With all this talk about women feeling good about their bodies regardless of their size, I can honestly say that I never thought about how men felt about the underrepresentation of other men who resembled them in magazines and on television. 

So my question today is this…….

Do you think men feel as strongly as women regarding the lack of models of all shapes and sizs?

{The Frisky}

When I learned she had passed away from cancer I was devastated. I went to visit my best friend who solely cared for her during her final days. He was so strong saying that his strength drew from his mothers strength in going through her ordeal. I wasn’t so strong, often turning away to hide my tears.

Ms. Singh was always so supportive of me and my modeling career. She didn’t seem into the fashion scene but delighted in my runway stories. Sharing my portfolio with her was one of the moments that I will always treasure. Sitting in the basement of her home where we often gathered was a magazine with a black and white picture of Ophelia Devore on the cover. I had never heard of her before. She was striking, with a reserved elegant stance. Under Ophelia’s name it mentioned how she conquered the fashion world. Knowing that Ms. Singh wasn’t really into the fashion scene, it seemed odd that she would hold on to a magazine about fashion dated from 2003. Intrigued, I started to flip through the pages.

When I landed on the pages of the article about Ophelia Devore I began to get chills. Carefully underlined by Ms.Singh was important information it seemed she wanted me to know, as if she was speaking to me directly. No other pages in the magazine were underlined or noted in this way.

One of the underlined passages mentioned Ophelia was the first woman of “mixed race” to model professionally in the United States. She established one of the first modeling agencies in the United States called the Grace Del Marco Agency in New York in 1946, during a time in which racial tension was very high. I had to know more about her, where did she find the courage to do what she did? How can I find her now?

I immediately vowed to embark on a journey to find more information on this remarkable woman. My best friend allowed me to take the magazine with me. I held it close to me all the way home, thanking Ms. Singh for yet another lesson…… (to be continued)

1st Italian Vogue, now French Vogue.

The April issue of French Elle is all about curves!  Scheduled for release this Friday March 26th, French Elle is launching their own Curvy Issue.  Plus-Size model Tara Lynn is on the cover of ELLE’s plus size issue. The issue includes a 32 page fashion spread featuring the cover model and Johanna Dray.

{Image Source: MadisonPlus.com}

I’ll be honest with you, when I first heard about this issue I expected to see a bunch of size 6 models that mainstream media couldn’t find a place for.  Well I was wrong!

They have curves and rolls and they are working it!

All Photos Can be viewed at Models.com

Photo: Sølve Sundsbø
Styling: Nicola Formichetti
Make up: Frank B (The Wall Group)
Hair: Esther Langham (Art + Commerce)
Models: Candice Huffine, Marquita Pring, Michelle Olson, Tara Lynn (Ford NY), Kasia P (Click)

Photo assistants: Karina Twiss and Ashley Reynolds
Stylist assistants: Emily Eisen, Jessica Shaw, Enrica Ferrazza, Angelo deSanto
Videographer: Bell Soto
Digital technician: Nicola (Republik)
Tailor: Alberto Rivera (Lars Nord)
Printing Box

Which Photo Is Your Favorite?

When I stumbled onto the upcoming “One Size Fits All” photo essay in the January issue of V magazine, featuring plus-size model Crystal Renn, I was initially pleased. The spreads featured Renn and a skinnier counterpart in nearly identical clothing and poses. Renn looked awesome and, frankly, outdid her skinnier counterpart in a number of the photos:

Then, I did a little research, and it suddenly dawned on me: Renn is by no means plus size. While she is admittedly larger than the average model, Renn’s body does not represent the rest of us. In fact, she has dimensions that most American women would envy: a 31-inch waist, which turns out to be six inches smaller than that of the average American woman, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not to mention  that at 5 feet 9, she’s about a half foot taller than the average American woman as well. When it comes to body diversity, Renn’s spread is a big step for fashion, and a teeny, tiny nudge for the rest of humankind. (Plus-size models are smaller than plus-size people; though many plus-size models work at a size 12 or 14, the plus-size category begins at size 6.)

There’s also the question of how much of Renn is actually in the V photos. Compared to the Harper’s Baazar Australia spread she appeared in this past May, Renn looks positively emaciated. (And looking at the last photo in the Harper’s series linked to above, an unairbrushed photo, shows how all models, no matter what size, are postproduced into an unattainable perfection.)

{Read More}

The photos which were shot by photographer Terry Richardson and styled by Mel Ottenberg will be available on January 14th.

What do you think?

{SOURCE}

This issue of V Magazine will feature Whitney, Kate Dillon, Crystal Renn, Mia Tyler, Hayley Morley and many more. The photos featured in the magazine will feature nude shots to fully clothed shots from various designers including Karl Lagerfeld of all people.

Are you excited to see Whitney and other plus models in V Magazine?

One has to remember the perspective the “Karl Lagerfeld”s of the world come from. Their perspective is steeped in the European tradition of size 0-2 on the runway, an image that has been a staple in fashion houses across the world for decades.This same image has been what the US has adopted, attempting to legitimize the industry by mimicking what has been regarded as the standard to aspire to in fashion. His belief that fantasy is what a fashion show should be about is correct. You do want to evoke images of high society and couture wear that you don’t normally have in your everyday life. Make-up is exaggerated, you walk in 6 inch heels, hair is impeccably placed and you have attitude that you wouldn’t necessarily walk with in the supermarket. I am with him on that. He is certainly not alone in his beliefs, he is just very vocal about this perspective. Also keep in mind that he is commonly known as “King Karl” in the fashion world, he has helped shape the current industry perspective and runway images, he is merely protecting the genre that he has helped create.

The problem is that there has been a lack of concern to how these “illusions” are created. These are real people who just happen to be models, several of whom have lost their lives to be considered acceptable for the fantasy. Granted this is a personal sacrifice that these women feel is necessary to achieve success on runways across the world. What many may fail to realize is there is a real consequence when unrealistic demands are placed on models today. The movement in the world toward acceptance for all women is not driven by women who are not destined to be a super models, it is driven by models that are in the industry who will no longer stand for not being heard, by women who aspire to be models but feel that there are no real options for them and by the consumer who have limited choices of how to create the “fantasy” in their own lives.

I don’t think that we feel that thin models have no place on the runway, we just feel that couture fashion is not reserved for the smaller demographic in society. The swell of support across the world in portraying real women on runways and in print is a step toward changing the mindset. Glamour received a lot of press for including a picture of one plus size woman in an article recently. The huge support they received prompted them to do another spread off all the women that were present at the same shoot but failed to make the final cut. These same women were featured on Oprah recently as models for Cookie Johnson’s new jean line for curvy women. That is wonderful,we need to create a dialogue in all facets of society.

I do fear that after the popularity wears off and that companies who are making a statement by including different demographics in print and runway no longer makes the press, that they will put down this agenda until it becomes cool again.

Thoughts?