The body image issue is a big deal, and is often talked about in blogs and other media sites, especially around Fashion Week. Regardless of the product being sold, the models used are all tall, slim and beautiful. However, more recently, many have been advocating for models that “look more like the average end user of the product being marketed,” or, at least, be a little larger than the current 6-foot-less-than-100 pound-15 year 0ld look. I recently found a post over at another blog, where Vitra, who runs an online lingerie shop for smaller women, was asking whether she should use “standard” models (who probably wear a C cup bra) or her own A cup models.
Vitra, who runs the Itsy Bitsy Bra Bar, sells smaller sized lingerie targeting women with small frames. However, many of the images she uses are general pictures used by other companies as well. As a matter of fact, all of the models are on the larger side compared to her customers. She has now decided to test out smaller models by using her 5’0″ 90-something lb, A-cup friend. After all, companies which sell bras to larger-sized women generally use models who are bigger.
Itsy Bitsy Bra Bar’s decision to try out models who are closer to the customer’s size is a good thing – it’s a welcome change to see someone who isn’t larger-chested as a spokesmodel for lingerie. But will the public agree with that? So far, most people who’ve replied to her post have been positive (though some have suggested that she use a professional photographer). However, that’s only people who frequent a very niche blog. The general public may not think so. Many people feel that we have been trained to see certain looks as being “attractive,” and a very petite model with A-cup breasts just doesn’t fit the description. These naysayers feel that people won’t buy products which use models that don’t fit the “ideal.” Even “plus sized” models are generally tall, proportionate women who just happen to be around size 12. In fact, they proportionately resemble a 5’4″ or 5’5″ woman who is about a size 6 or 8. Petite models only exist in the very few petite-only lines.
What do you think? Would you purchase clothing if the model didn’t “look” like a model? Is it a turn-off if the model looks more like the customer?
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Personally, I’ve always thought it should be common sense to use models that resemble the customer you are selling to. For those that think you have to conform in order to sell I simply say open your mind! The only reason we don’t see models that resemble the market for the customer is because no one takes a stand and says “I’m going to be different. I’m going to use models that represent my target customer.”
Even in our agency we promote models to clients based on what their target customer looks like and not solely on who has a desireable “look.” In this way we set ourselves apart from other agencies and it let’s our clients know we have their best interest at heart which is to attract more customers and get more sales. I say hats off to Itsy Bitsy Bra Bar!…and maybe they will use some of our models one day!
Thanks for the note, Michael! I’m glad your agency promotes models of different sizes. Why do you think other places don’t?
It never ceases to amaze me how myopic the fashion industry is. The fact that they think all consumers live by the adage, “you can never be too rich or too thin” is sheer insanity in 2009. Every few years the issue of “are models too thin?” comes up, with magazines like Cosmopolitan decrying the status quo for models in the industry. Yet these same magazines have no qualms about taking advertising dollars to display and glorify the very imbalance these articles address. You simply cannot have it both ways. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution.
In the States the average body size is a far, far cry from a size 6 or 8, or even a ten for that matter these days. Granted there is an obesity crisis in America (though far less so here in Canada) but the “average” size the fashion industry wants us to believe in hasn’t been representative of the consumer market for a very long time (if ever). As a size 16 I’ve pretty much given up on most clothing stores; you’ll be hard pressed to find sizes above 12/14 in Gap and forget most other chains. Only “plus size” stores which are still considered “specialty clothing” can accommodate 16+ (heaven help you if you fall between 12-16 though). I’ve long ago switched my brain off to traditional “fashion” because even if I wanted to pay $250 on a skirt they will never have designer clothes for my current size (I’ve run the gamut from 4-24) and if they did the cut is always off since it’s obvious most designers have no idea how to manufacture clothing for either end of the spectrum.
The very sad thing is that even the death of models and anorexic/bulimic consumers isn’t enough to wake the industry up. Model diets of cigarettes, water and heroine are acceptable norms over displaying healthy bodies at all sizes. What does that say about our culture in North America and more so about the true concern for consumers over dollars? Yes, every business person does what they do to make a profit, but profit w/out consequence is what has lead the world into the economic decline we have today.
As for Itsy Bitys Bra Bra? Of course she should use models that represent her core consumer! First off it’s misleading not to since a bar designed for a smaller busted woman will not wear the same as on a large busted woman. There’s nothing worse than getting excited about an article of clothing (and most any other consumer product) only to find that when you try it on it looks nothing like the pictures. Remember “Sea Monkeys”? That was rarely a repeat purchase item because they *never* looked like the illustration! Perhaps an odd analogy but I think you get the picture.
Secondly it’s hypocritical not to use smaller busted models since it sends a mixed message: “Yes, I love what I do/create and love small busted women, just not enough to use them to model my merchandise made just for them to begin with”.
Is it important to produce high quality sales shots to sell product? In this day in age, absolutely and any retailer would be a fool not to do so. Though the quality of the shots (lighting, staging, photographer skill) is essential, it all goes hand in hand with conveying a true message about your product. What makes your product unique, why your bra vs. Victoria’s Secret, your boutique vs. The Bay? It’s fine to play along if you’re selling what everyone else is selling, but if you truly are unique then convention should have nothing to do with your marketing; setting yourself apart from the heard should.
Cynthia,
I’m looking forward to Michael’s reply. Until then I’ll share this… In the New York market I was unable to get what would be considered “Caucasian” voice over auditions; even though I have the most laughable “Urban/Black” sounding voice. For me it’s character acting and not at all close to how I speak on a regualr day. When I begged agents to send me out on non-ethnic auditions they would say “oh, sure, of course” but it never happened. As soon as I would walk into the casting office and see a sea of brown faces I knew that was that. I bought dialect tapes, practiced “sounding black” but it’s not my style, it’s not me and never stuck.
