By SCFDP student researcher: Anna Ludmirsky
Life as a young person usually shapes and molds you into a projection of your future self, which usually begins with environment and role models. Specifically speaking on self-body image, as we grew older and began to consume media in a sponge-like manner, our subconscious self-loathing was gradually set into place and took hold. A multitude of people can relate to the times standing in front of their mirrors and picking out each flaw, yet not understanding why they felt this way.
The topic of body image and representation can truly become a jam-packed rabbit hole of information to cover, so the focus will be shifted on the “diversification” of the modelling industry with disabled-bodied people, its positive effects on our population, and another possible motivation behind the switch in the modelling standard.
5’8”, thin, balanced proportions, able-bodied, and paired with euro-centric features. These are all the characteristics of the beauty standard you were used to seeing on runways and magazine covers back in the day. It was a rare sight to see a diverse selection of models from the bigger corporate brands, however, the standard has started to spread out to hit all demographics of consumers. Models with various disabilities and bodies have slowly trickled into the industry, not allowing setbacks to stop them from reaching the top and collecting the success they deserve.
Models with disabilities such as Madeline Stuart, Melanie Gaydos, Jillian Mercado, and Rachel Romu have become part of the normalization of diverse bodies. We now see in fashion shows and print campaigns people with disabilities like the models mentioned, as well as models with other genetic disorders, wheelchair-users, cane-users. More and more they are represented in the modelling space, and we can see that they are equally as beautiful as the traditional model, if not more beautiful.
Rachel Romu is a Canadian model who is also a cane-user, walked the Hayley Elsaesser runway during Toronto Fashion Week in 2020. Out of all the models in the show she participated in, Rachel was the only one with a visible disability, causing her to stand out and feel like she was out of place even though people were very receptive to her presence and were cheering her on as she walked. Those intrusive thoughts and social anxiousness can develop from not seeing representation, so Rachel going forth has definitely left an impact that will last within the community.
A present-day success story is Winnie Harlow, a supermodel with Vitiligo who became a household name for people in the fashion world by persevering through the hurdles of the wretched “beauty standard”. Instead of letting her “flaw” stop her from reaching it, she embraced the beauty of it all.
Winnie Harlow had walked as an Angel for Victoria’s Secret back in 2018, yet it feels like VS was utterly lacking in almost all areas of representation, including models with disabilities as well as transgender and plus size bodies. The scandals surrounding the company are quite an extensive list, but when speaking of diverse bodies being included in their infamous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show he said they will not include them “because the show is a fantasy.” This statement can be perceived that his feelings towards this topic is a tongue-in-cheek moment, although, it’s almost as if the only fantasy here is trying to pretend the models onstage are the epitome of beauty, while disregarding the unmistaken beauty of plus size and transgender people.
In more recent news, the big-name clothing and lingerie company VS has taken on Sofía Jirau, a Puerto-Rican model with Down Syndrome. After being pressed by target and non-target consumers, Victoria’s Secret decided to go forward with the Love Cloud campaign, which promises that every woman is welcome and can feel accepted in their bodies. Sofía posed for the campaign as their main focus in celebrating women as they are.
Although, one can hope this is the step in the right direction, catalyzed when the trust between the “corporate ally” and consumer begins to fall apart. You see this often when a big brand tokenizes diverse bodies instead of embracing them, and it’s sometimes quite evident when that is the case. For the most part, corporations don’t seem to care about the individual feelings and opinions of a consumer, unless it has monetary value in the long run.
Conversely, a brand known for their legitimate efforts to incorporate inclusivity in a fundamental way, as well as welcoming of various bodies is Rihanna’s lingerie company Savage X Fenty, which often showcases all types of bodies that buy her product, and actually has the sizing for it.
