I hear you, I understand how skinnier may be easier to photograph, and easier to work with from a technical side. It must be me, 'cause this week I've all but slobbered over Sheri Sheppard on her show (the Sister loves sweaters), Sofia Vergara (do they intentionally dress her in clothes that are crying "too tight!"?) It's just for me, when I say a shapely voluptuous woman modeling clothes, I'm far more attracted to her and the clothing than when it's a skinny woman. Guess it's my time, culture, and place of upbringing. Indeed, Phyllis will tell you that I often look at women modeling clothing on TV or and mags and say "That dress would like a lot better on a woman who isn't so thin".
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 2:01:14 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] OT: Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? Keith it is true about skinner photographing better. Particularly for photographing clothes. It is probably easier to get a sellable shot with a thin model than a normal sized person or a larger person. That is not putting down the other folks,. you are seeking unnatural circumstances to sell a lie. After working in that industry, I almost never by clothes from catalogs, because I do not know how the outfit really looks on. It does not even usually look good on the skinny model without all the pins in most cases. If you think about it, candid photos to not always show the person looking as good as they do in person, because the camera often distorts. That being said, there is a limit on how skinny you should go. Also, just because skinnier is easier to shoot, it does not mean you should also opt to shoot skinny. Most actresses and actors are not as skinny as models and they work to photograph them in flattering ways. There are ways to work the camera. You have to do it for all sizes of people, so going to the extremes these “trend setters” have opted for is close to criminal in my mind. From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 8:53 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? Funny thing, i was listening to an interview with Beverly Johnson on NPR's "Tell Me More" recently. It was the anniversary of her breakthrough appearance on the cover of Vogue. Johnson has a daughter who's a plus-sized model, and wholeheartedly supports her. Yet in the same interview she said "The main fashion industry likes slimmer woman, because I'm sorry, clothes just look better on slim women". ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 10:41:59 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? Real men like curves. This sounds extremely homophobic but, most of the guys that do fashion like boys so I think it comes out subconsciously in their model choices. You choose what is attractive to you. So often they pick models that are completely featureless. This has been more apparent when you compare models of 20 years ago to the super skinny ones today. For example, Christie Brinkley, or Beverly Johnson would probably be considered too fat and too pretty now. (depending on which part of the world it is.) On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 5:44 PM, Tracey de Morsella < tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com > wrote: Here something weird, I was 115 at 5’7’ for years when I modeled back in the day. I attracted guys, but not that much—unless I had my makeup articles, and hair stylist on hand, which was not often J . I quit modeling and over the years I gained until I I was about 135 – 140. I thought I was fat, but guys started stopping me on the street and trying to get my attention. I very odd experience. Something is definitively wrong. Guys like that monster Lagerfeld, should not be defining female beauty From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Adrianne Brennan Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 5:21 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? Okay, I'm going to give some stats here for a sake of comparison. At 5'4" at 120 lbs, I wear a size 2--size 0 in some clothing if the hips run loose because my waist is significantly smaller than my hips. I am also rather small-boned. For someone at 5'10" to be "too fat" at 120 is fucking insane. I actually will deliberately gain weight if I go below 120 because at that point I start to look unhealthy. At my height, 5 lbs goes a LONG way. ~ "Where love and magic meet" ~ http://www.adriannebrennan.com Experience the magic of the Dark Moon series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#darkmoon Dare to take The Oath in this erotic fantasy series: http://www.adriannebrennan.com/books.html#the_oath The future of psychic sex - Dawn of the Seraphs (m/m): http://www.adriannebrennan.com/dawnoftheseraphs.html On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 7:21 PM, Keith Johnson < keithbjohn...