Fashion world eschews shape, size in pursuit of models’ inner beauty, insider says
A model’s size and shape are taking a back seat as the fashion world looks to what lies beneath in what a leading modelling agent says is a seismic shift in the pursuit of beauty.
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Every age has its version of ideal beauty.
In Renaissance Europe, soft, large curves were a sign of beauty, health and prosperity. In Victorian England pale, translucent skin was the beauty goal, signifying a life of luxury spent indoors and out of the sun.
In our own era, what is regarded as beautiful is changing more rapidly. The models who were popular in the 1970s, such as Christie Brinkley and Cheryl Tiegs, would now be encouraged to share more details about their lives in order to build their careers.
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Top agent at New York’s One Management Ariana Cullen said a model’s success is now largely driven by substance, not just what is regarded as perfect symmetry or dimensions. In fact, it feels out of place to even mention sizes because this is a time where character is the new beauty and the modelling industry is embracing it wholeheartedly.
“This has been the most extreme shift I’ve seen and I’ve been working in the industry for 14 years,” Cullen said.
“It’s the most inclusive time and great changes have happened that I believe will continue to grow. I think, and hope, these changes are here to stay.”
The essence of the shift is diversity which ultimately comes from the consumer but the brands are also coming on board. Just as ballet dancers traditionally had to stop dancing at 30 but are now dancing until they’re 40, models aren’t only continuing to work until they’re older, they’re also of various shapes, ethnic backgrounds and, if features such as freckles were once frowned upon they are now as celebrated as Cindy Crawford’s famous mole was in the 1980s.
The freckles that light up the face of top UK model Adwoa Aboah may be beautiful but her mental health activism through Gurls Talk is having as much, if not more, impact.
“I think what’s important now is that customers want people they can aspire to be, but at the same time they want to relate to them,” she said.
“This has become more appealing than the often unachievable beauty that has been displayed so much in the past, or that perhaps the consumer couldn’t relate to due to size, ethnicity or age.
“There’s so much more demand now for models of different sizes, ages and ethnicities than there ever has been before. Also, while the classic look of the 70s and 80s is still very much in demand, people are also more open to edgier, more interesting looking models and are always searching for something new and different.”
Interestingly, much of the edge is coming from Asia with models such as Sohyun Jung from Korea who has shot the Michael Kors, Versace, Givenchy and Alexander Wang campaigns, or with Devon Aioki whose heritage is Japanese, English and German and she just shot the Moschino Fragrance campaign with Steven Meisel, leading the way.
There is the super powerful Ashley Graham, ranked in the industry’s Top 50 Models, who calls for inclusiveness and authenticity, along with Winnie Harlow whose skin condition vitiligo did not for one minute deter Victoria’s Secret from featuring her in their show last November. There is Missy Rayder, Andreja Pejic and Adut Akech who all advocate diversity while the supermodels Helena Christensen and Caroline Murphy are still shooting top campaigns and editorial even though they may be a bit older than most.
There are still classic beauties such as Kaia Gerber, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Joan Smalls or Kendall Jenner but Cullen said the tide has shifted.
“The models from famous families are still popular and Kaia is probably the most in demand model today but they also have a story and that’s important to their appeal,” she said.
“Because of social media, people can really see into these models’ lives and find the truth. That is why clients now want a model who can maybe sing, act or be sporty as well as model without faking something. The Instagram trend in the US has gone from how many followers you have, to being more about the content, the personality and image of the person.
“That’s what they’re connecting to.”
