The Beauty of Imperfection
October 2009
Glamour magazine's publication of the image of 20-year model Lizzie Miller last month was, consciously or otherwise, a PR triumph that undoubtedly caused much excitement and controversy. The image depicted the almost nude (tasteful profile), laughing, attractive, confident, plus size model, complete with a noticeable stomach paunch.
The Glamour website, online newspapers, and blogs
from around the world received thousands of comments, the overwhelming
majority of which were wholehearted in their approval. 'It's a photo that
measures all of three by three inches," said Cindi Leive, editor of US Glamour
in a post on the magazine's blog, "but the letters about it started to flood my
inbox literally the day Glamour hit news stands." One person commented "I love
this picture. I was starting to despair of ever seeing real women in magazines
and it made me reassess how I look at myself. I have a similar tummy, which I
hate - but look at her, she's beautiful."
Why was the magazine taken unaware? Approximately 31% of women in the age group
16-24 are classified as overweight or obese. In the age group 55-64
it totals 71%. It is therefore not surprising that a rare and refreshing
picture that showed body fat, rather than and airbrushed mirage where every
blemish has been eliminated, was so favourably received.
I have discussed the image with several women and most have admitted that it more closely resembles them, then the 100's of thin, flawless images that they see on a daily basis. The fact that Lizze is very attractive and oozed body confidence added life giving oxygen to the tiny flame of hope, that all was not lost.
"People don't ever see images like this in magazines," says Miller. "It shows how hungry the world is to see all different body types. On any fashion shoot, there is a whole lot of smoke and mirrors – hair, makeup, lighting, retouching. But this photograph wasn't airbrushed, it was real. That was what people were reacting to."
"I try to make people look good without changing too much," says Stewart Price, chief executive of Digital Retouch. "I remove a smile line here and there, make them look a little younger. You can thin out someone's neck or fix a blemish, whiten teeth, brighten eyes, change hair, drop a few pounds – whatever is not aesthetically pleasing to our eye."
During last months London Fashion week, Mark Fast also broke away from tradition and showcased some items of his collection on size 12 and 14 models. Read Blog. It would be marvellous to see Lizzie and other size 12 plus models at next years event; dressed in something that ordinary women could also slip on. Disappointingly, I think this revolutionary step, where models are shaped and sized like the average women, is several years away.
Taking things a step at a time, in relation to shape and size, I’m happy to see more versatility in the media and on the catwalk,.
Now for the next step.....