Project Inner Beauty

Source: imogenmss.tumblr.com via rlarudcjf on Pinterest

I find it interesting that the standard of beauty is still "tall and skinny". Fashion designers continue to try and perpetuate this standard by hiring skinny women for their fashion shows and photo shoots. If you wear plus size clothing, you usually have to shop in a specialty store, and as my friend has exclaimed on more than one occasion, "I can't find anything cute in those stores!" On a side note, nowadays there are plenty of plus size clothing stores online that do carry very cute styles.

Yes, I could blame the fashion industry for continuing to expose us to images of thin, young, air-brushed models. After all, those magazines are right in your face every time you pay for something at the grocery store. However, it's up to each and every one of us not to continue buying those magazines. Keep reminding yourself that these images are just illusions.
Read more...

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. 

Read More...

Last night I watched the Victoria's Secret fashion show on TV - not so much to see the actual fashion - but more to check out the Black Eyed Peas who were the performers of the night.

As I watched the show, however, for a fleeting moment I began to feel those twinges of jealousy.  Why can't I be skinny like those models?  Why can't I live the glamorous life?

I'm not sure where those feelings came from, but I'll be honest and say that those thoughts did run through my mind.  And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Read more...

Perhaps that title is a bit misleading.  I do love the fashion industry.  I worked in the fashion industry for fifteen years and loved helping women find clothes that flatter their bodies. 

However, there are certain aspects of the fashion industry that I completely dislike. 

You may or may not have heard the news that surfaced last week about a former Ralph Lauren model, Filippa Hamilton, who was allegedly fired for being overweight.  Unfortunately, this isn't new news in the modeling world.  Countless women before Filippa have been fired from other fashion houses for not conforming to weight standards. 

Here's a video with more details about Filippa Hamilton's story...

Read more...