Category: Model

This essay will demonstrate and identify how females are represented in the art and design industry. Firstly, concentrating on feminists in the fashion industry and discussing other themes we see within industry. I will base my essay from the 1920’s up to and including contemporary designers of early 21st Century. It will include the four core contextual themes, which follow Practice, Product, Discourse and reflection. The first theme being practice, would involve “The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed theories relating to it”. (Oxford Dictionaries, 2019)

The second theme ‘product’ is explained as “A good, idea, method, information, object or service created as a result of a process and serves a need or satisfies a want”. (Business Dictionary) The next theme Discourse, is defined as “Written or spoken communication or debate, an opinion that is communicated through a person speaking”. (Oxford Dictionaries 2019) The final theme, Reflection is described as “Something that shows, expresses or is a sign of something”. (Cambridge Dictionary, 2019)

This essay will now be looking into how women are perceived in the art and design industry. From a historical perspective, Charles Frederick Worth (The Fashion Historian, 2019) was one of the earliest designers to bring the fashion industry to people’s fingertips. Known for his impressive materials and fabrics, which ultimately made his garments, he was the first person to set the reputation of fashion, as being a great designer. From early 19th century to early 20th century, the beginning of the 20th century was when Coco Chanel introduced womenswear, with a signature skirt suit. From then till now, how we have seen fashion ultimately change.

Introducing the idea of now having fashion figures in our lives, significant developments of how women are perceived in the art and design industry are set. Coco Chanel would be a prime example of a historic designer who sold the idea of clothing standards from an early point in time. As to where we are now in terms of having leading women figures such as Victoria Beckham, who now sets her own standards in this industry. Which consumers can relate to. (Figure one, Coco Chanel signature skirt)

From the first signature skirt, to now having feminist movement acts who wear empowerment clothing, fashion has made influential changes in how we think, feel and perceive women in the art and design industry. An example of fashion, attitudes and empowerment, arose in the 1990’s where we saw the rise of the Spice Girls, who brought about their ideas of having fun, being independent and confident. “The value of female friendship and putting ourselves before men. Permission to be loud, wild, angry and honest”. (The Independent, how the Spice Girls changed feminism, 2019) Society saw a girl group who brought about the importance of empowerment and independence, through clothing and music. Being the earliest group of girls to have this Significant effect of how women should be who they wish to be. (Figure one, The Spice Girls, 1997)

1980’s to early 1990’s fashion model, who set the scene being the first black fashion model, Naomi Campbell is a perfect example of empowerment to all women of race, ethnicity and colour. Naomi would be an example of someone who set the standards back in the day also and is someone who consumers can ultimately aspire to relate too. Interestingly she could be a major influence on the industry of fashion because she was so different for that time period. (Figure one, Naomi Campbell, 1994)

As time has moved on from the 90’s, now consumers see contemporary designers, such as Victoria Beckham, being a prime example of a contemporary fashion designer. Today she leads the way with her own fashion line, Victoria described as “beautiful”, “desirable” and “classy”, (CNBC how Victoria Beckham built her empire, 2018) This was when she was becoming a fashion icon herself, 20 years after starting her showbiz career. Another prime example of a contemporary designer would be Donatella Versace, the Italian fashion designer. She was reported saying “Empowerment doesn’t stop sexism” this current designer believes in showing femininity in its best light, “To be empowered is to look your best, to show femininity”. (MSN Donatella Versace empowerment doesn’t stop sexism, 2018)

We now have significant and influential women in the media who represent what they believe in. The likes of Rihanna, Emma Watson and Jennifer Lawrence, who all share the same values for this major issue which we see occur in everyday lives. Society in general has seen a change in how women are being able to express their voices currently, but still get criticized for what they believe in. We would be hoping to agree we see the greatness of these messages as something which will make an overall positive change, for people who want to embrace what they have to show, now and in the future. (Figure one, image of Rihanna wearing feminist shirt)

Moving into the subject of ‘girl power’, it could be argued to be one of the most controversial topics of this century. Outlets are filled with empowerment clothing which consumers are subjected to, with the use of the most powerful platform known as social media, consumers who buy into this idea, see social media influencers project their opinions to consumers. The use of magazines and visual TV programmes also lead the way with fashion empowerment. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, who have built themselves into role models, are highlighted and showcased in the media as inspirational influencers, agreed or not this is the society which we now live in.

