikinis or want to be Tyra Banks. Some models have extensions and some don't. Some like to wear bikinis and some like to wear one-pieces and some don't like to wear anything at all.
As far as post-career talk shows are concerned, I think it is safe to say that models should have other plans for their lives besides just modeling. In an industry that values youth to an extreme degree, models do not get as many jobs past the age of 30. It wouldn't be wrong to imply that someone else in a youth-centered field (like professional sports) should look outside their current situation and prepare for a time after they can no longer compete professionally. Sure, there are a few celebrated models that are 40 or older, but those are few and far between. Modeling as a profession isn't the end-all be-all for most models. Many models go on to do many different things, such as designing clothes or photography or acting or singing or entrepeneurship or science or technology or starting a family or non-profit work or writing or literally every other possible life choice out there. Guess what, Life Magazine? Models are people too, and people have diverse interests. (gasp!)
Finally, we have the good ol' modesty to look out for. Remember the days when all ladies wore dresses and covered their stomachs and looked like Betty Draper? Remember when models would just sit there and shut up and never have an opinion or a personality and really loved squeezing into painfully uncomfortable undergarments? Gosh, those days were perfect and nothing bad ever happened and no one was ever unhappy. The gendered language in this story is difficult to ignore, implying that today's models have gotten out of control and no longer act like Ladies. Using words like modest and quaint and diva, words that are very culturally gendered, makes us as readers understand that Life Magazine is specifically focused on female models and their behaviors. Not to mention that out of 35 pictures in the slideshow, only one featured a male model.
Come on models, get it together. You're only there to look good and be nice and stay quiet.
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