When it comes to diversity in the fashion industry, we think of it as a given. Style is not a one-size-fits-all idea, and while some industry leaders are championing this cause, Kelly Cutrone's recent interview kinda makes us feel like we've taken a few steps back. As The Gloss reports, Cutrone spoke about the the future of the modeling and the fashion industry during a recent promotion for the next season of America's Next Top Model. “Society has a hyper emphasis on thin and that trend comes from the consumers — it does not come from the fashion industry," she said. "The fashion industry needs to make money, that’s what we do. If people said, ‘We want a 300-pound purple person,’ the first industry to do it would be fashion."
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Okay, valid point: There is a huge connection between the perceptions of skinniness and beauty, but frankly, as an industry, shouldn't we be working to change and not just feed into it? Again, Kelly didn't really help us out with that point either: "You look at the Dove campaign in Times Square — it sticks out like a sore thumb. Those girls in the white T-shirts and underwear, next to Calvin Klein [and all the other fashion ads]. As a consumer, it doesn’t make me want to buy Dove. I’m all for the real look, but as a consumer, it doesn’t make me want to buy clothes.”
We typically dig Cutrone's irreverent attitude and tell-it-like-it-is mentality, but we're pretty disappointed that she actually suggests that women do not want to see more diversity. Listen, we understand that any major shift in how society views beauty is not a fast or easy process, but if the fashion industry points fingers at consumers, and consumers point them right back, we'll find ourselves at an ugly standstill. Diversity is not a question of the chicken or the egg — it's a matter of understanding that every woman has a unique style POV and she deserves to express it. (The Gloss)
Photo: Via The Gloss
