The Flaws of "Masculinity"

Source: Hollywoodreporter.com

When discussing gender issues, many writers, critics and people, myself included, have tended to focus on the issue from a woman’s perspective. Day in and day out we talk about feminism and equality of the sexes currently being wrongfully unattainable for the women of today. But in describing feminism and gender equality, should we not also look at what it means to be masculine?

Justin Baldoni, an American actor and director has recently launched his campaign, ‘Man Enough’ a male centred talk show which aims to kick start conversations about male identity. The show has been described as a weekly dinner table discussion where Baldoni invites different men to share their thoughts on what it means to be a man today.

Source: TED.com

Having watched the first two episodes, it is clear to see that there are obvious flaws in society’s view of what it should mean to be masculine.

The group discuss the definitions of masculinity and how they go on to influence everyday objects in our lives. Derek Hough recalls a moment he asked a shop assistant which scented candle would be recommended for him. The answer he was given was “go with something woody, that’s the most masculine”. What do we associate with wood? A sense of strength, a sense of being rigid, unmovable and stoic, all things a man should ‘supposedly’ be.

The series often goes back to the ideas and standards that are instilled from a young age.  In lower school, many children experience a short period where the opposite gender is completely undesirable: “girls have germs” or “boys are gross”. However eventually it becomes okay for that one girl to go and play football with the boys. The same treatment is not practised when a boy decides to go over and play with the girls. He is instantly labelled weird, strange and even gay.

We see celebrities asking almost every day why women are not given the same standards as men. We ask, “why does it become a miracle when a woman can maintain stamina in the gym for just as long as the man next to her?”, yet we refuse to ask the standards of men to meet those of women. Jane Ward, a professor specialised in gender studies at the University of California states: “This man brushing his daughter’s hair is applauded as almost an act of heroism, and it’s so telling for something like that to go viral, because it’s perceived to be so remarkable that a man would gently brush his daughter’s hair. People think it’s news.” By lowering standards for men in activities that are thought to be feminine, are we not limiting them to what we as women feel limited towards? It is this ignorant attitude from where societal rules concerning gender roles emerge.

A central theme of the series is the idea of vulnerability and how that might interfere the process of being masculine. Baldoni talks of the difference between showing emotions, and becoming vulnerable. Over the years it has become more acceptable for men to show their emotions, they do it all the time through happiness, resentment, sadness among others. But it is rare to see vulnerability, to put away the mask of masculinity for one movement and reveal what is concealed.

According to society, women are known for their ability to have meaningful conversations about topics that men may try to avoid. Both men and women witness how and know these conversations bring women together, and change their sense of strength, yet it is still resisted. During these emotional conversations, women do not always have the answers. From my own experiences I know that you will not always have the solution to a friend’s problem. But most women just share and listen knowing that the answer or quick fix will not always be there. Men, on the other hand, are made to believe, due to the media and ideas of identity, that there must always be a fix. So when there is an issue, particularly an emotional one that may not have an obvious solution, it becomes foreign to the man and he avoids it the next time. This learned behaviour prevents vulnerability in what is supposed to be the masculine archetype.

This is where masculinity becomes toxic. Toxic masculinity serves as an example of how patriarchy becomes harmful and debilitating to men. It is restricted to the socially constructed ideals of what it means to be a man, in the sense of aggression, a lack of emotions and power. It is important to recognise that power is not a substitute for masculinity, but rather a characteristic of forms of masculinity.

There are hundreds of women’s talk shows out there and whilst they are needed, the idea of a male talk show with the purpose of discussing the meaning of being a man is refreshing to say the least. Therefore I encourage you to watch an episode or two, not from a woman or man’s perspective, but rather a human perspective. 

http://www.wearemanenough.com/

Thank you for reading! 

Aman

How Meghan Markle could kick-start a whole new feminist movement in the U.K.

Source: abcnews.go.com

Just yesterday, the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was announced by Clarence House. The couple are set to wed in Spring 2018 (unfortunately with no Bank Holiday in sight for the public).

Whilst many will recognise Markle from the show ‘Suits’, where she plays paralegal Rachel Zane, the newest member to the Royal Family has accomplished far more as a long-time advocate for women.

