Model : Myla Dalbesio Photo: Calvin Klein
When I woke up this morning the Facebook newsfeed was on fire with this topic.
This is Calvin Klein's latest campaign using Myla Dalbesio, a model that is a size 10. (Almost plus-sized apparently - yes really). Obviously she's not, but she's not a size zero either. The idea that they're going against the norm is one thing, but that this incredible looking girl is considered 'larger' is causing a fire storm and so it should.
When I was modelling this subject came up again and again, either I had to really gain weight in order to work or seriously shed the pounds in order to squeeze into those jeans that were just that few extra sandwiches too small. In the end being 'in the middle' made my job very difficult and it was an odd sensation to be declared too big in one casting only to then be too skinny in the next.
And the people who were doing the casting or the stylists? They weren't ideal images of the human body themselves, they had just as many lumps and bumps and greasy hair as the rest of us, but their job wasn't to stand in front of the camera. And so there my argument ends.
Sort of.
Now that we have our own clothing company and essentially are the ones 'casting' it's amazing how the tables turned. Our first instinct was to want our images to look the same as everyone else's. But neither Carrie nor I fit that target market anymore and we had to stop ourselves mid 'sell out' to question what we are perpetuating. We were going to use people in our own clothes who didn't even represent the people who would wear them.
We have always used NORMAL models (people) in our shoots. Please note, nothing plus sized or zero sized - just a person, whatever size they happen to be. But from now on we are making more changes. If they are wearing a size 'large' top then we will be saying so. That way when you look at the image you have a reference point. Isn't that the idea behind a 'model' anyway? I'm not sure when the job description changed to 'you will be expected to be perfect and then you will be photoshopped to resemble something that neither you nor anyone can live up to'.
This industry has got to take responsibility for itself. I don't need to only see a size 22 or a size 2, because I am neither of those. It's not that those people should not be represented - they should, because they exist - but what about the middle? What about the ones who just can't wear crop tops anymore but can still run a few miles every week? How can they be ignored? And they have been. But not by the 'health industry' it seems. While we're feeling bad in changing rooms everywhere we are also the perfect target market for that multibillion dollar lie called Diets. Why make those people feel normal? God forbid they don't feel bad about themselves anymore and stop taking our pills.
There are a few brilliant changes going on in the fashion industry - one of which is the rise of the 'classic division' of the modelling world. Where models of all ages are being signed up and working at an increasing rate. Now 26 is no longer a cut off and 66 is looking incredible. A new modelling agency in London, Mrs Robinson Management is leading the way in that.
Sarah W at Mrs Robinson Management.
I'd like to see the same happen with body sizes, where size labels are reference points not appraisals. Having girls of all sizes and all ages represented without making it a huge issue will stop making it such a huge issue for the woman who they represent. It's not nice to feel like an outsider when you are just your age in your body. Perhaps this debate is a the turning point, we have certainly made that turn here at Mindful Apparel.
I think Myla herself should have the last word in this:
"I love that after working in the fashion industry for nine years, I have finally found my place, right in the middle. Neither plus, nor straight size, I love that I can be recognized for what I am, a healthy size 10.
I love that as the conversation on the internet explodes and brings greater awareness, I am receiving emails from 15 year-old girls, telling me that I have given them hope and that sharing my story has made them feel less freakish, less weird, and that they can accept their size 8 or 10 frame.
I love that I get to be a part of this conversation, about size and body image and that I get to represent a brand like Calvin Klein. They didn't introduce this campaign for shock value, they simply included what some would refer to as a "normal size" girl in their advertising, right next to other girls of varying sizes and shapes.
I love that by opening this discussion, I can also (hopefully) open some doors for other models, friends of mine, that have always straddled the line between straight size and plus. True body diversity doesn't mean only sizes 0's and 2's then jumping to size 16 and up. There is a middle ground."
x Jo