Recently I was interviewed by the ladies of Broad Topics, an online radio show hosted at LATalkRadio.com. They came across this blog during a search and wanted to talk to me about this blog and share thoughts about beauty as it relates to the fashion industry. The topic of the show was "Inner Beauty" and aired on June 29, 2010. You can listen or download the show from the Broad Topics main page.
One of the things I talked about during the show was the idea of influencing the fashion industry to change its ways. For many years now we've seen skinny models on the runways. Because of this, many women consciously or subconsciously believe that in order to be fashionable or beautiful, they have to be tall and skinny or even blonde and blue-eyed.
Although in recent years we've started to see changes in that some designers are using "plus" size models, there's still more work to be done to get the message across that the actions of the fashion industry does influence people's thoughts about what is and is not beautiful. It's up to us to keep talking about it and sharing our thoughts whether it's via a blog, social networks, or even writing letters to prominent people in the fashion industry.
Several years ago I was a writer and editor of a blog about the fashion industry. As I was doing research for a blog post, I remember reading an article where a designer (I wish I could remember his name) stated that the reason he used models that were skinny and blonde was because "that's what people want to see". Really? How does he know? Did he conduct a poll? I haven't done any surveys myself, but I would hasten to guess that many people are sick and tired of seeing skinny chicks on the runways. Not that I have anything against skinny women (I happen to be one of them)...
What do you think we can do to influence the actions of the fashion industry including fashion magazines/media? Do you think they play a role in how women feel about themselves?
Thanks for writting about this topic. It has been really useful for my global perspectives' project on beauty standards.
I think I read an article too about that dissigner you don't remember. He's Karl Lagerfeld and said that "nobody wants to see a round woman."
I think we should start changing our view towards the concept of beauty before we change the fashion industry. I think that if we do that, then we won't care so much about our looks and focus our attention on what really matters, which is the spiritual beauty in ourselves.
I feel the media and the fashion industry make women feel uncomfortable in their own skin, making them always try to look better without ever reaching full satisfaction.
Regards, Luli