ModCloth lead the way with swimsuit shoot for ‘every body’
WHILE celebrities bicker on Twitter about the state of the modelling industry and whether we should be using the term ‘plus size’, this retailer have taken matters into their own hands.
WHILE celebrities and media identities bicker on Twitter about the state of the modelling industry and whether we should be using the term plus size, an American retailer have taken matters into their own hands.
As a response to Sports Illustrated magazine featuring “plus-size models” in their Swimsuit Edition, online fashion and accessories retailer ModCloth decided to run a swimsuit campaign for “every body” in a bid to show “an actual spectrum of stunning shapes, silhouettes, and sizes.”
“A few days ago, Sports Illustrated was getting a whole lotta press for ‘featuring’ a plus size model in its latest issue,” ModCloth blogger Natalie wrote.
“Late yesterday, however, it was revealed that the stunning Robyn Lawley, whose measurements do not fall within the typical size 0-2 range, is being featured. We admit that it’s a step in the right direction … but we really wish it was more.”
Sports Illustrated gives a nod to body inclusivity. At ModCloth, we give it all we've got: http://t.co/ZK8qFItcqe pic.twitter.com/micdqZ2Kv3
— ModCloth (@ModCloth) February 6, 2015While ModCloth often feature women of all different shapes and sizes on their site, this time they turned to their own staff for the swimsuit spread. Even ModCloth’s co-founder Susan Gregg Koger (she’s the short haired woman) joined the shoot, which will run across the website and on their blog.
“Being on the larger side of plus-size, I was really excited about this opportunity,” Ingrid Taller, ModCloth employee and now swimsuit star told The Huffington Post.
“I’m an apple shape, which is not something I see everyday in the media. I know it takes a lot of courage to get in front of a camera in general, but to get in front of one knowing that not a lot of people have represented your body before is really exciting,” she said.
Fellow model/ModCloth staffer Domonique told Brit+Co that “I hope [other women] look at it and can see themselves in the pictures in the campaign. Instead of saying ‘Hey, that looks like something I wish I could put on,’ they could be like “I can wear this. This girl looks like me. I can do this too.”
This swimsuit campaign follows ModCloth’s decision mid-last year sign The Heroes Pledge For Advertisers anti-airbrushing petition, which aims to “do our best not to change the shape, size, proportion, colour and/or remove/enhance the physical features, of the people in our ads in post-production.”
“As consumers, we’ve all had experiences with — and been affected by — Photoshopped images in the fashion industry,” ModCloth said at the time.
“As a company, we certainly feel frustrated by overly Photoshopped advertisements. We have agreed to label images of models who have been materially Photoshopped because that’s what we all deserve — to know the truth!”
To see more of ModCloth’s campaign head to their blog or join the conversation using the #fashiontruth hashtag on Twitter.