People seem to be very positive about Vogue Italia‘s choice of celebrating curvier women with three non-standard sized models on their latest cover. While this is certainly a good thing, I feel that it is more of a gimmick. Vogue will go right back to using tall, impossibly thin girls (yes, they’re girls, not women) next month. This is no different from many other magazines’ celebrity cover people, who’re usually there to promote a new movie, television show or perhaps, product they’re endorsing. To really promote size diversity, non-tall-and-skinny models must be seen all the time. And they should just be “there” just like “standard sized” models. It shouldn’t be something that is emphasized.
There are those who are complaining that the women aren’t “plus sized” enough – that they lack “tummy rolls” and flabby skin and are “too proportionate.” To tell you the truth, if I were a fashion designer, I’d use models with good proportion too, regardless of whether they’re size 00 or 18, a short 5’0″ or a tall 6’2″. However, for other types of modelling, such as beauty or hair, then good proportions aren’t as necessary (nor is height! Yes, I’m still not over the fact that the ColdSore-FX event used fashion-sized models for their beauty demonstration). Besides, the women are also very tall, so proportionately speaking, they’re more similar to an average-heighted woman who is around a size 8 or 10 than size 14. This is something that a lot of people, body image activists included, seem to forget.
Video interview with Candice Huffine, one of the cover models
Finally, there’s the issue of what the women are wearing. Vogue Italia, like most other publications when using non-standard-sized models, put them in lingerie or lingerie-like pieces. It’s subtly saying that the fashion industry doesn’t have anything for women who’re larger than a certain size. It’s also saying that the only kind of sexy “larger” women can be is overtly so, rather than a more sophisticated-sexy (it’s akin to featuring shorter women and making them “cute”). If I were a stylist, rather than putting the models in bras, I would use the opportunity to contact designers who make larger-sized samples or ones who specialize in non-standard sizes. These designers are out there, but don’t get much profile because many people, including those in the fashion industry (bloggers included) don’t consider it “fashion.”
Our video response to Candice’s interview
Still, this is a good start. However, I’d like to see more non-standard-sized models in publications where their size is not overtly emphasized. Even if designers aren’t willing to change just yet, a size 14 woman can be used for beauty-related pieces just as a 5’2″, regardless of size, can be used for one about relationships. The change is coming, but it’s very slow.
