I Wonder

[wlotus]

Perhaps the reason high-profile fashion shows (like New York Fashion Week) feature barely-there women is because the high-profile designers want all of the focus to be on their creations. It is not so much a statement of "thin is beautiful", since a lot of what is displayed is not functional in the normal world, anyway. The "clothes" are more artwork than clothing, but they look far more interesting draped over a human being than draped over a hanger. By the same token, the less person there is to look at, the more you will focus on the clothing. A fashion show is about showing the fashion; it is not, after all, a beauty pageant.

On the other hand, maybe fashion designers are size-ist snobs. After all, why not use that same imagination they use to create non-functional clothing draped over barely-there women and create non-functional clothing that can be draped over women with fuller figures? Many designers create functional clothing, too, and they don't tend to create it for fuller-figured women. Women are beautiful at all sizes.

(That doesn't mean I'd buy most of what they create, even if it came in my size. While my artistic side respects their ability to bring their creative vision to light, their idea of "fashion" makes no sense to me.)

This is what was on my mind when I awoke this morning. I have no idea why, and I have no idea where to go with it from here.

Comments

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I think it's a bit of both (less person/more clothes and sizeist snob.) I wanted to be a model when I was a kid, but was always told "you're too short, fashion models have to be tall and lean so they can display the clothing better."

Still..I guess it's just one more way to make "average" women feel even more left out.

[scream4noreason.livejournal.com]

I always figured it was because most of the designers are gay and dont really know what womens bodies look like, and so they design for what they find attractive which is a man's leaner body type, complete unconsciously.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

That is a VERY interesting hypothesis! I cannot say how true it is, but it makes sense.

[sweet3mich.livejournal.com]

I came to this same revelation a couple years ago and it helped me to dislike runway models less, and appreciate my body more. Fashion *is* an art and the model is simply the canvas. I've actually really developed a love for fashion photography because of my change of thinking too. It's been pretty liberating.

[acoustics1220.livejournal.com]

That's interesting.

I wonder how you came up with that when first waking up. :)

as I see it

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

fashion designers simply live on another planet full of self-perpetuating delusions. Human beings are just another sort of work-related object to them, and, like jargon, those people just keep getting further and further abstracted from the real thing.

Re: as I see it

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

Human beings are just another sort of work-related object to them...

This phrase puts the whole fashion industry into a context I can understand, now. Thank you!