Body business

In the fashion biz, it's pretty rare to hear models talk. They're models for a reason, right?

I am of the view that models should talk more; about what their jobs are like, whether they are being treated fairly, whether they have body issues; hell, just talk to us about the fabulous clothes you get to wear!

And while we do sometimes get snippets backstage during Fashion Week, and we sometimes get a few well-known models on a cover of a magazine talking about their fabulous lives, it's still a rare thing when a model speaks out on her own accord, and in all honesty, about her life as a model.

Last year, Model.Live followed three wannabe models trying to make it during Fashion Week. It was a very honest look at the struggle of newbie models. A few weeks ago, Jezebel's resident brainiac model "Tatiana" revealed herself to be Jenna Sauers;

who eloquently wrote about the unglamorous life of modeling. Last year, model Ali Michael spoke out on national TV after she was sent home from Paris for aing "fat legs" even though she hovered around 105 pounds.

And now model Crystal Renn has penned a memoir called "Hungry," detailing her journey as a thin model, who had heart palpatations she was so skinny, to being a successful plus-sized model.

Renn says that when she was first scouted, at the age of 14, she was told to lose 55 pounds. She lost the weight but when her agent told her to lose more, she realized she couldn't diet anymore. That's when it was suggested she become a plus-sized model and it was when she became a healthy size 12 that her career took off.

She says:

"I got to my lowest point, when I couldn't go lower, and it was either, 'I'm going to die and not accomplish the dream,' or, 'I can become a plus-size model and keep the dream,"' she said in an interview. "I am healthy now, the healthiest I've ever been in my life - both physically and mentally."

I'm not going to wax on about how fuller figured models are practically ignored by the fashion industry; that's for another post when I can think of something new to add to that discussion; but I'm just impressed that Renn, who is still in the middle of an incredible career, is brave enough to call out the industry on his thin obsession. More models should take a cue from her.

Ali Michael makes a comeback in Paris

Last season, model Ali Michael was put on a plane from Paris back to the U.S. because she couldn't get casted for shows as a result of having "fat legs."

In New York and London for the S/S 09 season we saw Ali walk in many shows including Matthew Williamson, MaxAzria, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Luella and Burberry Prorsum.

Now she's in Paris and walking in many big name shows: Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld to name a few. This is huge for a young model who decried the fashion industry for its obsession with being anorexic thin.

I'm so glad to see that she is getting jobs and walking for the major shows, but I wonder at what cost? In her interview with Teen People she said her period stopped because she hardly ate. I wonder if she lost the weight she gained last season? Or are the casting agents being more forgiving this year and hiring models who wear sizes higher than zero?

Reports are saying that the average model this season is between a size 2 and 4 but it's hard to tell; they still look extremely thin.
I hope that Ali didn't sacrifice her period again to get work.


Burberry Prorsum
Dior

Doo.Ri
Fendi
Karl Lagerfeld
Marc by Marc Jacobs
MaxAzria

My favorite models from New York Fashion Week

As I was looking through the looks of New York Fashion Week, my eye would keep looking at certain models that really stood out from the rest of the Eastern-European blond princesses.
Some of these girls are brand new, like Cato Van Ee, who is featured on Vogue's reality documentary, Model.Live, while others, like Jourdan Dunn, are rising stars.

I chose these girls not for their beauty, as some of them, like my favorite Amanda Laine, isn't your typical beautiful girl. Instead I chose them because they had personality; whether it be a sexy scowl, a hint of a wink in their eye or a fierce walk. All of these girls look different from the tidal wave of blue-eyed nymphs we've seen in seasons past and I hope casting agents choose girls with more unique looks in the coming Milan and Paris shows.


Amanda Laine
Amanda really stood out not only because she was in almost every show this season but because you can't help but notice her; with her dark hair, long jaw, small mouth; she always looks put out in her photos, which I love. She has that "I don't give a fuck" look.

Cato Van Ee
This is Cato's first season having come off a Prada exclusive last season. Cato does have the blond, blue-eyed waif look, but what makes her different from the others is her expression: it actually looks like she is present and enjoying her work, as compared to the other lifeless zombies we're so used to.

