A production in the May issue of Dazed & Confused Magazine shows us more muscles and less bones. On their website the magazines explains that stylist Karen Langley is inspired by individuality, which plays on the perception of femininity by turning away from the 'norm' and embracing Herculean beauty in all shades of pink. It's amazing to see how fashion is 'playing' with various body types lately, a welcome change especially when it can exist next to the 'traditional' model, like in this case. Growing up with a serious anorexic family member I developed a sixth sense for anorexics. People often ask me, because of this, if it's hard for me to work in the fashion industry. Well no, it's because of my knowledge about anorexia (for a whooping 16 years, I told you it was serious...) and my knowledge of fashion I can honestly say that not all models are anorexic and that there is more to it that just want to be thin. I'm not saying that the fashion industry is clear of it, not at all, but in most cases fashion is not the primal cause of this horrific disease. Often it starts with a deep psychological problem in a different area than the physical. Not that models don't feel the pressure to be a certain size. The industry is taking it absolutely too far with the whole size zero misery, but we have to keep in mind that a size zero is not what the agencies require. In an industry that thrives on beauty, we all want beautiful healthy models to sell our clothes and give the consumer something to desire. Fashion allows us to play with our identity, we can be who we want to be with clothes and we can change and reinvent ourselves every day with them. We need those exceptional beauties not as a reflection of ourselves or to tell the consumers what is wrong with them, but to create an image, a fantasy we can play with and adapt to our own style and taste.
I work as a make-up artist, stylist and I also work closely together with designers to help them create the best image for their clothes. Because of this I am often involved in the search for the right models. In this stage of the process I use that sixth sense to make sure we pick healthy, natural thin models (yes, in most cases models are just blessed with the perfect genes). When I have the slightest doubt I refuse to book that girl for the job. As for working with these beautiful creatures, I have no insecurities what so ever and I never, not once, think "I wish I had...". And that brings me to core of this whole issue, when you are happy with yourself as a person inside and out, there is nothing or nobody who can make you feel bad about yourself.
(Images by: Dazed & Confused Magazine)