Since 2014, the American actress has used her platform to work towards equality between men and women as well as issues concerning her humanitarian work with the UN. In February 2016, she became a World Vision Global Ambassador after a visit to Rwanda, which has the highest percentage of women with roles in the parliament.

However it is fair to say that fighting for gender equality has always been a part of Markle’s nature even as a child. Markle has spoken about how she discovered the road to raising awareness about the inequality of the sexes.

At the age of 11, at her school in Los Angeles, Markle remembers watching the TV when an advert for a brand of dishwashing liquid was shown to the class. The advert featured a tagline: “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans”.

"Two boys from my class said, 'Yeah. That's where women belong — in the kitchen,'" Markle recalled.

Meghan was shocked and angered by this comment, and felt the need to protest against this immediately. She decided to let her voice be heard and write letters to the First Lady at the time, Hilary Clinton. Her letter was also received by her main news presenter, an influential attorney and the manufacturer of the dishwashing soap.

Markle’s efforts did not go to waste and she received letters of encouragement from everyone. However, Markle only felt the true impact of her actions when, some weeks later, the advert’s tagline changed to “People all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans”.

The soap manufacturers apologised for the insensitive nature of their advert and commended her for advocating for such a cause at such a young age.

Markle speaks of that moment, saying, “It was at that moment that I realized the magnitude of my actions. At the age of 11, I had created my small level of impact by standing up for equality."

As she joins the Royal Family, Meghan Markle’s responsibilities will grow and the influence her voice has will consequently open up. If she is able to achieve something so profound as to change a national advert as a child, we can only look forward to exciting things for the British public as another voice fighting for gender equality comes to light. 

Thank you for reading!
Aman

And now people are comparing Malala Yousafzai to Mia Khalifa

Only a week into her first semester and Malala Yousafzai has already been wrongfully criticised. Earlier this week, an alleged new photo of the 20 year-old activist, wearing a bomber jacket, jeans, boots and a scarf, surfaced the Internet, causing uproar among many.

Malala Yousafzai, is a women’s education activist, who as a child narrowly escaped death after being shot by the Taliban in 2012, in response to her brave and outspoken campaigns for women’s right to an education. Despite her critical condition and the long road to recovery ahead of her, she did not abandon her efforts in the fight for equality in education.

Source: metro.co.uk

After completing her studies in Birmingham, she went on to accept a place studying at Oxford University and has recently started her degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Though most students will be sporting this attire as they begin the next year of their education, many were baffled at how Malala could be so daring to wear jeans, dubbing her “shameless” and a “disgrace”.

Whilst it is yet to be confirmed that this picture is actually Malala Yousafzai, people have not held back their accusations and have proceeded to dismiss the activist in the most degrading ways. Because, sadly, isn’t that just the natural way to respond to any woman who refuses to conform in today’s world?

Here are a few comments made towards the photo:

For a second, let’s just assume that it is Malala in the picture and she’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans. Who cares? Have you never chosen to wear something a little more modern over a traditional outfit? Do you think Pakistani or Indian women in school only ever wear sarees? Are men restricted to their traditional clothes every day?

BBC presenter Anita Anand came to Malala’s defence, telling the Daily Mail:

“Malala can wear whatever she likes as far as I am concerned.

“The baying criticism is coming from the most regressive quarters, and I doubt she could do anything to please them.

“I sincerely hope she never tries. She is a heroine and a role model.”

Once again, I ask why it is that we choose to focus on the meaningless appearance of someone, rather than what they stand for. Malala Yousafzai has kick started an incredible movement, inspiring young girls to fight for what they believe in and provoking the conversations that really do need to be had. This is the first time she has been pictured not wearing her traditional clothes. So bloody what? She’s still fighting for her cause, and is continuing to succeed.

It must also be noted that the majority of comments shaming Malala have been made by men. This just goes to show that the fight for true equality of the sexes is still ongoing. Women are still, by some, thought of as inferior to men and as theirs to dictate, in what they say, how they act and, now, what they wear.