Kasia Struss
Kasia also walked a lot of shows this season so I kept picking up on her name on style.com but I really like the shape of her eyes and her rosebud mouth.


Jourdan Dunn
Jourdan is on the brink of becoming a huge star. If you've seen her cover on this month's I-D magazine than you will know what I mean. She has sex appeal, a big, friendly personality, and she's drop-dead gorgeous. I just can't stop staring at her.

Ali Michael
I was hoping that Ali would have booked more shows since being shipped home from Paris last season after being told her legs were too fat, but unfortunately, Ali only booked seven. Seven is a respectable number but Ali had a much better season in New York last year, before all of the hullabaloo about her weight. I wonder if casting agents still find her "too fat" to walk the runway? Or perhaps designers didn't like the fact that she talked to Teen Vogue about the pressure to be thin in the modeling business. I hope she does better in Milan and Paris.

I think she looks stunning. Her long, dark hair, those beautiful blue eyes are hypnotizing and her body looks incredible.


Abbey Lee
I first noticed Abbey in those Express ads and then I saw her wobble and fall down at Rodarte (pictured here.) But I didn't feel sorry for her because she booked so many shows this season and looked killer. She has this cute cherubic face with these intense eyes that look like they will shoot laser beams at you.

Spotted: Ali Michael back on the runway

I'm happy to see that Ali is back on the runway after she was shunned from the Paris shows last season for having "fat legs" and gaining five pounds. Here she is looking hot and healthy at the Marc by Marc Jacobs show. I hope this means that she hasn't lost weight but designers still want to book her. Paris, payback's a bitch.

Model Ali Michael back to work

When Ali Micheal spoke out about eating disorders in the modeling industry on national TV and in Teen Vogue, I'm betting she was pretty scared that she wouldn't work in fashion ever again. Thank God she doesn't have to worry anymore because she stars in the new Anna Sui campaign.
I don't know if she's gained any weight but she looks typically model-thin in this photo.

(That's Ali on the left. )

It will be interesting to see which (if any) designers will choose her to walk in their S/S 09 shows this Fall. If they do, I think it's a good step towards recognizing that women who weigh more than 110 pounds can walk the runway and look gorgeous. Now I am not saying that Ali represents the typical woman, but as a model, it is hard when you are competing against 15-year-old girls who are shaped like poles and if you gain just a couple pounds, it makes a big difference. I really hope that she gets casted in the S/S 09 shows and I hope she stays healthy.

Model Ali Michael:"I hadn't had my period in over a year"

18-year-old model Ali Michael was on the Today show this morning, talking about her experience at the Paris shows this past February, where she was told that her legs were too fat for the runways. Last year she was a promising up-and-comer, having appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue and opened for Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel, Dior, Christian Lacroix and Galliano.
So what happened? When she was discovered, she was five-foot-nine and weighed 130 pounds. Her agent told her to lose weight and she dropped to a total of 102 pounds. After she lost that weight, she started getting noticed in the fashion industry and found runway success.
But her success came with a price.
"I was on a plane from Paris to Texas, and I ran my fingers through my hair, and when I took my hand away there was a dry brittle clump of hair in my hand. And that's kind of when I realized that this wasn't worth it anymore, and it had completely taken over."

She also said that many models suffer in the same way she does. When Ann Curry asked her if other models were sick, Ali said:

"Absolutely. I remember one instance when I was backstage at a show in Paris, and I was sitting in a group of four girls. I had mentioned to them that I hadn't had a period in over a year, and one by one all of them said, "Oh, me too."

After getting a bit healthier, she gained five pounds. When she went to Paris in February, she still was skinny enough (something is wrong with that sentence right?) to model but only Yohji Yamamoto cast her (walking with three other girls mind you, not by herself.)

Five pounds and she is cast out just like that. Ali said:
"It has to change. The fashion industry affects everyone."

But who is to blame? There have been countless stories tackling these issues ever since the death of a couple of models from anorexia. Ali says:
"It's the designers."

It is very rare that a model (especially one so young who has just started her career) has come out and spoken against the fashion industry and admitted that models are sick. I hope that this encourages other models and people in the industry to speak out about these issues. (Photo: Imaxtree)