What could be more challenging?
Project Runway has got everything you'd want in a reality show, interesting challenges, weird people and a look at a different world. But it sometimes takes . In this challenge they had to design for another contestant's mother or sister. There was a lot gross about the way things were done; the designers got to pick the relatives, which was a 'we want skinny people' version of picking teams at school. But the episode as a whole was fascinating, most of the designers were truly stumped by designing for people who weren't models, particularly fat people who weren't models.
I think it was Robert Best who said "I don't understand these proportions". His day job is to design for Barbie.
Jeffrey, who is a misogynist prick at the best of times, said "If I go then there's nothing I could have done - I couldn't have prepared for this challenge."
It makes me want to read about the history of fashion to figure out how we got here. Where there is a whole occupation, models, to make women to fit its clothes. We're so used to this ridiculous artifice that it's absurdity is only brought home when barbies proportions make sense to a designer, and a woman's, any woman's, proportions do not.
Striving for beauty amongst other things, feeds the cosmetics, clothing and plastic surgery businesses.
ReplyDeleteCertainly striving for a false idea of beauty, that is socially constructed and detrimental to women (and indeed men these days) is. But I don't think seeking beauty always has to be like that, intrinsically. Does it?
ReplyDeleteI didn't see this episode of PR but it sounds mega disturbing. Albeit an important exposure of the unreality of the fashion industry.
Just got back from 'booobs on bikes' made me realise that there really is no need for clothes at all :p
ReplyDeleteI love to design clothes. I am 180 lbs. 5'4" and I usually design for me. Hopefully there will be more professional designers like me in the future...
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