Malala may not realise this, but she has sparked conversation this week and has carried us a step further towards respect and equality. 

Thank you for reading!

Aman

Why hating Melania Trump could make you a hypocrite

Source: thecut.com

Since Donald Trump launched his Presidential Campaign back in 2016, Melania Trump has been kept in her husband’s shadow for majority of the time. Except for when she is so viciously shamed. Yes, her choice in husband is not the best to say the least. Yes, she has often dismissed her husband’s sexism as merely “boy talk”. But does hurling shameful comments and threats towards her make you any better?

Now she is seen as the woman perched on Donald Trump’s shoulder, but before all of this, Melania was a model. This came at a price, however. In attempts to dig at President Trump, Melania’s nude modelling photos, taken in her 20s, have frequently been plastered across newspapers worldwide. In effect saying, “How could any First Lady of ours have behaved like that?” People have used these photos to dismiss her as some type of trophy wife at her husband’s disposal. She has become a “thing”, an “accessory” to Donald, rather than her own person.

Another significant event, in which people have attacked/ridiculed Melania, was Gigi Hadid’s impression of the First Lady during the 2016 American Music Awards.

“I love my husband, President Barack Obama and our children Sasha and Malia,” Hadid said through an exaggerated pout and Eastern European accent. She added that had been working hard all week to “get her face right.”

Source: metro.co.uk

Her impression was met with laughter and applause in the crowd but viewers at home responded with shock, many saying that this was completely inappropriate, especially as both of Hadid’s parents are also immigrants.

Perhaps it’s time to stop using Melania Trump as a way of attacking President Trump, despite how much we may despise and disagree with everything that comes out of his mouth, and start treating her as her own person, accountable for her own actions. Look at their Twitter accounts for example. Melania Trump has tweeted four times this week to encourage her followers to continue to donate to victims of recent hurricanes and has addressed her appreciation of Humanitarian Aid worldwide. President Trump, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to know when or what to tweet, rather using it like a bored teenager and posting multiple times a day. Just 15 hours ago, he criticised Hilary Clinton on the money she spent as part of her Presidential Campaign but has failed to encourage hurricane donations like his wife.

Melania seems to know how and when to use her platform positively, so let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about how often she has talked about tackling online bullying, despite her husband being one of the biggest bullies online. Let’s talk about the fact that she can speak six languages despite being an ‘immigrant’. Why are we so adamant on ignoring the actions she takes independently? Why is it that her appearance, accent and former career are being used as a way to attack her husband? Surely Trump's politics, blatant sexism and obvious racism should be enough for one to criticise him.

Sure, you may argue that she shouldn’t have married Trump and that she knew what she was getting into, and yes, who we choose to associate ourselves with can speak volumes about our own character but equally, it is wrong to judge Melania Trump by her accent, her money, her body and her questionable taste in life partner. She deserves to be judged on her own accord, by her own actions and not as an extension of her husband.

The majority of us hate the way Trump degrades women to objects, but slut shaming his wife is, in effect, doing the same thing. Defending Melania Trump from being wrongfully ridiculed does not mean you are defending Donald Trump and you can certainly be anti-Trump without shaming the First Lady.

Thank you for reading!
Aman 

Snapchat Streaks: Do numbers define our friendships?

Source: Linkedin.com

You see the ‘timer’ emoji next to someone’s name and a wave of panic washes over you, we have all been there.

We have the likes on Instagram, we have the views on your ‘story’, but the one metric that has trumped them all, something many teens live and die by, is the streak. The Snapchat streak is a feature built into the Snapchat app. The ‘fire’ emoji appears next to a friend’s name, meaning you and that very special person have both managed to snap one another within 24 hours for at least 

three consecutive days. Perhaps your friendship is on fire. Impressive, right?

I remember earning my first streak sometime mid-way last year. I was late to the party, I know, but it is hard to ignore that as a result of that streak, my use of Snapchat skyrocketed. Soon I wanted streaks with all my friends. Now, I spend on average 1.8 hours on screen using Snapchat on a 24 hours basis, which, for me, is shocking to say the least. I believe that this dramatic increase in my use of Snapchat is majorly down to the streaks feature. Streaks have only one purpose: to get you to use Snapchat more. 

