So, a designer recently asked me if I could pose in his collection for a magazine. And then I was even more surprised when another asked me to walk the runway for him. Now, I’m not part of the size 0-4 squad. In fact, I’m as far from your typical model mould as the sun from Pluto. I’m a chocolate-eating-cheese-balls-popping-yoga-bunking U.K. size 10, and after holidays I move up to 12. But apparently, that’s all right these days. It’s all about being fit, not thin. High five to that! I no longer have to suck my breath in while making polite conversations at cocktail parties.
High-cheekboned, tiny-waisted, young, waif-like models might have ruled the ramp. But gradually, this obsession is fading. I’m not quite sure when the transformation started, but at the 2014 Paris Fashion Week, Jean Paul Gaultier introduced three models who seemed to have left youth behind decades ago. And yet, these models, with their gracefully greying mane pulled off the space-age-meets-punk-rock look, with great panache. Matching their grey mohawks and bouffants to sparkly silver ensemble and tartan skirts, they looked dignified, elegant and classy. The show was obviously a hit. As for the models... they mesmerised the audience as much as the genius designer’s creations.
More recently, the Spring 2015 campaign by Dolce & Gabbana had three Spanish grandmoms stylishly holding embellished clutches. Golden tiaras rested on their white glossy tresses and coy smiles played on their lips. This too went viral on the Internet, proving that age and size don’t have much to do with style. Only, it’ll take a while longer before this realisation dawns on a larger number of people.
Designers are looking at realistic sizes. There’s been a rise in the number of plus-sized models and their popularity. Haven’t you seen Ashley Graham on the cover of Sports Illustrated ? Or Robyn Lawley in the Ralph Lauren campaign or the gorgeous Iskra Lawrence who even has a website that’s about ‘fashion for everyBODY.’ Size 14, curvy and confident, they rock bikini shoots just like their size 2 counterparts. Karl Lagerfeld may well be cringing, but do we really care? Yes, Lagerfeld, we want to see curvy women on the ramps, on glossies and everywhere.
Last year, France banned extremely skinny models. According to reports, Israel banned models whose BMI was less than 18.5 to counter eating disorders in 2013. We have nothing against small-sized divas. They are beautiful too. But with a lot of younger girls looking up to them and wanting bodies like the models’, they get into unhealthy eating habits which result in bulimia and anorexia. Whatever happened to eating a cookie or two and not worrying about calories? Sadly, weighing machines and fit bits are taking over a 15-year-old’s wish list. Late-night caramel popcorn and ice-cream sodas at sleepovers are replaced by cold-pressed juices, green tea and granola bars.
Also, for a regular office/school/college-goer, it’s near impossible to follow a diet and workout module akin to a supermodel’s. Honestly, how many of us can snack on dry seaweed and goji berries and have smoked salmon for lunch everyday? Even Crystal Renn, who started out as a size 4 model in the U.S., despite her intense workouts and strict diets, struggled to stay within the designated size. After winning a battle with anorexia, she proudly moved up to size 12, became a well-known plus-size model, and walked the ramp for Chanel, Zac Posen and a bunch of other designers.
We are all for being healthy, but not for the obsession with skinny. Voluptuous women are just as sexy. Have you learnt nothing from Beyoncé, Sofia Vergara or even Kim Kardashian? Forget the thigh gaps. Just wear your confidence and embrace your curves and you are the most fabulous woman on this planet!
