disabled and domesticated beauties
>> Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Fashion...it seems, is often a reflection of a people and their culture. Each trend is like a snapshot, a moment captured in time. So what are we capturing??? What are we valuing these days?
Lately I'm not feeling how it seems that every model I see has her feet turned in and holds her frame in these really inept positions. Again NEARLY EVERY model I see does this....for example take this shot from forever 21's current outfit showcase
Or take these images from current Armani Exchange and H&M ads (respectively)
In all the shots, the models' legs tend to point inwards. Eerily, its in a way that almost resembles patients with Blount's disease....where there is a growth disorder of the tibia (shin bone) that causes the lower leg to angle inward, resembling a bowleg. Like here:
As seen in my personal favorite, also from forever 21:
There is no way that the girl in the last photo can move from that position and walk forward. Her left leg is completely twisted, yet we call this fly, and value it by showcasing it in advertising.
What is it saying when our culture attributes beauty to women who appear broken and disabled? There is no way that the girl in the last photo could readily move forward from that position. In that sense she's immobile. Not to get too feminist...but is this the media subconsciously sending messages that promote putting the woman back into a place where her beauty is relegated and confined, where she cannot walk and impose on the viewer? Just think, the images you see, are not threatening, in the sense that none of these women are able to readily move and impose upon the viewer. It's as if these are domesticated images, and it bothers me that we think this is cool!! Why?? And furthermore, I don't run across this look in male models. So what is this saying about how we look at women?
6 comments:
i value bald headed skinny dark women . . . .
jkjkjk .
fashion , models anyway , build this archetype look for women and say " this is the standard " , and most women abide by these rules and try just that hard to be the norm .
same goes for men .
I always thought it was supposed to add this sense of innocence because if you notice, there are some children who might stand like that or sway their knee around like that if they are nervous. Who knows?
James, this is true. They probably are trying to go for the "innocent" child like look. However, why is it that "child learning to walk" is sexy? There are some (possibly unintentional) side effects that stem from presenting women in this light. What if your teenage daughter (one day) sees these images and tries to emulate them by standing in the position of the last girl anytime she's not going from point A to point B, in an attempt to look cute? It's scary to think that it could be spreading to our women and future daughters that this image is necessary in some way to look good. And not to pose that there's not room for this look at times, but I think that there should be a limit to it. Why can't we be desirable in the eyes of photographers/marketing directors in a position that's stable and direct? Answer...because it sells and the people want to see this..but why? Is there something in the psyche that likes to see a woman defenseless, or are we just so afraid to move past this constructed idea?
khal...i'd argue that models don't build this look, rather it gets thrust upon them from the outside aka the larger industry. And who is "Fashion" (capital F) anyway but a whole bunch of capitalist execs? (i felt the cynicism there too)
But I digress...the thought of what what some women might go through to attain this look just slightly unsettles me.
thanks for pointing out the implications of the models' poses in their pictures. I never noticed them before. It's sad that so many people internalize standards of attractiveness that are physically, perceptually, or otherwise detrimental. I've probably got some bad beauty biases floating around in my subconscious as well =\
I think that an interesting corollary to your post is the ever present high heeled shoe as the consummate symbol of beauty and sexiness: A device that hinders the individuals ability to stand comfortably, maims the user's ability to walk efficiently/naturally,and cripples the wearer's ability to run. The sexy lady is therefore the lady who cannot depend on her own two feet...
hey sis,
this is nice! really good analysis and i never thought about the poses representing the way we look at women and valuing them as broken and disabled. i'm not sure how you came across my blog but i'm glad you did and in return i found yours! so glad :)
have a great day!
Lauren
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