Many people have adopted the view that their streak score is cold hard evidence of unbreakable friendships. It is this mind-set that causes streaks to become so addictive. People are afraid to lose their 200 day streak, perhaps believing their friendship will suffer as a result and to be frank, no one wants to lose what they have worked so long for. For many people, the longer the streak, the better the friendship.  But have snap streaks become just another routine of daily life online?

Though there are those who keep up streaks to maintain contact with a friend, ensuring a conversation is shared every day, there is a large portion of Snapchat users for whom streaks have become almost like business. We see this in those blank snaps, or those with an ‘S’ for streak drawn in red, and it is usually in these transactions that communication is almost non-existent but the streak continues to live, proving that numbers do not correlate to the quality of a friendship in every case. Maintenance has become such an important issue, that it isn’t unusual to see someone logging into their friends Snapchat to keep their streaks going – for example if they are on a flight. You eventually end up with people in charge of masses of streaks, all in the name of friendship and popularity.

Despite my belief that the length of a streak does not define the quality of a friendship, I will say that the streak feature is a somewhat powerful force in developing some friendships. As you begin to snap someone more and more each day, users usually find they are more comfortable with that person. For example, someone I regularly snap, and might even have a streak with, will receive far less polished selfies than perhaps someone I do not snap as often. It is in this respect that the idea of a streak can lead to certain barriers, in terms of appearance, to come down.

All in all, streaks are a pretty harmless thing and can be fun to uphold, but when friendships suffer as a result of a streak breaking, well, maybe that’s a problem. 

Thank you for reading!

Aman

1947: Both Sides of the Border

tns.thenews.com.pk/

Seventy years ago, after three hundred years of British Rule in British India, India was finally given it's freedom and the Partition came into effect. The nation was divided into two independent states: India and Pakistan. Immediately began the greatest and most horrifying mass migration in history, which saw over 14 million people attempt to cross the border. Millions of Muslims travelled to the Western state of Pakistan whilst Hindus and Sikhs headed in the opposite direction to what was now known as the Independent state of India. Though the British Empire branded this movement as a peaceful and effective succession of power to Jawarhalal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder and first governor of Pakistan, the reality was very different and more than a million people were killed in their efforts to travel between the two states.

Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs alike had coexisted in a single state for almost a millennium with very few racial tensions but this had all changed as families uprooted and scrambled for the border. Those who had once shared a community had turned to violence, through acts of arson, forced religious conversions, abduction, rape and murder. Families and elders found it difficult to leave the homes they were brought up in and the land that their ancestors had worked so hard to attain before them. However the religious tension did not allow for this and those who refused to relocate were persecuted by locals that wanted their land for themselves.

The biggest tragedy fell upon the state of Punjab which did not have a clear majority in terms of religion. Due to this the British decided to partition Punjab so that both Muslims and Hindus could retreat to their rightful sides. Sir Radcliffe of the British Empire divided British India through the state of Punjab and the border soon became known as the ‘Radcliffe Line’. This decision has since been heavily criticised by those in the Punjab province. Lahore, at the time, had many Hindu villages and was desired by the Indian side but its importance in the Islamic culture meant it had been given to Pakistan. Likewise, Amritsar, which had been home to many Muslim villages, remained on the Indian side due to the Golden Temple. This left hundreds of thousands on the wrong side of the border, something that put their lives at risk. The Sikhs were dispersed across the Punjab state and felt that they were not taken into account and saw their land cut in half, causing tensions to rise further. 

Since Partition, tensions between India and Pakistan have remained high as people are not ready to forget the suffering and trauma they went through, as well as what their families lost. I also believe this is due to a lack of education about the Partition, especially in India. Children are not taught the history of the two countries that were once one in a non-biased method and what little they are taught often causes them to take forward the anger that their ancestors had. I have been lucky enough to visit the Wagah Border in Punjab. Something that surprised me there was how similar the people on either side of the border seemed, despite the racial strains between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Both sides were full of people happy to celebrate the independence of their country and there seemed to be no real difference between them except for which side of the border they fell on.

