Model Trends Over The Years

[Pricciao]

I was mentioning a type of face in that post, comparing Julia and Saskia who to me are very different fits for a show, and they somehow always get casted together. not that I said I find Sasha bland as a model.

 

[marqueemoon]

In the last fifteen years I've noticed a move away from conventional, womanly beauty, which is often considered "commercial", "cheap" or "cheesy" (I hear those words all the time in the industry).

And a move towards more androgynous and underdeveloped looks:

pale or nonexistent brows
thinner lips with less definition
bigger noses
boyish faces

Does this have to do with an overall cultural shift, a pressure for women to act more like men? Look at the actresses in our tv shows and movies and you'll see the same effect. Maisie Williams (who plays Arya Stark), Shailene Woodley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Emma Watson. All these actresses are rather boyish in both appearance and personality and in the roles they take on. Even Jennifer Lawrence -- not in looks but definitely in personality and characters,

I think that Cara D will become a movie star. The cultural climate is perfect for her ascension.

 

[littlekiki]

Could it be that there is no current trend?

There is a variety of models coming to the forefront right now.

You have the unique girls like Natalie, Binx, Issa.

You have classic blank slate girls like Lexi, Ine, Ophelie, Tilda, Maartje, Josephine VD, Julia B, Waleska, Elisabeth who seem to get work in spite of their lack of oomph.

You have the mature looks like Amanda M, Larissa, Kate G., Amanda Wellsh, Sabrina I, Anna Ewers, Nadja, Sam R, Sasha L.

and the blondes... Ola, Harleth, Nastya, Charlene, Maja.

there are lots of newer dark-skinned models right now... Riley, Ysuanny, Tami, Grace, Malaika, Maria B.

There's just a lot going on right now. Too many trends. lol

 

[marqueemoon]

Could it be that there is no current trend?

There is a variety of models coming to the forefront right now.

You have the unique girls like Natalie, Binx, Issa.

You have classic blank slate girls like Lexi, Ine, Ophelie, Tilda, Maartje, Josephine VD, Julia B, Waleska, Elisabeth who seem to get work in spite of their lack of oomph.

You have the mature looks like Amanda M, Larissa, Kate G., Amanda Wellsh, Sabrina I, Anna Ewers, Nadja, Sam R, Sasha L.

and the blondes... Ola, Harleth, Nastya, Charlene, Maja.

there are lots of newer dark-skinned models right now... Riley, Ysuanny, Tami, Grace, Malaika, Maria B.

There's just a lot going on right now. Too many trends. lol

I think there is a trend but it's a longer one and people are getting lost in the smaller waves.

As I wrote earlier, if you compare the models of today to those from the late nineties, there's a definite trend toward more boyish faces and bodies. And I mean boyish in both masculinity and youth. For example, as different as their faces are both Jessica Stam and Julia Nobis (two of the bigger models representing different generations) have very boyish faces. This boyish trend extends to male models as well. I think it reflects an overall shift in our culture towards prizing extreme youth and androgyny.

Smaller waves like the Brigitte Bardot look (which isn't really a divergence from the child-like look) come and go but the default always returns to this boyish state. Look out how quickly hyper-feminine girls like Marine D and Manon L fizzled.

Because fashion has accelerated in the last decade or two with the speed of information, trends are rising and falling faster, and they are less cohesive. Similarly models burn out faster because the industry's attention is taxed by the abundance of images.

But if you pull away there's still an overall net movement within the chaos.

 

[littlekiki]

Sorry, we posted at the same time. My post wasn't a response to your previous one. But I do appreciate your insight, I do agree that there is a broad trend happening. It's difficult to see because it spans over years and years.

Compare Christy Turlington to Julia Nobis and you can see there definitely was a shift in trends.

 

[Dior Dream]

I think the look shifted from the mass appealing glamazon in the 90s to the odd looking yet fascinating "unreal Goddess" in the 2000s, and then taking the odd to such an extent that any kind of mass or commercial appeal doesn't remain in the high fashion sector. Even though models have been skinny since the rise of Kate Moss, their bodies in the past were proportioned in a much more conventionally attractive manner. The recent rise in size diversity has also clearly given rise to skinny shaming and the assumptions that all the models in the 2000s were prone to eating disorders and calorie restriction and that a woman's body matures and fills out with time. This generalization of the female body is very frustrating and disappointing bc everyone is different and many models look the same even after motherhood. The comments on the recent post of Vogue Paris featuring Rianne were terrible!

