It’s no secret that the models who grace the pages of fashion magazines are in no way representative of the average woman, so when a big brand or fashion house features a model who is anything less than 5’10 and bigger than a size 0 or 2 in a campaign, people tend to take notice.
Calvin Klein is the latest label to make such a move, featuring the gorgeous Myla Dalbesio in its latest lingerie campaign, dubbed “Perfectly Fit.” While Calvin Klein hasn’t labeled Dalbesio as a plus-size model per se, various media sources are reporting on “Calvin Klein’s New Plus-Size Model,” despite Dalbesio being a size 8-10, depending on your sources.
While she’s definitely curvier than her campaign co-stars, which include Jourdan Dunn and Lara Stone, Dalbesio is simply not “plus-size,” which traditionally refers to models who are size 12 and up. In fact, she’s still smaller than the average American woman, who falls somewhere between size 12 and 16. Again, Calvin Klein hasn’t specifically labeled her Dalbesio as plus-size; the brand did say that the images from its campaign “are intended to communicate that our new line is more inclusive and available in several silhouettes in an extensive range of sizes.”
As usual, Twitter has been ablaze with commentary about the campaign and its resulting media attention, and consumers are less than impressed with what they consider to be disingenuous publicity, given that it doesn’t actually feature a plus-size model. Perhaps Calvin Klein is more susceptible to criticisms, given that it basically pioneered the waif-model, heroin-chic look back in the '90s with those ads that featured then-rising star Kate Moss. It also doesn’t help that sensitivities around the subject are high, given that just last week Victoria’s Secret came under fire for its “Perfect Body” ads, which featured a line-up of the lingerie company’s famous models.
Genuine WTF moment. This woman is described as 'plus-size' and 'a bigger girl'. Aaaraagahagaagahahagahahag http://t.co/Z1yb0RgW8V
— Isabel Hardman (@IsabelHardman) November 8, 2014
WTF @CalvinKlein --this is your "plus-size model"? Give me a freaking break! http://t.co/Wk6MbzwY9t #calvinkleinisclueless
— Sharon Bueno (@ohiometgirl31) November 10, 2014It’s certainly refreshing to see models who better represent the range of beautiful body sizes and shapes we see in “real” women, and while Dalbesio's inclusion was done without the label using it as a headline grabbing gimmick, it's managed to garner attention regardless, but for all the wrong reasons. It's evident that there’s still a disconnect between the industry, the media, and the public on what it means to be “plus-size.” And to be fair, Calvin Klein isn’t necessarily the bad guy in all this, but judging by the reaction on Twitter, brands will have to continue to work on expanding the concept of beauty and the "ideal," while dealing with the sensitivities and responsibilities that come with a general progression.
UDPATE
After the controversy broke, Dalbesio herself appeared on NBC's "TODAY" show and came to the defense of Calvin Klein.
"I think it’s really unfortunate because I think that Calvin Klein has done something that’s really groundbreaking, which is, they released this campaign with what some would say is a normal sized model, a size 10, I’m a size 10," he said. "Size 10 girls, there’s not a lot of spots for us to fit in, in the fashion industry. They released this campaign with me right alongside all of the other girls of varying shapes and sizes and didn’t make a fuss about it." She also commented on representing women of all sizes, saying that "Life doesn’t work in only extremes. True body diversity is everything and everyone. It’s a range of sizes and shapes. It’s not just super skinny or just larger."
Check out her full interview with "TODAY" here.
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[via NYMag]