Cap-washing, or enforcing a promise of diversity strictly for monetary gain as a result of capitalism overpowering empathetic reasoning for an important change. Take Victoria’s Secret for example, they’re promising acceptance of all bodies and size inclusivity coming to the conclusion of going up to a XXL and 40DDD. Overall, it sounds like they’re taking initiative to bring various bodies, no matter shape and size into a positive light but directly contradict this by only going up one size for clothing and band size. They are definitely taking steps in the right direction, they’re just the bare minimum baby steps
The main concern is that these brands have discovered that diversity brings profit, so they put the bare minimum by making their promises of diversity only ranging to models. All while ignoring the fact that most of the people behind the scenes and calling all the shots are still older cis men telling women what they should and shouldn’t look like.
Nonetheless, representation matters in the media, even if it is baby steps. Especially so in the fashion industry since it barrels over the line of reducing the confidence of those who don’t fit the unattainable mold only a select few can achieve. Showcasing people with disabilities and various conditions make the overall community of individuals who feel out of place, feel more normalized in spaces where they’re usually not appreciated. The pipe dream would be that big corporations genuinely pull off the promises they put in place instead of giving a sliver of what was told would happen, so less people would grow up looking in mirrors asking themselves why they don’t look like “the pretty ones”, when in reality they are the gorgeous ones that have been sold a lie.
Citations
@mamacaxx. (2019). Mama Cax Is The Amputee And Activist Who Slayed The Savage X Fenty Show. Daze Digital. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/body/article/46278/1/mama-cax-amputee-model-activist-savage-fenty-rihanna-nyfw-show.
@vicoriassecret. (2022). Instagram. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.instagram.com/p/CaPobiGFpXz/.
Bains, P. (2020, November 24). How model Rachel Romu is pushing for disability visibility in fashion. FASHION Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://fashionmagazine.com/style/rachel-romu-model-disability-fashion-industry/
Charlotte Allen. (2019). Is Victoria’s Secret Identity Politics? Sales decline as the retailer is accused of lacking “diversity.” The Wall Street Journal. Eastern Edition.
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Espinoza, J. (2022, February 19). Sofía Jirau is the first victoria’s secret model with Down Syndrome: ‘every dream can come true’. Complex. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.complex.com/style/sofia-jirau-victorias-secret-first-model-with-down-syndrome
Gaydos, M. (2014). One of Melanie’s striking modelling shots. Cosmopolitan. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/news/a29085/model-melanie-gaydos-whats-underneath-project-video-inspiring/.
Keen, M. (2020, October 27). Model requirements: Do you have what it takes? UK Models. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.ukmodels.co.uk/blog/model-requirements-do-you-have-what-it-takes/
Lakshmi, S. (2021, July 1). Brands like victoria’s secret are why people don’t believe in corporate allyship. Medium. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://bettermarketing.pub/brands-like-victorias-secret-are-why-i-don-t-believe-in-corporate-allyship-b23dc1243b86
Maheshwari, S., & Friedman, V. (2021, June 16). Victoria’s secret swaps angels for ‘what women want.’ will they buy it? The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/16/business/victorias-secret-collective-megan-rapinoe.html
Munzenrieder, K. (2018, November 9). Victoria’s secret exec explains why they don’t use trans or plus-size models. W Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.wmagazine.com/story/victorias-secret-fashion-show-ed-razek-comments-trans-plus-size-models
Secret, V. (2022, February 14). Victoria’s Secret Launches the Love Cloud Collection, focusing on a whole new level of comfort. Victoria’s Secret Launches The Love Cloud Collection, Focusing on A Whole New Level of Comfort. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/victorias-secret-launches-the-love-cloud-collection-focusing-on-a-whole-new-level-of-comfort-301481236.html
Votsis, A. (n.d.). Model Rachel Romu is determined to change the way fashion approaches disability. Bay Street Bull. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://baystbull.com/model-rachel-romu-is-determined-to-change-the-way-fashion-approaches-disability/.
SCFDP student researcher Anna Ludmirsky has also written about Canadian supermodel Winnie Harlow here:
The Seneca Canadian Fashion Diversity Project
The Seneca Canadian Fashion Diversity Project is being made possible by a both a grant to fund the student researchers, as well as institutional support for Dr. Mark Joseph O’Connell.