UK Vogue January 2017 : Ashley Graham by Patrick Demarchelier

[tigerrouge]

My goodness that editorial is horrible. Why is she angry?

It feels like she's trying to replicate a 'serious woman' facial expression, like you'd see in a Lindbergh shot of a supermodel - but a Vogue editorial is not the moment where you try out a new face, and certainly not the same unsuccessful look for so many images.

We have a go at Kendall for not being able to emote, but a model who has an off-putting scowl in half the shots (that get used) isn't demonstrating a high level of modelling skill either.

Maybe she's a pro at posing her body, but I didn't expect her to look as bad as that, in terms of how she uses her face.

 

[Deleted member 130879]

It feels like she's trying to replicate a 'serious woman' facial expression, like you'd see in a Lindbergh shot of a supermodel - but a Vogue editorial is not the moment where you try out a new face, and certainly not the same unsuccessful look for so many images.

We have a go at Kendall for not being able to emote, but a model who has an off-putting scowl in half the shots (that get used) isn't demonstrating a high level of modelling skill either.

Maybe she's a pro at posing her body, but I didn't expect her to look as bad as that, in terms of how she uses her face.

OMG, I think we are soulmates. I was just writing this:

She's the Kendall Jenner of plus sized models: she has the exact same expression in at least three of the pictures and the 1st, 5th, 6th and 7th pictures are BAD.

I'm 100% with Les_Sucettes. This defeats the purpose of diversity. We have, as a society, to promote diversity in all areas but choosing mediocre professionals "just because"/"tokens" just tell that these individuals are inferior. It's "so is this the plus sized models you all talk about?" thing. It's like showing Kendall to someone who has never seen the work of a fashion model.

And there are so many brilliant plus sized models out there. Crystal Renn was, in my opinion, the ultimate plus sized model but you also have Stefania Ferrario (Dita Von Teese's plus sized muse), Tara Lynn, Marquita Pring,...

 

[Benn98]

Well i can only see a bad model being chosen for a cover because she has a "token" body. It's always the same, you choose a girl from the pool of those that are plus size but have an angular face and then create a career based solely on that. Something that actually defeats the purpose but makes fashion editors feel good about themselves.

Not being a "standard size" means nothing in my book, when buying a magazine or i like what i see or I don't. Someone like Crystal Renn won me over because of the quality of her work, this girl on the other hand has nothing to offer besides a "story".

I hear what you're saying, LS, but the problem starts when every editor sticks to the same shape under the guise of 'but she knows her angles/more photogenic' etc. Then we'll become conditioned, and that's where we are now. Interesting that you mention Renn, she started picking up steam around the same time as Karlie Kloss, isn't it? And she was just as, if not more, photogenic as Kloss. The build-up was certainly there for her to have a lasting career, but she probably received an ounce of the inducements Kloss eventually got. In a just world she'd have been a household name by now, but alas.

Of course this Ashley is as mediocre as Kendall in her print modelling skills, but fashion is just so fickle that ANY attempt to break the shape schackles should be commended. I personally admire this bold move from Alexandra despite her ignorance with regards to racial diversity. You simply cannot fight a two-front war. Perhaps we'll reach the stage where women like this Ashley may be required to enter the industry with proper skills and presence, and not hiding behind a cause. You need only to see how American Vogue normalised racial diversity to believe it is possible.

 

[Luxx]

Surprised at the complaints regarding Ashley. Yes, fashion chooses to pay attention to only one plus size model at a time, but she's been in this business for almost 10 years modeling for Elle, Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmo, and working her way up the ladder. Is this shoot her best? No, but I wouldn't use it as an example of a lack of talent or skill. I've seen plenty of editorials from her that have been versatile even if this one isn't perfect. I wish they had more images featuring her smiling and energetic because that is one of her strengths. Yes, she's experiencing a moment right now, but it's a moment that was a long, long time coming. I don't think it is just because we need a visible plus size model right now, it's a combination of factors.