GRL PWR, known for” Girl power” has become one of the most encouraged and celebrated attitudes currently. The likes of celebrities such as Emma Watson, who is significant in the media for her contributions towards equality, said “Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not about a stick with which to beat other women with”. (The Guardian ‘Feminism is about giving women choice’, 2019)

As fashion is seen as one of the most empowering ways for young woman to reflect their style and sense of freedom, it could be something useful and overall a positive act. 2016 saw Dior release a T-shirt with the slogan saying, “WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS”. Creating a certain reaction from public members, designer Maria Grazia Chiuri defended the t-shirt saying. “Honestly, this was not about making money,” she said. “Getting Sidney Toledano (Dior’s CEO) to agree to doing a T-shirt wasn’t easy. ‘Dior is not a T-shirt brand,’ I was told. All the profits have gone to charity.” (Women in the world, 2019)

Another use of how females are represented in the current art and design industry, is the growing industry of fashion catwalk models. Specifically, what was a major highlight in the media was designer Jeremy Scott’s Barbie edition back in 2015. They demonstrated the Barbie persona through their clothing and physical appearance. It may be argued the standards of how models in the 21st should be presented like these models? Brought to our screens using the media, right or wrong as consumers of this type of advertising “fashion” we can be subjected to what beauty is meant to look like through specific model promotion.

Therefore, as a society some people may find this belittling and not a good type of promotion. The use of diversity is something of which is an issue currently, as consumers may agree the use of one type of body shapes and standard physical appearance, is what we see within catwalk models.

As a society are, we then contradicting ourselves to what beauty is meant to be, by only showing one type of body psyche? We are starting to see the collaboration of different body shapes, being celebrated and voiced through media and the use of fashion models. This is just another demonstration of society today, how it has so many different areas of topics within the female industry. (Moschino’s Jeremy Scott, 2015)

The idea of how females have been represented through time within in the art and design world, till now has ultimately changed the way people think. From historical time showing what was acceptable then till now, how females are made to think and feel a certain way about the idea of what is perceived to be “right” within industry. This has all been done through the position of the media, and therefore consumers have been brainwashed through this use of a product. Most importantly it is detrimental as magazines, advertisement and current trends also highlight it.

The era of Coco Chanel back in the 1920’s where the body image was named “The Flapper”, the ideal image then was a small bust and hips. The focus being petite, streamlined and straight. Moving along to the 21st century, projected onto consumers has been unrealistic body expectations and pressure for woman to set a standard in this manipulated society. However, we see the people who speak and act out for what is right and what is wrong, these could be called feminists who reinforce their messages on how we can choose, what to wear, look and be who we wish to be, reinforcing the clothing we see in outlets, to ultimately make a mark.

The next theory which could be mentioned is the idea of the “Male Gaze” this would mean the theory regarding “Sexual objectification on women in the media” (Film inquiry, the male gaze theory, 2019) Women in the media are viewed from the eyes of the man, this means they are represented as an object for the male desire. This would be a huge link back to feminists, as this theory can be viewed in three different ways. Firstly, how women view themselves, how men look at women, and how women look at other women. This theory makes a huge impact on todays society as women may not only have the pressure of being a certain way but also having to look a certain way to be accepted.

The theory came about from Laura Mulvey, who in 1975 wrote the essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. 1970 was the year to witness action which saw “The Miss World Competition’ as the prime example feminist theory. A group of feminists secreted themselves among the audience, after they hurled “hiding leaflets, water-pistols, stink bombs, and bags of flour in their clothes”. (Feminist Film Theorists book)

The competition “is a public celebration of the traditional female road to success”, where women are defined solely by their physical attributes’. (Feminist Film Theorists book) This saw the political campaign which involved “women’s struggle to gain control over their own bodies and how they are represented; the notion of woman as passive spectacle; and the passivity of spectators” (Feminist Film Theorists book) Reinforcing this in todays industry of the media, the “Male Gaze” plays part in how woman feel about themselves, good or bad this can lead to many discussions on what we count as appropriate or what may be seen as men objectifying women in a sexual way.

The impact on the male gaze, means this is correlates in our everyday life. The use of objectification can be seen in advertising which portrays a woman or the female body in a sexualised way. Interesting that situations of this gender are found to be demonstrated in this way, where it has no links to the advertisement or product. This can also be said for the use of makeup or perfume advertisements, where a product is made to come across to a viewer perhaps “sexy” as this is its purpose, but could it be too revealing.

