Skinny and blonde just doesn’t cut it in the modeling industry anymore. In the world of fashion, diversity and inclusive values continue to rise. Saida Dahir, a writer for the University of Berkeley Political Review, spotlights the change in her article titled “One Size Does Not Fit All: The Rise of Diverse Fashion Models”. According to Dahir, “With the growth of social media, increased discourse about the field of modeling has led to the realization that beauty is subjective.” She goes on to talk about the importance of doing photoshoots with plus-sized, disabled, and hijab-wearing models to promote equal representation in the media. Conclusively, many have praised the recent changes made to the modeling industry, and the attack it makes on conventional beauty.
One of the groundbreaking examples of inclusivity in the fashion world happened just before the pandemic. In the 2019 New York Fashion Week Runway, men and women from minority groups made up 48% of the featured models. That made the event the most diverse of its kind, shocking viewers across the country. The popular runways cracked the status quo for models, stripping the requirements of height, size, and race. As reported by Harper’s Bazaar, a fashion review platform, the spring runways doubled the number of plus-size models from the year before and even featured two pregnant models. Gender diversity starred in the NY Fashion Week event as well, with appearances from 53 transgender models and 25 drag performers.
The change in fashion normalcy calls for trailblazers. And in the realm of fashion designers, Alessandro Michele will be about as unique of a trendsetter as they come. He works for Gucci, and just debuted his new collection titled “Gucci Aria”. The Washington Post Magazine recently published an article titled “We Are All Models Now”, featuring Michele and his stance on diversity in fashion. In it, he states, “I tried to find what would define ordinary beauty. The faces that you see in the film, the beautiful faces of many people you come across in the street, that beauty has its own life.” The article points out the distinctive taste of Gucci, saying that they “embraced the ugly ducklings”, which led to “decisions that influenced other brands to follow this path and to break down barriers.”
The slow but noticeable change in the modeling industry can be seen everywhere. It manifests in the pages of Sports Illustrated, where Halima Aden wears a hijab. Or on the cover of Vogue, where Amanda Gorman stands her ground and Harry Styles dons a flowing gown. Diversity even presents itself in the plus-sized models featured in the online stores of Target and Aerie. And while many believe that the fashion world still has a long way to go before it becomes a true representation of humanity, others remain confident in the fact that a new wave of beauty standards will soon rock the world.
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