Wagah Border - see if you can find my sweaty face in the crowd

Pakistan to India

Both my grandfathers were in Pakistan during the partition. My mother’s father, Gurcharan Singh, was six at the time and visiting his uncle and aunt in Lahore. As the days until Partition drew closer my Gurcharan’s parents urged their family to come back to India and escape the racial violence that had broken out in Lahore. They were forced to leave their land and belongings, taking only the essentials with them. My grandfather remembers seeing masses of bodies piled along the railway and many more people fighting to get on the trains. He tells me about the refugee camps that sheltered those who had been injured along their journey to freedom. My grandfather and his family were extremely lucky that they were able to get back home to the Eastern side of Punjab. He was horrified as a child to come home and witnessing the sheer amount of bodies that lay in the streets of his own village. He remembers his father and many other men clearing away the bodies, burying them and the sight of blood across the villages around him.

Despite the bloodshed and violence that he witnessed, my grandfather is careful to make sure that I know about how people helped each other. Whilst some people were blinded by religious differences, many Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, helped each other. Neighbours made sure one another got across the border safely and even servants helped to hide their employees from locals who were looking to kill. These acts of bravery and humanity allowed many of those who wanted to stay in their homes, escape the violence and killings that were taking place.

My grandfather, Gurdeep Singh, from my father’s side was born in Pakistan and the Kalkat family had been living in the Western side of Punjab for as long as they could remember. They were hesitant to leave the place they called home but, due to increasing pressures from Muslim locals, decided it would be safer for them to relocate. Gurdeep Singh’s uncle was a police officer of high status and was revered by many in West Punjab. He was very lucky to have a car at the time, whilst the majority of Punjabis made their journeys by foot or carts. My grandfather and his family pleaded with his uncle to help them cross the border safely. He told them that he would take his own family across first and then come back for them. He never returned.

The partition had not only divided communities, but it had divided families who had once relied on each other for safety. My family were forced to make their own way across the border into India and my grandfather lost his own grandfather during the journey. They had become refugees with very little to their names. Once in Punjab, my grandfather had eventually managed to contact his uncle but the families soon became estranged and they were left to support themselves with no help from Gurdeep’s uncle. Since my grandfather’s death, my family have had no contact with the police officer or his family. Whilst my mother’s family had seen how people from opposing sides came together and helped each other, my father’s family had witnessed how danger and desperation could split apart a single family. 

telegraph.co.uk

India to Pakistan

Zafar Uddin was a highly respected officer living with his family in a village close to Ludhiana which fell on the Indian side of the border. He had managed to send his family across into Pakistan but felt it was his duty to protect the people of his town. Many villages on both sides of the borders had been attacked and were often set alight as mobs began to target anyone of the opposing race. Zafar Uddin was one of many officers and men who protected vulnerable families and brought them to safety. However, like many of those who were incredibly brave and worked to protect others, he was shot as Hindu mobs caught up with them as they continued to attack Muslim villages. This was due to the borders being undecided leading many people to the mentality that a majority would give their side more land.

His eldest son Zahir Uddin was seventeen at the time and now had to take up the responsibility as head of the family. He and his family had become refugees and joined hundreds of families in the refugee camps that had been set up either sides of the border. Zahir and his generation are an inspiration to us all as they had managed to build successful lives for themselves and their families despite the tragic experiences and suffering they endured, something which I believe is truly commendable. 

I urge you to explore your own families' stories if you are able to.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

Muslim model makes Miss Universe history

A year on from Frances’ ‘Burkini Ban’, which saw many Muslim women being fined or banned from beaches, Muna Jama, 27, has brought the issue to light once again by being the first women to refuse to wear a bikini in the 2017 Miss Universe competition. In her efforts to not let her religious and cultural beliefs separate her from others, she was granted the right to grace the stage in a kaftan cover up, rather than the traditional bikini. Could this be the push we need into becoming a more accepting and open minded society?