Honestly, the fact that it takes a decade for a model to get to this kind of traction is insane given the flash in the pan success stories that keep happening.

 

[Morphe]

Soo, you get one of the most stunning women out there to pose for your mag and you make her look like..this? What an injustice.

 

[HeatherAnne]

So we're Ashley's clothes custom made especially made for this shoot?

It'd be interesting to learn which high fashion runway designers actually accommodate larger sizes. I presume the list is pretty short!

I've always been intrigued by the concept of designing for Plus size and Petit clothing lines. I imagine there's many different philosophical approaches, nuances and considerations outside of the obvious make the hem shorter or waistband bigger.

As a petit woman it's always been a struggle finding clothes that fit my tiny frame. It really comes down to the cut! If I had talent as a seamstress I would love to design garments for Petit and Plus size body types, jeans especially.

Growing up in the 90s I remember shopping in the "Woman's World" department with my grandmother and thinking how heinous and incredibly unflattering (and tent like) the vast majority of those garments were! The patterns too busy, silhouettes too baggy, too tight in all the wrong places. Judging by the looks in this editorial I can't say the designs have improved much. Perhaps Ashley's new line will help remedy this?

Good point about petites being largely ignored by fashion, unfortunately fashion recycles the same story lines, and that was my problem with this feature.

 

[ad030817]

Once again the celebration of mediocrity wins. Another cover of a beautiful woman made to look ugly - I just don't get it - blah!

 

[Les_Sucettes]

I hear what you're saying, LS, but the problem starts when every editor sticks to the same shape under the guise of 'but she knows her angles/more photogenic' etc. Then we'll become conditioned, and that's where we are now. Interesting that you mention Renn, she started picking up steam around the same time as Karlie Kloss, isn't it? And she was just as, if not more, photogenic as Kloss. The build-up was certainly there for her to have a lasting career, but she probably received an ounce of the inducements Kloss eventually got. In a just world she'd have been a household name by now, but alas.

Of course this Ashley is as mediocre as Kendall in her print modelling skills, but fashion is just so fickle that ANY attempt to break the shape schackles should be commended. I personally admire this bold move from Alexandra despite her ignorance with regards to racial diversity. You simply cannot fight a two-front war. Perhaps we'll reach the stage where women like this Ashley may be required to enter the industry with proper skills and presence, and not hiding behind a cause. You need only to see how American Vogue normalised racial diversity to believe it is possible.

I hear you, but frankly i do not think this is the way to go. You end up in a situation where you are left with people, and in my opinion Ashley is one of them, that if they where "standard model size" they would be modelling for mail order catalogues, and no where near the cover of Vogue. I'm not sure constantly pointing out the exceptional position of this models, instead of "normalising" them, like you well said, is the way forward. It's high time magazines start understanding that they they don't have to be diverse to fill some quota of political correctness, they will need to be diverse to guarantee their own survival.

 

[ellastica]

Even if more designers offered bigger sample sizes, what's the point if the editorial pieces shown are custom made and those larger sizes are not readily available to a "wider" consumer audience?

What would it take and what would happen if those reluctant high fashion designers actually designed for Plus size market? If those say Jil or Helmut trousers came in a size 16 or 20?

Also somebody cited Adele as an example for bigger sample sizes provided the brighter star status. However, Adele was a noticeably heavier when she first came onto the pop music scene.

So really it's the same old sh*t. Naive twinkling newbie pop star whittles down her waist size thanks to the brighter fame-induced spotlight along with greater pressure to conform to unhealthy fashion industry body standards.

A sickening vicious cycle.

 

[tigerrouge]

On the other hand, if it's not what people want to see, it won't sell. Unrealistic standards are not always about someone imposing the impossible on everyone else, they're also about the public's appetite for dreams.

It's like when a magazine or a product puts 'real women' on the cover or in the ads. The move gets attention for a short while, but people respond better to models and celebrities. They want a tiny piece of the unattainable.