by Shantelle Slaughter
Back in September, Amazon Prime Video released an Amazon original, a lingerie special that was more than influential to the fashion industry. A talented and legendary icon has now created her own brand to present that change to the world of fashion and even make it the new norm. Her use of models of any color, shape and background is what makes her brand even more groundbreaking than the clothing items in her line alone. Robyn Fenty, known nation-wide as Rihanna, has a lot to show and say when it comes to representing all women universally. She speaks up in hopes of showing that something can still be beautiful even if it strays away from what is safe or regular. She is a faultless advocate for freedom of expression and creativity, and is an immense influence in allowing the public to understand the treasure of embracing different types of beauty as it comes.
Now she’s even turning her attention to women in music who stand for the same things. The entrepreneur notices other women who share her musical roots that offer the same substance in their art. In an interview with ET, she mentioned how “Lizzo is so badass and she’s everything that Savage stands for. A confident woman no matter what size, color, shape. Your attitude is what makes you savage. It’s confidence that you have in yourself and it’s the confidence that you can give off to people that look like you and feel like you and those are the people that identify with the brand.” She is emphasizing the importance of younger, curvier girls looking on their TV screen and seeing a mutual curvy woman being excellent with her so-called imperfections, and showing them that they aren’t imperfections at all and demand that they be celebrated!
Language can be expressed visually just like it can be communicated verbally. Language can be used through representation and speak volumes to ideas, beliefs, and various depictions of different platforms. It can be emphasized in fashion through the use of certain models with diverse shapes and sizes and of different ethnicities. The typical model we are used to seeing is a white, tall, thin, bubbly, yet sophisticated persona. However, the younger generation of models is bringing in authenticity. With youth comes the birth of new thoughts on how the industry is running things and with new thoughts come change. That is the positive language that can be spoken to young girls and all people everywhere.
Take highly successful supermodel Slick Woods for example. She is a tall, gap-toothed, bald woman which is rare to the fashion world and usually rejected. But when talent is as natural as hers, her place in the industry is undeniable. Slick “Simone Marie Thompson” Woods, got her nickname from her close friends due to her unfiltered and reckless speech. When asked in an interview with The Guardian what she would put about herself on a business card, her response was that she is “multifaceted,” “intellectual,” and “hood.” These terms are seldom associated with a high-class supermodel, which shows just how true to herself she will remain. It is highly unusual that someone who struts in front of rooms full of people professionally and who poses in front of the greatest photographers amongst other models would label herself as an intellectual. Although, it is unusual does not mean it isn’t possible, and just because you’re gifted at something doesn’t mean you’re always comfortable doing it, which is something she wanted to bring to light. She explained, “I model to have a platform. I use my platform for whatever the f*ck I want. So, basically, I’m whoever. I’m everyone. I’m nobody”. She confidently follows through with her mission in fashion of being a true testament to remaining authentic and kind, yet irrepressible. She also noted she noticed a pattern of girls becoming models just to bully others. They used their platform to tear other people’s confidence and possible even self-love down. This inspires Slick to express the opposite to all those she works with. Where these same models might have mocked a woman who looks like Slick Woods, now it is a privilege to be working in her presence and they wish to obtain a pedestal as high as the one she so effortlessly thrives on now. Her work and her character speak for her and through her and her style while doing what she now loves to do, all the while representing for the strange and candid girls like herself.
Another example of a woman changing perspectives in the language of fashion is Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira. She is a plus-sized actress with the name Barbie, a paradox in a way, but who says being curvy isn’t also beautiful? Ms. Ferreira uses her own personal style to embrace her curves and highlight her character and charm. This is displayed in the role of Kat on Euphoria, who finds the fearlessness to be bold in what she wears and how she acts despite being big or what anybody has to say about the “fat girl at school.” In a New York Times interview, she admitted, “I also hated myself for so long, as a lot of young girls do, and then I just had to not fall into that trap and make a very conscious decision not to do it.” Ms. Ferreira went on to reminisce how in her earlier years as a teenage girl, she would see a lot of blogs and magazine articles that only encouraged being skinny and even said how being called anorexic is a flattering thing. Constantly seeing things like this with no diversity of girls or how they thought of other body types was like poison to her and made her rethink things like how she thought about food. “Every micro-problem with my body was enhanced in my head,” she said, “My dysmorphia was crazy.” Now she gets to be the representation to curvy girls that she wishes she
had when she was younger. She gets to rewrite the narrative on body positivity and put down the shaming of the looks of others. Her words and actions exude poise, self-love, and reassurance that as you are is how you should be accepted and nothing less.