 

[FashionMuseDior]

While there is not a defining trend nowadays in the modeling field one can definitely tell that most models have a certain blank canvas look similar to Hollywood actors. Add diversity and inclusivity into the mix and you get a trend that seems to get bigger each passing year. Agents have been searching for that model-celeb look for a couple of years now.

 

[FiveEasyPieces]

Has anyone else noticed how the number of Eastern European top models has declined dramatically over the past few years? The industry was dominated by Russian, Ukrainian and Polish models and now they are barely breaking through.

 

[YohjiAddict]

^Nowadays I see many more models who come from developed or rich nations, whereas in the past I think there were many more from developing ones: Brazil, ex-soviet countries and so on. British models have always had their place though.

Along with that I've noticed native english speakers are prefered nowadays and that's weird considering that for years American models were a rarity, Cathy Horyn even wrote an article about it in 2005.

And as it was mentioned in the Theyskens thread a few seasons ago, the BMI of models probably hasn't changed but body proportion and posture has. I've noticed older models tend to have broader, straighter shoulders and clavicles.

P.S. As I'm more into feminine conventional models with a neogenic face, I'm very thankful east asian models are gaining more ground.

 

[fashionkitten7]

From what I read on this forum some time ago, it's the models who started out later in life, which is a new trend. I'm not sure, though, if it can be fully called a 'trend' or just a new way the industry works. Would like to hear others' opinions on that.

Also, the influencers have not been gone nowhere. You still need a strong Instagram profile and a lot of followers.

 

[fashionkitten7]

I also wanted to mention that it's obviously the body positive trend, which is new.

 

[dior_couture1245]

I've noticed more and more recently...that with the increase demand for "diversity and inclusion," oddly, I find most models now to be COMPLETELY nondescript and very similar looking. They're all kind of interchangeable and forgettable. Nothing particularly distinct about any of the new girls (or guys for that matter, too).

You would think it would be the opposite effect after the push for "diversity and inclusion," but I'm finding it to be strangely monotone despite the moniker.

 

[HeatherAnne]

No model trends now because fashion is stagnant and they are all 100% disposable -- used to be about 75% of them were disposable, but now nobody's safe.

 

[Legolas]

Both industries: male's and women's, have definitely been more focused lately on predominating what in the past were considered ethnic minorities. It seems that trying to be the complete opposite from the early 00s (100% white), has become a trend, more than an actual need of reaching for a balance. This last season, considering their facial features only, top 10 girls who walked the most shows were:

1 - Mika (asian)
2 - Loli (white)
3- Quinn (white / latina)
4 - Awar (black)
5 - Sherry (asian)
6 - Yilan (asian)
7 - Chloe (asian)
8 - Akon (black)
9 - Majesty (black)
10 - Effie (white)

Now for the guys, this season was:

1 - Ottawa (black)
2 - Moustapha (black)
3 - Mathieu (asian)
4 - Momo (black)
5 - Yura (asian)
6 - Alton (black)
7 - Craig (black)
8 - Jeremiah (black)
9 - Fernando (white)
10 - Jeranimo (black)

I have absolutely no complaints about this. It was definitely time for a change. My only worry is that it looks as if the industry is not really doing this in order to pursue a season when we'll finally see 50/50 % fair representation for all racial features... it looks more as if trying to be the opposite from the early 00s is what's hot at the moment. Hopefully, this will not be case... otherwise, the foundation behind this will be as unstable as any other temporary trend.

It has been such a long journey to get to this point, nobody would have said this could ever be real when the doll era reigned. Next step in inclusion seems to be body shape diversity, but sadly, it seems only for the girls. When it comes to male models and inclusion, only racial aspects are being taken into consideration, in a very radical way, evidently... still, body shape diversity is not a subject yet and it seems nobody really cares, or will do in a near future.