Have you seen the #ImNoAngel campaign? I was struck by this post on The Daily Dot this morning calling out Lane Bryant for not doing it "right". They claim this new sales tacitc body shames the waif-like models of Victoria's Secret. And secondly, that LB only picked a certain body type to represent all us curvy girls.
I want to know what you think.
When I first saw the campaign, I thought "Woo HOO! Finally, ladies like me." But when I saw this as well as other similar articles, I began to wonder if it really was a win for curvy hips everywhere?
Two things struck me, much like the critics of Megan Trainor’s’ song All About That Base, which I will link because I never pass up an oppertunity to sing...
When she says "I’m bringing booty back... go ahead and tell those skinny bitches that. NO I’m just playin’ I know you think you’re fat (she's talking to the skinny girls) I’m here to tell you every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top." Megan very clearly states that even the women we curvy girls think have it all together have doubts about their bodies. But the message is lost, because people hear the one line and stop. They don’t listen to the rest.
Are we doing the same with the #ImNoAngel campaign? Is saying "I’m no angel" a dig at the thinner models of Victoria's Secret, or just a clever play on words aimed to declare, "Hey, check me out! I may not look like them, but I am sexy too!"
In regard to Lane Bryant only picking a certain type of curvy girl. That one irritated me. I am going to keep using the VS analogy since that’s what triggered this post in the first place.
Think of it this way, not every thin woman can be a Victoria's Secret model right? There is more than one standard of modeling than being thin. Otherwise every skinny chick in America would have graced the cover of a magazine. Models, fashion models particularly, are chosen by beauty, grace and how the damn clothes hang on their body. For example, I would make a crappy plus size model. Not because I am bigger. And not because I’m not pretty enough. Straight up, I have a lower belly that is hard to dress. It can be done. Takes some skill, but it’s not the kind of thing a designer wants to be worrying about on the run way, just like a short girl isn’t the model of choice for capris. No one would choose a flat chested woman to sell bra’s. Get it? While yes, every body type is beautiful, not every body type sells clothes. Choosing a model has nothing to do with skinny or curvy. It has everything to do with beauty and shape, regardless of SIZE. That’s why the fact that there were no bigger models was such a kick in the pants. Bigger models can be just as beautiful and lovely shaped as a thin model.
Am I off base here? What do you think?
Are we doing the same with the #ImNoAngel campaign? Is saying "I’m no angel" a dig at the thinner models of Victoria's Secret, or just a clever play on words aimed to declare, "Hey, check me out! I may not look like them, but I am sexy too!"
In regard to Lane Bryant only picking a certain type of curvy girl. That one irritated me. I am going to keep using the VS analogy since that’s what triggered this post in the first place.
Think of it this way, not every thin woman can be a Victoria's Secret model right? There is more than one standard of modeling than being thin. Otherwise every skinny chick in America would have graced the cover of a magazine. Models, fashion models particularly, are chosen by beauty, grace and how the damn clothes hang on their body. For example, I would make a crappy plus size model. Not because I am bigger. And not because I’m not pretty enough. Straight up, I have a lower belly that is hard to dress. It can be done. Takes some skill, but it’s not the kind of thing a designer wants to be worrying about on the run way, just like a short girl isn’t the model of choice for capris. No one would choose a flat chested woman to sell bra’s. Get it? While yes, every body type is beautiful, not every body type sells clothes. Choosing a model has nothing to do with skinny or curvy. It has everything to do with beauty and shape, regardless of SIZE. That’s why the fact that there were no bigger models was such a kick in the pants. Bigger models can be just as beautiful and lovely shaped as a thin model.
Am I off base here? What do you think?