Two years ago Ms Jama had applied for the same completion but felt pressured to withdraw over her concerns about wearing a bikini as part of the swimwear round. The Miss Universe competition, formerly owned and run by the dreadful Donald Trump, includes a variation of rounds, ranging from national dress to a swimsuit round, and contestants are judged upon their ability to model the outfit and look the best. However Ms Jama, representing Great Britain, saw no reason why she should be made to wear the swimwear for that particular round, stating, “I wouldn’t wear a bikini to the beach, so I’m not going to wear one in a competition to score points.” Her campaign was successful and she chose to instead wear a beautiful colourful kaftan, paired with a silver choker and hoop earrings, failing to let her differences be a limitation to what she could achieve in the competition.

This bold move has shown that beauty should not be judged by the same standards. Rather than having women line up in uniform swimwear, competitions like Miss Universe should instead be celebrating the differences that their contestants possess, enlightening us to the diverse forms of beauty seen in cultures across our globe. Why should it be called Miss Universe if it doesn’t represent beauty on a universal scale?

Not only has the Miss Universe contestant raised awareness about cultural differences, she is also the co-founder of Cloudless Research, which aims to tackle both child abuse and the migration crisis, particularly in Somalia, her home country. The platform given to her by the competition will only cause her efforts to excel in improving the lives of refugees through education and new legislations.

For many of the contestants, the competition final will be an opportunity to showcase their meticulous training in order to reach their physical peak but for Muna this opportunity will allow her to bring to the spotlight something thought provoking and unparalleled, hopefully inspiring hundreds of women alongside her.

Following Ms Jama’s brave position on how modern beauty can be defined, it is likely that we will see more women from the Muslim background, among others, failing to let limitations prevent them from doing what they love, which in my opinion can be described as beauty itself. 

Thank you for reading!

Aman

Why Love Island is 100% our type on paper

If you had asked me, two months ago, to watch Love Island, I probably would have questioned whether you knew me at all, but now here I am, almost a week after the final, still tagging my friends in those hilarious polar bear Chris memes. Some 3 million viewers watched Kem and Amber being crowned the ultimate couple on Monday night’s finale alone and most of us have no shame in turning down plans to instead turn on the TV at 9pm, but what exactly made the hit series, that even Stormzy loves, so addictive?

One of the main things that play into the nation’s addiction for the show is simply the fact that we’re so incredibly nosy. It almost becomes a thrill to watch others in their most personal and embarrassing moments and this way, with all the cameras, there’s no one to tell us were being absolute gossip queens.

‘On paper’ (prepare for a lot of puns in this one), all the contestants are doing is tanning out on sun loungers in one of the most stunning villas in the Balearic Islands whilst being treated to luxury dates.  What could be easier than that? However, being enclosed in the same provinces with the same people and little to no contact with the outside world can definitely lead to a build-up of strong emotions in such an intense atmosphere. As we saw with Camilla’s journey, in particular, the format of the show forced contestants to tackle their emotions and issues head on with nowhere to escape and this definitely pulled on our heart strings as viewers. A large majority of the audience were made up of teens ranging from 15-18 years and I believe part of the reason for this demographic was due to the mirroring between the villa life and school life. By being shown how contestants faced up to their dramas in a very restricted environment the way we, as students, sometimes are in the confines of our classrooms and common rooms, it’s very clear that teens across the country were able to relate to the various issues surrounding the villa, whether it be Gabby’s confidence knock or shocking amount of drama unearthed in those challenges. The cliques formed, the screaming matches, and even the secret text conversations all added up to form some sort of high school environment, barring the sex and smoking of course.

Along with relating to the situations that the islanders found themselves in, viewers often subconsciously identified with one or more of the contestants. By doing this it allows us to become all the more excited for the highs, such as Montana finally being attracted to someone, as well as causing us to be particularly angry when someone ‘pies off’ our favourite islander. This all draws us further into the show and leaves us wondering what we would have done if we were in their shoes. Not only are we relating to them, we’re also comparing ourselves to them. We get the chance to measure ourselves against the islanders thinking, “I’d never say that about someone on camera”, “I’m glad my boyfriend doesn’t act like that”, or even “I could do a much better rap than that Chris and Kem”. From all of this alone, it’s fair to say that Love Island stimulates far more topics than love alone.