The language of fashion is changing, and it is the most exciting thing to see the ways it is creatively expressed and how the rewritten version of the stereotyped story is told. Through the outfits, the body types, the models and their different personalities, the different ethnicities and so much more, the language of fashion is to be nothing less than heard. Fashion is not only speaking towards designers selling their clothes and accessories, but it is bellowing an introduction to a new era of acknowledging and integrating praise to both woman and men with all of their differences
From <https://www.satellitestories.org/nyfw/>
Now she’s even turning her attention to women in music who stand for the same things. The entrepreneur notices other women who share her musical roots that offer the same substance in their art. In an interview with ET, she mentioned how “Lizzo is so badass and she’s everything that Savage stands for. A confident woman no matter what size color, shape. Your attitude is what makes you savage. It’s confidence that you have in yourself and it’s the confidence that you can give off to people that look like you and feel like you and those are the people that identify with the brand.” She is emphasizing the importance of younger curvier girls looking on their tv
screen and seeing a mutual curvy woman being excellent with her “imperfections”, and showing them that they aren’t imperfections at all and demand that they be celebrated!
Language can be expressed visually just like it can be communicated verbally. Language can be used through representation and speak volumes to ideas, beliefs and various depictions of different platforms. It can be emphasized in fashion through the use of certain models with diverse shapes and sizes and of different ethnicities. The typical model we are used to seeing is a white, tall, thin, bubbly, yet sophisticated persona. However, the younger generation of models is bringing in authenticity. With youth comes the birth of new thoughts on how the industry is running things and with new thoughts come change. That is the positive language that can be spoken to young girls and all people everywhere.
Take highly successful supermodel Slick Woods for example. She is a tall, gap-toothed, bald woman which is rare to the fashion world and usually rejected. But when talent is as natural as hers, her place in the industry is undeniable. Slick “Simone Marie Thompson” Woods, got her nickname from her close friends due to her unfiltered and reckless speech. When asked in an interview with The Guardian what she would put about herself on a business card, her response was that she is “multifaceted,” “intellectual,” and “hood.” These terms are little to never associated with a high-class supermodel, which shows just how true to herself she will remain. It is highly unusual that someone who struts in front of rooms full of people professionally and who poses in front of the greatest photographers amongst other models would label herself as an intellectual. Yet although it is unusual does not mean it isn’t possible, and just because you’re gifted at something doesn’t mean you’re always comfortable doing it, which is something she wanted to bring to light. She explained, “I model to have a platform. I use my platform for whatever the f*ck I want. So, basically, I’m whoever. I’m everyone. I’m nobody”. She
confidently follows through with her mission in fashion of being a true testament to remaining authentic and kind, yet irrepressible. She noted too that she noticed a pattern of girls becoming models just to bully others. They used their platform to tear other people’s confidence and possible even self-love down. This inspires Slick to express the opposite to all those she works with. Where these same models might have mocked a woman who looks like Slick Woods, now it is a privilege to be working in her presence and they wish to obtain a pedestal as high as the one she so effortlessly thrives on now. Her work and her character speak for her and through her and her style while doing what she now loves to do, all the while representing for the strange and candid girls like herself.
Another example of a woman changing perspectives in the language of fashion is Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira. She is a plus sized actress with the name Barbie, a paradox in a way, but who says being curvy isn’t also beautiful? Ms. Ferreira uses her own personal style to embrace her curves and highlight her character and charm. This is displayed in the role of Kat on Euphoria, who finds the fearlessness to be bold in what she wears and how she acts despite being big or what anybody has to say about the “fat girl at school.” In a New York Times interview, she admitted, “I also hated myself for so long, as a lot of young girls do, and then I just had to not fall into that trap and make a very conscious decision not to do it.” Ms. Ferreira went on to reminisce how in her earlier years as a teenage girl, she would see a lot of blogs and magazine articles that only encouraged being skinny and even saying how being called anorexic is a flattering thing. Constantly seeing things like this with no diversity of girls or how they thought of other body types was like poison to her and made her rethink things like how she thought about food. “Every micro-problem with my body was enhanced in my head,” she said, “My dysmorphia was crazy.” Now she gets to be the representation to curvy girls that she wishes she
had when she was younger. She gets to rewrite the narrative on body positivity and put down the shaming of the looks of others. Her words and actions exude poise, self-love, and reassurance that as you are is how you should be accepted and nothing less.
The language of fashion is changing, and it is the most exciting thing to see the ways it is creatively expressed and how the rewritten version of the stereotyped story is told. Through the outfits, the body types, the models and their different personalities, the different ethnicities and so much more, the language of fashion is to be nothing less than heard. Fashion is not only speaking towards designers selling their clothes and accessories, but it is bellowing an introduction to a new era of acknowledging and integrating praise to both woman and men with all of their differences