Tom Ford being a prime example of an advertiser who has a certain image within his work. The idea of sexual objectification is clear with what we see and therefore be an issue which still and may never tackled, is the way how women are sexualised. Women are the target for advertisements such as Tom Fords being a high profited business, women are put on a pedestal without choice or voice for this instance.

(MediaWrites, Tom Ford) Maybe smart advertisement but still questionable, as his advertisement can be offensive to a woman and seen as not liberating a woman at all, but instead making her a ‘object’. This is all about sex appeal and this places a woman with many name tags to say. (Figure one image, Tom Ford)

Today we have women leading the way with their beliefs and decisions. The future has never been more female, consumers are taught and learn that they can be, and do anything that they wish to do. Feminism being another word for “equality”, “equality for women” “equality for both genders” “equality in the workplace”, it has a true meaning for this diverse topic, females have a diverse role in the art and design industry from research and for how they stand specifically.

Nollywood model and actress Princess Chidingma didn’t slow down the pace of fashion. Beautiful fashion models lead the fashion trends of curvy women. Princess Chidinma has graceful, beautiful and delicate curves. That’s why she did a great job as a curvy model. Chidinma has different fashion styles. His style is urban and chic. He knows how to express himself in different fashion styles. He has killed more than four different fashion styles.

Princess Chidinma wears different fashionable outfits. Especially suitable for curvy women. He used to wear two-piece suits, jumpsuits, short skirts, and other clothes to kill. As a fashion model, Chidinma is cooperating with different fashion brands. She is modeling for curvy womens fashion. So that you do not miss the type of dress you like. She has curves, radiant skin, and composure. Princess Chidingma has it all. Check out the different Chidinma fashion styles with different outfits. 1. Two pieces When it comes to fashion, Princess Chidinma knows her onions. She is a curvy lady and likes designs that suit curvy women. This beautiful actress is an influential person.

Many people appreciate his style. As a fashion model, she never disappoints. She looks great in two different outfits. Two-piece suits have never looked so good two. Crop top Chidingma is very elegant. She knows how to dress appropriately to accentuate her curves. Most curvy women prefer dresses that highlight their curves. Chidingma is no exception. As a fashion influencer, she knows exactly what most curvy women want. She was wearing an elegant and beautifully designed blouse. Check out some photos of her shaky crop top. 3. Short skirt Chidingma is a beautiful lady. His complexion is very fair. The clothes she wears are very well suited to her skin tone. Many light leather women prefer bold colors. Princess Chidingma is no exception. He likes bold colors like red, green, and purple. She has rocked the different short skirts of the previous colors. They are very nice to her 3.

Monkey Chidingma is a fast growing actress. Although she became popular through acting, this beautiful actress did not leave her first love as a model. You have done a good job combining these two areas. It seems more suitable for the modeling industry. She has these attributes and has performed well on the court. You can see these attributes through the different overalls he wears in the picture below.

The imo-born model and actress is one of the most fashionable actresses in the country. Chidinma just needs to use anything and it will work for her. She doesn’t need to do much. Kill effortlessly. He has nothing to prove because you can see his beautiful photos below. Chidinma’s style is outstanding. She really advocates fashion for curvy women. She is a great fashionista.

The ideal of feminine beauty is the socially built notion that physical attraction is one of the most important assets of women and something that all women should strive to achieve and maintain.That being said, beauty standards are set by the society; unwittingly, many of us tend to judge women’s beauty mainly from their physical appearance. Moreover, the Ideal beauty is an entity admired, or possessed traits attributed to beauty in a particular culture, for perfection. In our own society, and others that are considered well developed, the standards have changed over the years. There was a time in our country, for example, when the standard of beauty for women was a larger body size than it is today. Ninety percent of women and young girls do not feel represented in the fashion industry or media, and the imagery they consume on a daily basis makes them feel disgusting and less than. The movie “Straight/Curve: Redefining Body Image” examines the industries and obstacles responsible for this body image crisis and showcases the dynamic leaders fighting for more diversity of size, race and age. The film lets viewers see the truth behind the beautiful pictures magazines or tv show in the fashion industry, and also how actually affected the women and young girls generation nowadays.

