Didn’t see many black models on the runways for the fall shows? Stefano Pilati, creative director of Yves Saint Laurent breaks it down. The short reason: they’re too damn fat.
“In the ’70s, to have black models in Paris and Europe was sort of a message of having an open mind,” Pilati says. “We were definitely less used to races crossing lines. It was definitely something coming from America.”
Saint Laurent “was very sensitive to that. It was helping to add exoticism to the collection and to embrace the multicultural aspect of the work.”
Why aren’t there more black models working today? “To me, it is a matter of proportions and the bodies I choose. My fit model was a black model,” he says. “When I wanted to translate what I put on her, it was a disaster. It would need 13 times more work in the atelier to modify it to put on a more Caucasian anatomy.
“Sometimes, it’s not your choice. You can’t find [black models] that are beautiful and with the right proportions. I prefer them with lean proportions with no big hips.”
Big hips? A dearth of beautiful black models? This from the designer who characterizes himself as the best salesman for his clothes.
To the right is a photo of Sasha Gaye-Hunt, the one black model Pilati deigned hipless enough to do his clothes justice, at YSL’s fall show. There are a lot of things I can say about his “choice” in models and the fact that he actually thinks there are no beautiful black models with boyish shapes, but he’s no worse than the rest of them. A size zero black model is going to read this and starve herself to try to get rid of assets she was born with. And she still won’t get a job.
The fashion industry should get together with the National Action on Obesity to permanently destroy the self-esteem of women who aren’t shaped like twigs.
[WP]
There are lots of black models, slim-hipped and otherwise, so this guy’s talk is b.s.
I’m going to write a book called “I Feel Bad About My Hips.” Regardless of how everyone else feels about their bod and how gorgeous everyone (black and white) thinks Beyonce’s body is amazing (and I do as well btw), I would rather have Kelly Rowland’s body any day.
Well if it means less black women starving themselves to look like anorexic bow-legged calves then that’s fine. I’ve seen black models that have what I would consider to be an incredible, if not perfect, shape. But apparently wearing a size 5/6 and being 5′9″ is too damn fat.
The current ‘look’ (if that’s what you want to call it) that models have is terrible.
[…] Black Models Have Flawed Genes - Stereohyped Yikes - Stefano Pilato of YSL says: “My fit model was a black model,” he says. “When I wanted to translate what I put on her, it was a disaster. It would need 13 times more work in the atelier to modify it to put on a more Caucasian anatomy.” (tags: fashion black bodyimage) […]
[…] foot in his mouth by stating that he doesn’t like hiring black models because their hips are too big. It’s one thing for the industry to have such physical standards (5′8-5′11 and […]
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