I don't know why I'm still so surprised by this photo spread. I really shouldn't expect much from TeenVogue, and I certainly don't, but this really just blew me away.For those of you who haven't yet clicked on the link above and seen said fashion layout, or for those of you who are pregnant or currently taking heart medication, I will graciously provide a summary.
The current fashion layout in this month's TeenVogue magazine shows "daring looks inspired by Olympic athletes' winning style." In the true spirit of lip service, the photos alternate between actual female Olympians and the fashion shots. A small blurb about a female athlete or about women's participation in featured sport accompanies the athlete photo.
The most basic critique I have of the fashion shots is that they all feature the same model. I assumed that it was standard practice to use more than one model, even in a small layout. But I don't (thank god) work in the fashion industry or read fashion magazines, so I don't really know what I'm talking about.
With regards to content, the alternating-picture format couldn't make the difference between healthy and anorexic more obvious. The athletes are incredible; they are thin but have beautifully toned, incredibly muscular bodies. They convey a palpable sense of strength, energy, and grace. This is immediately followed up by static shots of a pale waif in brightly-colored action clothes, with the blatant realization that this girl couldn't endure more than 10 seconds of rigorous physical activity. She is posed at the starting block on a race track in the first shot: tiny body hunched over long, atrophied legs folded like origami. She is frail and capable of running short distances only by virtue of physics.
The other message of the layout is that sports are good and all, but fashion is universal. Why bother devoting all of that time to actually running/swimming/etc when you can just be skinny and look like you're an athlete? Sports are an awful lot of work. Muscles make you look fat.
Even more ridiculously, the sports-inspired fashions are so far removed from their sources that posing the waif in "action shots" further underscores the distinction. The fencing-inspired outfit is my favorite-- the white ensemble resting on vertigo-inspiring platforms isn't even suitable for walking, let alone parrying. Ah, fashion. Who says innocence is lost?
2 comments:
She's probably the only model that didn't die of exhaustion during the photo shoot.
I know! Anorexics should not feel pressured to pass as healthy, strong, athletic women! Trappings don't make the athlete, unfortunately.
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