The Straight/Curve provides an empowering look into how to make real change in model magazines or tv show in the fashion industry, due to these changes can have lasting effects on how women and girls see themselves. In the fashion industry, shows and news about celebrities are often doctored and crafted to get a high number of views, so in order to get a numerous views the productions have to carefully in editing create perfect model. However, the perfection of model in the internet affect experience a disconnect between model’s body image and the reality of their shape and size. The bigger the gap between what they think they look like and what they actually look like, the more likely the viewer struggle with a negative body image. This negative perception of themselves can affect our behavior and hold them back from social interaction and feelings of security and happiness. Some want smaller thighs, bigger breasts, or flatter stomachs. Women use celebrities and socialites as their role models. According Cedar Crest College in the movie : “In a time when our students are spending more time with media than ever before, it is crucial that they redefine beauty and reject the unrealistic standards of perfection. Straight/Curve begins this redefinition by taking a critical look at the narrow definition of beauty in the fashion industry.

Viewers will leave this film feeling energized to look at themselves and the mediated world around them differently and the impenetrable fashion industry may also join in critically reassessing its values” (Cedar Crest College). Students are people who are easily affected by negative effects on the internet without awareness about the real social, and it is hard to define the real life totally different from what they see in the internet, following their role model and let that be the women’s goal. It’s not just traditional media that places teens under pressure to be thin and beautiful. Social media issue in the movie perhaps have an even more powerful effect on your teen’s body image. The problem is, a “perfect” body doesn’t really exist, at least not in the way it is defined in the media. Photos are often edited to make models thinner or to enhance their features. So, chasing the “perfect” body can end only in disappointment. This leads to poor self-esteem, which can impact all other aspects of life. As a result the women with an extremely negative body image often become obsessed with parts of their body they dislike. This obsession leads to eating disorders, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders that greatly affect a person’s health and quality of life. The pressure to be thin. Research in the movie has linked the exposure of images of underweight air-brushed female bodies to unhealthy eating habits and decreased self-esteem,so poor body image can lead to even more serious consequences. For instance a 2009 study Overweight status, self-perception found that girls who were unhappy with their appearance were at a significantly higher risk for suicide.( Dhaval Dave)

The norm beauty does not only affect the young girl and women in social, it also create pressure on the model in model magazines or tv show in the fashion industry. “Fashion models are presented to the world as the perfect images of beauty and glamor, the very standard to which every woman should aspire.” (Zainab Salbi). Excessive editing has made the models far different from what they are, perhaps they will receive people’s criticism or cruel comment for their shape, size, colour, height. In the real life, social influence in model magazine refers to the way in which individuals change their body image to meet the demands of a social environment. In the movie, the model appearance-related social pressure plays an important role in the development of a negative body image and self-esteem as well as severe mental disorders during their job. Fashion models indulge in the pressure of public opinion on their appearance that is far from reality. There is perhaps no pressure discussed and scrutinized more than the pressure on models to maintain or lose weight. Many well-known fashion models appear unhealthily thin, and super-skinny models are in high demand from clothing designers, who often feel that having a thin model who won’t fill out the clothes allows for a better presentation and focus on the clothing itself. The pressure for models to keep their sizes down as low as possible can extend to others as well. The modeling industry is often singled out by those concerned with the rates of eating disorders, and the distorted body image many young girls have. Models’ overall looks are constantly under heavy scrutiny. While models of all ethnicities and facial features can be found on the runway and in advertisements, some agencies and designers have specific features in mind, and many models feel pressured to keep a youthful look.

At the end the movie which have a good ending the most I was actually interesting, There’s a whole movement towards curvy-girl confidence and feeling great about the size, shape, and skin colour after they saw their real pictures in prohibition. Being proud of your body is one thing, but being comfortable and confident enough to publicly show that was the satisfied of model big size in the fashion industry. Moreover, the women and young girl in the movie are openly loving their bodies for what they do for them to make they confidence and happy and how they look without the fear of being judged by another. They realize When they take care of themselves, whether their body physically changes or not, their outlook on life is renewed. They are looking through a different lens because they decided to more love themselves .While we all may have our days when we feel awkward or uncomfortable in our bodies, the key to developing positive body image is to recognize and respect our natural shape and learn to overpower those negative thoughts and feelings with positive, affirming, and accepting ones. Although both men and women experience body image issues, women are more likely to admit negative self-perception.

The Straight/Curve have a strong support to motivate people’s awareness about beauty norms, especially the young girls and women have changed the outlook after understanding the real-life fashion industry. The special meaning of the film conveyed theme to all ages, genders, and cultures are equally at risk for body image issues, there are traditionally different triggers and appearance-related pressures depending on one’s gender. The body positive movement is making great strides to promote size diversity, body acceptance, and a healthier body image for all ages, genders, races, abilities, etc. It is important that we continue to embrace body diversity by recognizing all bodies as good bodies.

