Fashion Changing Trends
The times are changing and it was noticed in this year’s fashion shows in New York. There were the thin models and also models with a bit of flesh added to their skeleton making them look more healthy, womanly and normal. These models did quite well and they were used by designers like Ralph Lauren, Bill Blass, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan. Ford, whose agency supplied models to these top designers says, “Our models who did very well this season were not super-skinny. However, there were some on the runway who were very thin.”
People who own modeling agencies and the editors of fashion magazines have a great role to play in discouraging very young girls from appearing on the runway who have not even developed their curves and appear to be stick thin or coming from the hospital. One such Editor-in-chief of the Glamour magazine Cindi Leive says, “ Any responsible model booker will tell you they turn away girls who get too thin.”
Kelly Cutrone, owner of People’s Revolution, a company that produces fashion shows around the world, opines that the runway models are so thin that when they bend , their rib cages can be seen. She feels that these models are naturally thin and other women with normal body structures should not try to be like them and ultimately harm their health. Kelly Cutrone is the owner of People’s Revolution, a company that produces fashion shows around the world.
Cutrone says. “Clothes look better on thin people. The fabric hangs better.” So models are mere hangers to display clothes and not a symbol of beauty. The average age of models is 16 to 17 years and most of them are in the age group of 14 to 19 years and weigh approximately 120 to 124 pounds with size 2 to 4 . If the models are heavier than that then they don’t fit into the clothes and are dropped from the show. This means that it is not the models who are responsible for this image building but the whole fashion fraternity which includes the designers, fashion coordinators who encourage unhealthy practices. Co-operation from everyone is necessary to change the scenario.
Stephanie Schur who is a designer conducted her first runway in New York few weeks ago. She considered models with glowing skin and healthy look for her show.
She rejected models that looked pale and had thin hair.
But most of the models today look the same. They are all beautiful but none of them is extraordinary. Runway concentrates more on the clothes. They look for girls who best suit their clothes.
Schur believes that young girls do not consider runway models as their image. In fact they are keener to imitate the actresses.
Every woman want to be pretty because in today’s world “we know more about women who look good than we know about women who do good,” says Audrey Brashich, a former teen model and author of All Made Up: A Girl’s Guide to Seeing Through Celebrity Hype and Celebrating Real Beauty.
Brashich read number of letters from young girls who were keen to become famous models, singers or actresses while she was working at Sassy and YM Magazine.
She said, on the basis of culture we were at par with women like Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie. She also said that women who are thin and beautiful become celebrities while women who actually bring amendments remain unknown. Mostly people have a tough time naming women who are accomplished in other fields. Considering models, stars and celebrities as our idol, this will not change until the pop culture changes the sight of women they consider their idols.
