While flipping through magazines, and turning pages in newspapers, I noticed that women are slowly being portrayed differently in the public eye. The first time I consciously realized this was during the Dove campaign in 2007. The commercial shows a young girl surrounded by imagery from the beauty industry potentially affecting her self-image. The commercial ends with “talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does.” Which in itself is a really good message to get out, and easy to understand and to relate to for many women across the globe. In ‘The campaign for real beauty’ that derived from this, Dove organized a movement that stands for change in the current beauty ideals – “to create a broader view on beauty” and to help women, mothers and daughters understand the effect of Photoshop and image in general. The concept is a genius marketing strategy to get women to buy Dove products. And it helped to start a public discussion in various Western cultures on imagery, self-esteem, model sizes and ageism. It also put Dove on the agenda in other ways.

Also in 2007, the U.S. Council of Fashion of Designers of America issued voluntary guidelines for the use of overly thin models. And shortly after that, fashion officials in Madrid set a minimum body-mass index, and those in Milan tightened restrictions on the use of thin models in runway shows.

While in the Netherlands, Sunny Bergman, a Dutch Documentary filmmaker launched her ‘Beperkt Houdbaar’, basically about ageism, female sexuality and how to survive in today’s (visual) culture as a woman.  This started a movement as well, although this time not as a global marketing strategy of a beauty industry, but as a movement called ‘the people vs. the beauty industry’. It became a place for discussions, research and tests (how do I experience myself physically, ect.) She is now working on a documentary on women’s sexuality. 

This is a film on YouTube by diet.com in 2008, wondering what a reasonable approach is to warn people about the excessive use of Photoshop in the media. It boils down to having a warning in the imagery.  And this is exactly what various French parliamentarians wanted to achieve when they proposed a law in September 2009 to advance public health and protect consumers.

At the same time in Germany, the magazine Birgitte, Germany’s most popular women’s magazine, has proclaimed not to use models anymore. “Attractiveness has many faces,” editor Brigitte Huber said in a statement. “Whether they are actresses, musicians, first ladies or women on the streets of big cities – they all affect fashion and beauty styles.” On Brigitte’s website there is an announcement to readers that "A New Epoch has Begun" and women can submit a portrait and full-body photos of themselves to considered for a photo shoot.

 

 

This is a big step into ideal imagery, models and muses for the fashion industry. If other countries start doing this in combination with Photoshop warnings in imagery, it has big effects on how fashion is presented and therefore perceived. And this has strong effects on the boundaries of the designers that inevitably shift because of this movement.

It will mean that the perception of beauty will no longer go hand in hand with only youth and that therefore other ideals may emerge instead of only the 20-something slim size zero ideal.  In design this means that other body builds and sizes should be taken into consideration more and perhaps that whole new silhouettes will emerge on the streets.  Silhouettes that are designed beyond age and body build.  In the Netherlands there are two brands that stand strong in the fashion scene and have taken comfortable wear beyond a certain age as strong pointers into their brand values.  Check out Humanoid from Arnhem

and Cora Kemperman from Amsterdam. Although both of those brands still use young models in their visual communication, they are known for the wide variety in customers from art school students to big(ger) mums and serious business women who wear their leisure wear. 

All imagery is from Helen Gras and Simone van Rees.