Citation Works

1. Dave, Dhaval, and Inas Rashad. “Overweight Status, Self-Perception, and Suicidal Behaviors among Adolescents.” Social Science & Medicine, Pergamon, 18 Mar. 2009, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953609001038?via=ihub.
2. “Straight/Curve: Redefining Body Image.” RoCo Films Educational, http://www.rocoeducational.com/straight_curve.
3. “Ex-Fashion Model Opens up about the Dark Side of the Modeling Industry.” Ex-Fashion Model Opens up about the Dark Side of the Modeling Industry – Women in the World,https://womenintheworld.com/2017/12/19/ex-fashion-model-opens-up-about-the-dark-side-of-the-modeling-industry/.

The modeling business is a great exponentially growing industry that showcases beautiful people and the exciting new trends out in fashion. The modeling industry shows the younger generation what is considered the norm and what it takes to be ‘perfect”. The girls are shown that being skinny, having clear skin, and having a good body makes us perfect while the norm for guys is shown by having clear skin, being muscular, and tall.

Within the modeling industry, the idea of being perfect has always been put on a pedestal. However, people don’t understand that the idea of perfection comes with negative consequences, especially in the modeling business. The concept of perfection has dangerous side effects that our society seems to continue to ignore because it is seen as the new norm. Models are put through rigorous life changes such as dieting, intense workouts, and the pressure of having the whole world see you (Treasure). Many models are losing their lives trying to uphold these new ridiculous standards. Models are suffering from eating disorders because of their intense diets but the modeling industry continues to overlook these tragic incidents and covers them up while women are suffering from heart failure due to malnutrition. Models continue to put themselves through all this hardship because their careers solely depend on appearances which leads them to obsess about their bodies.

These models, male and female, have a worldwide platform where they are shown publicly every day. They are being looked up to by younger generations, but with the string of tragic incidents, the platform these models hold should be continued with caution. Studies connecting the idea of thin-obsessed media utilization to weaken results for ladies have pervaded the medicinal writing for a considerable length of time (Meyers). The insane amount of pressure models face to sacrifice their wellbeing for their careers is maybe much more upsetting. These nerve-racking issues are side effects of the ‘thin ideal,’ the social standard praising a female body type so slender, it is unattainable for the majority of women. Regardless of the reasonable damage forced by the ‘thin ideal,’ the United States has done little to battle its impact on the working states of fashion models and one’s general wellbeing all the more by and large. This indicates that the United States modeling industry nowadays motivates to improve its practices. Hence, the United States ought to pursue the lead of other significant players in the modeling industry and ought to boost its style industry individuals to maintain a strategic distance from customers that negatively result in insanely thin models (Meyers).

The ‘thin ideal’ is the socially built idea of a perfect female body so meager that it is unattainable for most ladies forces an assortment of physical and psychological wellness consequences for individuals in our society. Damages forced by the ‘thin ideal’ essentially incorporate negative outlook of one’s body image, negative dispositions, low confidence, despondency, dietary issues, and suicide. Agents, agencies, and fashion designers require most of the models to keep up an inconceivably thin physique, which regularly prompts dietary problems and has even prompted various tragic deaths in the industry (Treasure). Constrains put on models to keep up a horribly low body weight have a two-overlay sway. To begin with, these weights legitimately sway the models’ wellbeing. An ongoing study of models discovered that 62 percent of the respondents were asked by their organizations to lose weight inside the previous year (Meyers). Likewise, one can deduce that as to accomplish these objectives, models take extraordinary extreme methods that can take a toll on their bodies and their psychological well-being. A few models may have the capacity to accomplish the outrageous body weight required by their organizations through a blend of hereditary qualities, a sound diet, and exercise (Meyers). However, there is proof that many starts to lean towards solving their weight requirement through dietary problems, unhealthy eating habits, or substance abuse to get thinner, all of which negatively affect the models’ physical and psychological well-being (Meyers). The younger generation that looks up to these models start to live their lives to the modeling industry’s standards because it is seen as something normal because society has normalized it. As women see pictures of very thin models, their self-perception may be affected in the end. Their poor self-perception can form into a dangerous life-changing dietary issue (Treasure).