Cindy Crawford Honors Gianni Versace, A True Lover Of Lady Boss, Smart Sensuality Women

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Cindy Crawford Honors Gianni Versace, A True Lover Of Lady Boss, Smart Sensuality Women

Supermodel Cindy Crawford is styled by Karla Welch in 'Versace, Versace, Versace', lensed by Carter Smith for InStyle Magazine March 2018.

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It has long been my contention that the mostly male designers, coupled with women editors, male photographers and male-dominated business interests felt a strong need to metaphorically cut the original supermodels down to size. These women were size 4-6 US Amazonian women who were powerful, sexual and exuded a confidence that the catwalk had never seen. At the time 25% of notoriously overweight American women could achieve a supermodel body with exercise and healthy eating. In recent years, the percentage is 6. 

Twenty-five years after the second wave of feminism culminated in a fiery display of supermodel prowess  -- accused photographer David Bellemere, who seemed to agree with white nationalist Steve Bannon that feminism will destroy 10,000 years of civilization -- broke new ground last week, arguing 50-years later that feminism threatens to pull Western civilization back to the Dark Ages. I do not exaggerate.  

Interviewed in 1990 about the ways in which she and a few other models were calling the shots and changing the game, Linda Evangelista made her infamous, regrettable, sarcastic waking up for 10,000 dollar-bills comment. Still, the spirit of her comment was true. The supers didn't get bossed around much. I doubt that stylists were ever accused of ripping off panties without permission with that 90's goddesses posse. 

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Gianni Versace celebrated strong, Amazonian women whose obvious sensuality was part of their glorious DNA. He was not afraid of female power and influence. In this era of #MeToo, the question of why the fashion industry supported a takedown of the original supermodels is worth considering again. The main argument is that the pendulum of change swung in the direction of the equally wonderful Kate Moss and heroin chic. Change is good, the industry argues. End of the conversation.

It's not at all clear that the fashion industry is as on fire with #MeToo as Hollywood is. How many fashion industry people agree with David Bellemere that #MeToo is taking our celestial, pinnacle-reaching, male-dominated civilization back to the Dark Ages? Exactly why the fashion industry is so far behind Hollywood in embracing #MeToo issues is a question worth asking. What is the industry's relationship with powerful women, whether they are models or brand managers? ~ Anne

 

Eye: LVMH & Kering Issue Joint Statement Banning Too Thin, Too Young Models

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Eye: LVMH & Kering Issue Joint Statement Banning Too Thin, Too Young Models

French luxury titans LVMH and Kering issued a joint statement on Wednesday, announcing their intention to curb use of ultra-thin -- typically called size 0 -- models on runways and in ad campaigns,writes Bloomberg. 

The Paris-based companies said they’d implement stricter guidelines for the treatment of models, including increasing minimum garment sizes for fashion shows as well as requiring them to have medical certificates attesting to their good health. Models below the age of 16 will be banned from showing grown-up fashions, while those ages 16 to 18 will need to be chaperoned, the companies said in a joint statement Wednesday.

“Certain subjects rise above any competition,” Antoine Arnault, chief executive officer of LVMH-owned shoemaker Berluti and eldest son of group chairman Bernard Arnault, said in an interview. “There have been problems in all houses with the way fashion models work, with their well-being and even their psychological safety. A lot of the models are very young, and they don’t have the necessary experience to cope with certain situations. They will be looked after.”

The joint strategy between the two conglomerates -- a decision that impacts luxury brands including LVMH's Louis Vuitton, Dior, Celine, Givenchy and more and Kering's Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Bottega Veneta and more- reflects growing concern over teenage eating disorders. 

I cannot believe this is happening, eight years after Ralph Lauren fired Filippa Hamilton for being too fat -- as a size 4 -- and the downsizing of models worldwide became a bitter fight in fashion. When I said yesterday on FB that I would be returning to this debate in my writing, I had no idea this move by two corporate giants in fashion was about to be announced.

The world of social media is so much more influential now, than eight years ago. When model Ulrikke Hoyer made waves in May 2017, after arriving in Kyoto to be told that she was "too bloated" and "too big" to wear the clothes and should only drink water for 24 hrs., Ulrikke went public and told her followers about the event, shared on Models.com. 

France Debates New Fashion Model BMI Laws & Pro-Ana Websites

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France Debates New Fashion Model BMI Laws & Pro-Ana Websites

Takedown Of The Supermodels

What the fashion industry has never explained is the reasons why the world’s top models in the late 80s and into the 90s were size 4-6. AOC has written about the topic of size 0 models for years. The downsizing of supermodels like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and all the glory girls to today’s size 0 and smaller has never explained.

The closest the industry comes is to acknowledging that their embrace of Kate Moss’ ‘heroin chic’ look, one popularized in the mid-1990s, did make vibrant, healthy-looking girls like Crawford and company suddenly undesirable.

In May 1997 President Bill Clinton accused the US fashion industry of portraying heroin use, coupled with emaciated models, androgynous looks and dark circles under their eyes, as glamorous to sell clothes

The glorification of heroin is not creative, it’s destructive,” Clinton said. “It’s not beautiful, it is ugly. And this is not about art, it’s about life and death.

Clinton’s remarks were prompted by the recent death of DavideSorrenti, brother of Mario, who died of a heroin overdose at the age of 20. In a note of irony, Mario photographed Kate Moss, his girlfriend at the time, in the Calvin Klein ‘heroin chic’ Obsession campaign.

Does Fashion Industry Promote Anorexia? So Models Eat Tissue Paper To Stay Thin?

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Does Fashion Industry Promote Anorexia? So Models Eat Tissue Paper To Stay Thin?

The Vogue Factor

In her new book ‘The Vogue Factor’, fired model as editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia Kirstie Clements writes that models eat tissues to stay full but thin. Indeed, she says that models eat zero calorie paper to maintain their industry-preferred physiques.