Friday 25 January 2013

The Rise of the Unique Supermodels

Last week the French model and former Olympic swimmer, Casey Legler, was revealed as the face of All Saints Womenswear AND Menswear. She was the first female model to ever be signed to a mens division of a modelling agency. She showcases her androgynous look in All Saint's new ad campaign.


In the same week, South African born model, Refilwe Modiselle, explained how she has finally begun to feel comfortable with her appearance. Modiselle is the only albino model to have walked the runways in South Africa. She told the press that she suffered prejudice for her unusual looks and describes herself as living 'in the skin of a white person.' With white blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes, the fashion world have been struck by her looks and she has become a sought after model.


It's great to see the fashion world slowly becoming more accepting of unique features and body shapes. Brand's are beginning to break down the barriers of gender stereotyping as well as endorsing the ageing process.

M&S famously hires models that appeal to their wide audience. Twiggy (63), and Yasmina Rossi (56) encouraged women to be proud of their grey hair and wrinkles. It makes a welcome change from being sold anti-aging creams at every corner.

Here's Casey Legler feelings about challenging the way we think about beauty:


'What I wish is that we all get to be exactly who we are. And sometimes that's complicated,' she explains.

'We have very specific ways in which we identify ourselves as man or woman and I think that sometimes those can be limiting ...

'Seeing me on the men's board ... speaks to the notion of freedom, you know.'

[Daily Mail]


Let's hope that soon the fashion industry will tackle their biggest demon - weight. It will be a great day when normal sized models are a regular occurrence at shows, instead of being a one off publicity stunt.


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