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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
wow such a helpful blog!
ReplyDeletewould read again!
Keep up the good work!
Loved the part about fashion, great read oppa!
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