Chanel Cuts Model Crystal Renn Off

The ad for Chanel’s store reopening on Spring Street has been released, which features plus-sized model, Crystal Renn. All together, the ad is very disappointing. The ad shows male model, Baptiste Giabiconi, lying down shirtless next to fur-covered Crystal Renn. Except, the image is cropped; only the upper portion of Renn is shown. Her complete body is cropped out! Chanel obvious doesn’t have a problem with Crystal Renn’s appearance since she walked the runway in their last resort show. Even Jean Paul Gaultier used Crystal’s full figure in his fall campaign this year.

Personally and from an artistic view, I think that the photo, even though it is nicely photographed, has an awkward flow. It abruptly stops, making the figures float in space. But the greater problem I think is the way the editing will reflect on Chanel. Because they’ve cropped Crystal’s curvy figure out of the photo, they are supporting the trend of sickly skinny models. Chanel could have easily made a stand and used Crystal’s body in the picture to declare all body types are beauty. In this case, I feel what Chanel did is just as bad as Ralph Lauren editing their models thinner.

This also raises the question of why use a plus-sized model in the first place if you are only going to take the photo from the chest up? A skinny model would have been just fine as well. If I were Crystal Renn, I would definitely feel hurt, but most of all cheated.

Source: 1

U.K. Minister Urges Ban of Photoshopping and Skinny Models

Since Australia’s efforts to use healthy-looking models in media, more countries have taken similar steps to reform the image of the fashion model. Over the past couple months, Lynne Featherstone, U.K. equalities minister, has organized meetings with advertisers and magazines to discuss the media’s projected idea of body image. Featherstone believes that underweight models should be used in any form of media, including television. She also would like to see warnings on images that have been altered with Photoshop and other programs, so the public would understand that the images are not real. Featherstone is very concerned on the way that theses images are effecting young girls and women. Featherstone explains, “All women have felt that pressure of having to conform to an unrealistic stereotype, which plagues them their whole life. It is not just the immediate harm; it is something that lasts a lifetime.” However, Featherstone believes that “advertisers and magazine editors have a right to publish what they choose.” Yet, this should not compromise a girl or woman’s confidence in her body. Featherstone is not only concerned with the pressures on women, but also the pressures that men feel about being perfect.

Source(s):
NYTimes