WMST 202 B
Newsflash 1
Newsflash: Sex Needed to Sell Plus-Size Models
& The Inconsistency of Levy’s Argument
Link to News Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/fashion/MODEL.html
“Fashion Magazine to Salute Large-Sized Women”—seems like a step in the right direction for women’s rights and how they are portrayed in the media. But, after reading Ariel Levy’s Female Chauvinist Pigs, is the way these plus-sized models are dressed just another product of raunch culture? After reading Female Chauvinist Pigs, for some grey issues it is hard to decipher what’s raunch culture and what’s empowering.
Raunch Culture, ironically, has not deeply infiltrated the high fashion industry. High fashion models tend to have boyish, androgynous figures considered unattractive when compared to main-stream fashion looks like Cover Girl, Abercrombie & Fitch, Candies, Victoria’s Secret, etc. Look at the photo comparison of “sexy” models in mainstream fashion and models in high fashion:
Mainstream: http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/78/67/candiefergie22.0.0.0x0.449x584.jpeg
High fashion: http://www.ifashion.co.za/images/stories/articleimages/trends/0309/androgyny.jpg
In the Candies ad, Fergie is overtly sexual: her finger flirtatiously rests on her lips while she lifts her shirt to reveal her toned stomach. The high fashion models, on the other hand, do not express the usual conception of raunch sexy: clothed head to toe, they reveal very little skin; their hair is cut short and slicked back; and their outfits reflect traditional menswear. Marc Jacobs, for example, even takes this “unsexy,” “androgynous” trend one step further by putting scrawny men in women’s clothes:
http://blog.photoshelter.com/image/marc_jacobs_08-09.jpg
True, this male model has a provocative stance (the purse is strategically placed over his lower half); however, one would not consider it a part our male-pleasing raunch culture. Marc Jacobs’s form enforces this High Fashion trend: models that are not “sexy” because their actual sex is ambiguous. Unlike most modes of media, the high fashion world often breaks from the constraints of the heteronormative, patriarchal society defined in Johnson and Frye’s articles.
High fashion publications like “V” (which is the magazine discussed in the article) deems themselves “progressive” by showing plus size models in their magazine. But why, if they are in a high fashion magazine, must these plus-sized models be sexed-up in order to be accepted? All the plus sized models in the article have long, wavy hair.
One model tugs down her sweater to expose her cleavage and hikes up her sweater dress unnecessarily high above her thighs. Another model wears a skintight leopard leotard and pumps out her breasts.
The swimsuit on the third model is ill fitted and too tight, exposing unnecessary stomach bulge that makes her look heavier than she probably actually is.
The clothes these models are wearing lean more toward trashy than high fashion: “The eye-popping centerpiece of the magazine’s “Size” issue features several voluptuous women clad in skimpy swimsuits, bra tops and low-slung jeans. The models flaunt bulging tummies, powerful thighs and fleshy midsections — with love handles intact.” Why does raunch culture infiltrate high fashion when it comes to plus-size models? Is it because they have butts and breasts that are more appealing to men than the wafer-thin, pre-pubescent looking models? High fashion models are not crammed into ill-fitted clothes. — So why should plus models be? Is this really empowering for plus-sized women or are these “high-fashion” photos actually making them look heavier and feel more uncomfortable?
The typical skinny model in her avant-garde attire represents a fantasy world into which the reader can escape. I applaud high fashion magazines for having plus-sized models—I only wish that these magazines represented the plus-sized models in the same high fashion, avant-garde way that skinny models are presented. Skinny models are dressed in trendy apparel, so why can’t plus-size models be styled in a trendy, fantastical, avant-garde fashion? After all, it’s this fantastical setting that makes high fashion an art form. It’s a similar argument to tall women’s clothing: tall clothing tends to be frumpy rather than stylish. Likewise, the clothing modeled by plus-size women in “V” tends to be more trashy than trendy.
It is interesting to see the wide array of comments on this New York Times article. Several comments presented the following questions and arguments: Why are models either sizes 00-4 or 12-16? Both size categories seem to be at opposite ends of the weight/health spectrum: either anorexic or overweight. Despite the fact that America has an obesity problem and a majority of women are overweight, why should fashion magazines honor the overweight woman any more than the underweight woman? What about women who are at a healthy weight and a size 6 to 12? — Why aren’t they represented in the high fashion world? In Female Chauvinist Pigs, Levy points out the negative influence media can have on women: media’s definition on what is beautiful and sexy is far too narrow. In the world of high fashion there seems to be only two definitions of female beauty, the pre-pubescent anorexic look or the voluptuous double D breasts look. Why can’t there be a happy medium—a positive healthy looking example for young female readers?
This argument, in a sense, could be seen as a microcosm for the polarization of the women’s movement today. When it comes to women’s issues (or the portrayal of women’s bodies in fashion, which this article specifically addresses) why do only polar opposites exist? We are the slut or the virgin, pro-porn or anti-porn, the lesbian or the housewife, the anorexic or the plus size model. Why is the portrayal of women in society always a dichotomy? What happened to the happy medium? Women who think they aren’t curvy enough get boob jobs; women’s whose boobs are too large get reductions. Women who are naturally skinny and struggle to keep on weight are accused of being bulimic; women who are big-boned and curvier are accused of not eating healthy or exercising. To quote the 128th comment on this article: “Can we please stop obsessing about size? If you want to be hollow cheeked and bony, then go for it. If you want to be plump, that's just fine too. Just be comfortable with your weight and quit worrying about what people "should" look like.” I feel the average woman would agree with this statement, but the media—and in this particular case, the high fashion scene—has yet to catch on to this sentiment.
The concept of plus size models is a fascinating one. Whenever I watch a fashion show on TV or see models in magazines it is always the same girl—skinny, tall, long legs, flat chest, and pretty face. It is rare for one to see a larger woman on a runway or in a magazine ad. But what’s even more striking is how larger women are portrayed compared to skinnier women. Regan writes, “ Skinny models are dressed in trendy apparel, so why can’t plus-size models be styled in a trendy, fantastical, avant-garde fashion? After all, it’s this fantastical setting that makes high fashion an art form. It’s a similar argument to tall women’s clothing: tall clothing tends to be frumpy rather than stylish. Likewise, the clothing modeled by plus-size women in “V” tends to be more trashy than trendy.” It’s completely unfair that plus-size women are not dressed in the same clothing as skinnier models. Plus-size models should not have to dress trashy; they should be able to wear exactly the same thing as other models. Size shouldn’t matter, but unfortunately, in this society, it does.
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason why plus-size models should be dressed in trashy clothes; it’s not like they’re trashier than other models. It’s ludicrous. It’s great that there are plus-size models but it is not great that they are treated differently than other models. And why are there only two categories of weight—skinny or fat? Regan comments, “In Female Chauvinist Pigs, Levy points out the negative influence media can have on women: media’s definition of what is beautiful and sexy is too far narrow. In the world of high fashion there seems to be only two definitions of female beauty, the per-pubescent anorexic look or the voluptuous double D breasts look. Why can’t there be a happy medium—a positive healthy looking example for young female readers? I absolutely agree with Regan; these models are telling younger girls that there are only two ways they can look—skinny or overweight. It’s not at all healthy. One’s waist size should not determine whether or not she is normal or beautiful. Beautiful is so much more than that.