@comcast.net > wrote: I don't know what's more disturbing: that they think this model in her current true form is overweight, or that anyone in any country in the world thought that doctored photo of her was either realistic or attractive. I have tried over and over to understand the American obsession with thin models and actresses. My wife always explains to me that clothing looks better when hung on a thin frame, since designers feel a woman's curves detract from the dress, and a thin woman's body doesn't do that. (she doesn't agree with the philosophy, but understands it). Assuming I bought that--I don't--why then do even actresses, who ostensibly aren't modeling clothing, get told to lose weight? Why are so many makeup models thin when all we should be looking at are their faces (the Queen Latifah's of the world notwithstanding) As a black man over 40, raised to think a good body was represented by the likes of Nichele Nichols, Chaka Khan, Pam Grier, Sophia Loren, or Racquel Welch, i guess I'll never understand how "voluptuous" can either be a dirty word, or applied to someone as relatively slim as Cindy Crawford or Claudia Schiffer. I do know it must be crazy to be a woman trying to survive in the fashion or movie industries as long as this skewed view of beauty persists. No wonder so many models are anorexic and addicted to amphetamines! Remember back when TV Guide grafted Oprah Winfrey's head onto Ann Margaret's body? Man, do we ever see anyone as they really are anymore? ************************************** http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/was-the-photoshopped-ralph-lauren-model-fired-for-being-overweight-525248/ Was the photoshopped Ralph Lauren model fired for being overweight? photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com Last week Ralph Lauren came under fire for (what looked to be) an extremely altered photo of a model in one of its ads. Bloggers at the website BoingBoing.net posted the image online, and lawyers for Ralph Lauren attempted to sue them for copyright infringement. Unfortunately for Ralph Lauren, this only furthered public interest and outrage over the dangerously thin looking model and, eventually, the clothing company released this apology: "For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman's body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately." Unfortunately,"addressing the problem" may have included firing the model, 23-year-old Filippa Hamilton. She is 5'10" and weighs 120 pounds--clearly more full-bodied than the photoshopped girl we see in the advertisement. Though Hamilton has modeled for Ralph Lauren since she was 15, the company let her go "as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us." But the story gets worse: Hamilton says she was let go because she'd become too fat to model for them. "They fired me because they said I was overweight and I couldn't fit in their clothes anymore," she explained. "I was shocked to see that super skinny girl with my face...It's very sad, I think, that Ralph Lauren could do something like that." Filippa Hamilton in a past Ralph Lauren ad Filippa Hamilton in a past Ralph Lauren ad Most of us know that a tall, young woman who weighs 120 pounds is not overweight. But Hamilton claims Ralph Lauren was dissatisfied with her body, and therefore fired her six months ago. However, the company continued to use her image, whittling down her arms, waist, thighs, and possibly several other body parts in the above ad. If they were so unhappy with how she looked, why not get another model for the campaign? Why use the photos and alter and distort them? Today, Ralph Lauren himself is distancing himself from the ad, claiming, "The image in question was mistakenly released and used in a department store in Japan and was not the approved image which ran in the U.S." So we're confused. They say the photoshopping was an error, that Hamilton is "beautiful and healthy," yet they allegedly fired her for her size? With all these apologies and statements it sounds like the brand still has yet to accept responsibility for their actions. Hamilton in Italian Elle Hamilton in Italian Elle Hamilton in French Vogue Hamilton in French Vogue When I searched for more images of Filippa Hamilton, I instantly remembered her—she was the face of Ralph Lauren's fragrance, Romance, has been featured on the cover of international editions of Vogue and Elle, and has appeared in many ads. She's a gorgeous woman. "I think they [Ralph Lauren] owe American women an apology, a big apology," says Hamilton. "I'm very proud of what I look like, and I think a role model should look healthy." The truth is, models get fired or overlooked all the time for being what the industry considers overweight, we just rarely see or hear about it. Eating disorders are not only common among models, but they're also common among the women and young girls who emulate them. We're happy to see that Hamilton has come forward, and wish more models and celebrities would do the same. It's awesome and empowering when stars admit they've been photoshopped for an ad or movie poster and say how dissatisfied they are about it. With foreign countries banning underweight models from their fashion weeks, and the increasing presence of "plus size" models in women's magazines, we wish the unhealthy representation and falsified depiction of models—and women—would come to an end entirely. Do you think the day will ever come? Sources: [ NYDN ] [ Extra ] [ Hulu ] -- Bringing diversity to perversity for over 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