When I would ask agents why they couldn’t just send me anyway into a read that wasn’t urban/African American/etc. they said they didn’t want to risk the wrath of the casting agents (their bread and butter really). That as soon as I walked into the room the phone would be ringing off the hook and fur would fly.
It’s that way even now, in 2009, in one of the most cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse cities in North America. It’s depressing really that what the ad/fashion/media industries, feel is “correct” and a representation of reality is anything but that.
Marketing is a wonderful tool that can be used for ill or good gain; when done right it shows off the best aspects of a company/product and when done wrong it offends a deep, quiet part of us that knows when something isn’t ringing true. It can be very subtle and can make or break a brand. The big houses of fashion don’t need to care about this (or the “common” woman/man) since they pander to a rich, insecure audience that would rather starve/scalple itself thin then live in healthy, normal bodies of proportionate weight.
Hmm, to be honest – Fashion itself, like all the avant-garde thing is a show. A fashion show – is a show, obviously – and they want models that are thin and tall simply because the clothing can be seen better. It’s usually shape-less, almost, which…honestly? gets you to look at the design, rather than at the model. I almost never look at models, I’m interested in what they’re wearing. If you have a non-standard sized model – that’s already someone with boobs and ass for example. Well, who’s gonna be looking at a piece of clothing when half the people in the room are either jealous of her or want to take those clothes off her, lol. Or you can have a totally normal girl, out of shape may I add, a gown that’s too long probably..walking down the runway…oi!
No. I don’t. I come to see a show, I see regular people every day. Do a lot of regular people even care about fashion? THey buy things…yes…do they care about fashion, what’s a la mode today? I don’t know. So why put them on the runway?
For a niche brand…perhaps someone that is healthy-looking, athletic (ish) would do a good job at modelling it.
Or by non-standard sized you meant people that aren’t tall? well, that’s actually been used already by designers. i.e. Sodaliscious brand uses models that are (minimum) 5’7, but not much taller than that either. So there. They still look like models.
But as for…whether I’d buy it from a model? Well, a model is only…modelling a piece of clothing. Showing it off, that is, and a designer is trying to make it look as GOOD as possible. So they need to use the conventional beauty standards. Plus, ever seen a normal, even thin looking person up on stage? They actually look pretty big. I don’t know why, maybe it’s all the lighting. So same with models. They look fine (apart from a few disgusting anorexic ones).
In any way, in stores you have mannequins with perfect figures and people by from them even faster. People want to look like something they see, which isn’t the worst thing to strive for. When it comes to looks, I’d much rather my kids worked on themselves and looked good than ‘accepted’ themselves in a size 8 or 12. It’s not even healthy.
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non-standard usually means niche brands, you know, like plus, petite and petite-plus. There are designers who focus specifically on petite designs already (different from Sodaliscious – these designs are actually cut to fit a shorter figure and generally use models who’re truly petite (usually on the taller side to slightly above, I think….you know, around 5’4″ or 5’5″….some go down to 5’2″…)) and ones who do plus as well.
As for seeing models who’re not skinny, did you go to Cheri Milaney’s show during LG Fashion Week? I thought they looked AMAZING and probably did as good a job (if not, a better job) than any of the “regular” models. What a lot of people don’t seem to get is that we aren’t talking about a 35 year old, slightly chubby woman (say, 5’5″ and a size 10) who’s had two kids. We’re talking about a well-proportioned woman who isn’t 15 years old and a size 00 at 5’10″. The only reason why most runway models are that small is because they’re really young. However, a lot of the clothes they’re marketing are really for a twenty-something to thirty-something crowd. Most of these women, unless they’re fairly short like me, are probably closer to size 6 or 8 than 00.
Umm, yeah
I worked with Sodaliscious designer Cindy and I assure you, that is NOT what he designs are cut out for.
Also, it’s true that most people aren’t size zero, in fact when you see a size zero model in real life – screaming anorexic, but like I said before – on stage everything looks bigger. So you have someone size 6 – they’ll look size 8 for sure.
Seen that happen with all kinds of performers. It’s the angle of view, the lighting etc.
it’s a show.
And no, I haven’t seen Chery Milaney’s designs at LG, but I did look through her collection just now on her website… yeah. No. Those women look like they’re size 10. The first reaction – I don’t like it, at all!. Only then did I look at the clothes/designs only, but the designs are certainly not for me. They feel too old, certainly not for 20s and 30s ages, more like…40s-50s-60s. Maybe that’s why she used models that she did?…
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Right, but it doesn’t mean that one *HAS* to use very skinny models |(or larger models, or whatever)…it’s just that we’re trained to see things a certain way. It’s like watching movies from the 1950s and thinking that the actors look flabby because we’re now used to toned bodies (if you don’t believe me, watch any beach movie). Also, I don’t quite understand your comment on Cindy’s clothes. Who aren’t her designs cut for? People like me (5’2″, approx 95 lb, probably considered a 0 by most mainstream brands and proportionate for my height (see this video if you want to know what I look like)) or larger women?
As for Cheri Milaney, I don’t necessarily think her stuff is for a more mature crowd. There are pieces which will work well on younger women. It’s all about mixing things up. I don’t claim to be a funky girl, but your reply pretty much implies that one who doesn’t wear what YOU call stylish clothes that are IN THE NOW doesn’t have fashion sense. I actually got A LOT of that when I was at Fashion Week, and I think that’s kind of sad.
In any case, what kind of models should non-standard size designers use? Not everyone is Cindy Mathieu, and I really think that these designers deserve the same kind of attention so-called mainstream designers get, don’t you?