And finally, perhaps my most favourite part of the show, the islanders of 2017 have gone a step further in including their viewers and truly giving us the Love Island experience with their incredibly amusing vocabulary. Like the rest of us, I’ve made countless jokes about someone being totally “muggy” or having someone’s “eggs in my basket” over the last seven weeks. Not only does this allow us to incorporate the Majorca villa lifestyle into our own, it displays a certain type of togetherness between the contestants. They have quickly developed a shared language, accepted by all, indicating a degree of likeness in their thinking and making them all the more lovable for it. I don’t know about you, but I've fallen for Love Island and I’m certainly going to miss hearing the islanders shout “I’ve got a text” across the garden.

So don’t be a ‘melt’ and go catch up on Love Island. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you for reading!
Aman

(Thanks Niku for the very creative title)

Is it time to stop fighting against millennials in fashion?

Source: Models.com

They’ve been dubbed as ‘instamodels’, ‘family feeders’ and, perhaps most strongly, ‘undeserving’. The models dominating our magazine covers and billboards all share one big attribute: Instagram. They have been attacked in recent years for their ways of attaining fame but is it time to accept this as a shift in the ever changing media industry?

Nearly every development in Kendall Jenner’s modelling career has been welcomed with backlash and controversy, accusing her of “nepotism at its finest” and simply “being famous for being famous”, but perhaps, along with Gigi and Bella Hadid, she happened to be in the right place at the right time. At a time where social media, particularly Instagram, has been adopted as the ultimate tool for marketing, it can be hard to ignore just how influential those ‘insta famous’ accounts are. Modelling agencies are moving on from the traditional scouting in the streets technique and are instead scrolling the ‘gram for potential new faces. It’s clear that in this day and age your number of followers are more important than how well you photograph but this doesn’t have to be all bad.

The digital age has allowed us to step away from traditional standards, especially when it comes to the fashion world. Models are no longer restricted to their accounts and are now stepping out onto real runways. I for one believe this is just another way in which technology is adapting parts of our society. Though it can be implied that this change means many models are ‘getting it easy’, surely it can be argued that fashion is all about change. Runways have never stayed the same. Trends have never stayed the same. So why should our models be restricted to the same criteria?

Something that comes to mind when discussing nepotism and Hollywood families is the ‘Dolce and Gabbana Fall/Winter 2017-18 Show’. It immediately received criticisms for its star studded line up with singers, bloggers and a string of second generation celebrities including: Sofia Richie, Madison Beer and Dylan Lee. D&G, however, made sure it was obvious that their theme focused on the idea of famous millennials and family by casting Steve Harvey’s son and daughter-in-law as well as their own two children.

But what people don’t realise is that D&G got what they wanted, they got everyone talking about their show. The more criticism they received, the more recognition came with it. Plus, the show was centred around family and truly represented uniqueness in both its style and model choice. Take Starlie Smith for example, she is not a usual face in the fashion industry and its obvious that her sibling relations to model phenomenon Lucky Blue had played a significant part in earning her that role in the show, but she brought variety to the runway. Her 5’5 petite shape brought something different to the show and by strategically placing her alongside her two towering sisters D&G were able to embrace the differences that the new generation of social media models have by using those that represent all types of bodies not just the bodies we are used to seeing. 

Not only did the family theme bring diversity to the runway but it demonstrated just how this generation of models are bringing in new customers. Fashion and couture are no longer aimed exclusively at the middle aged rich list, it is also becoming accessible to younger people. Sure, most 17 year olds can’t afford a Burberry coat but more and more teenagers and young people are following the fashion movement. Girls who once looked up to the Jenner sisters are now finding interests beyond the magazine pages and the fashion world has opened up to everyone. The fan bases that these models create provide yet another unique factor contributing to the fashion universe. Upon seeing their role models display different trends, more young people and fashion enthusiasts will put their own spin on the style.

Being able to see these trends influenced by top designers and portrayed by their favourite models in real time can only be described as incredible and empowering and in terms of the fashion industry, media and millennials are critical to its progression.

Thank you for reading!

Aman