you make the mistake of assuming that women dress solely to attract men, which is clearly not the case.

No, you make the mistake of assuming that that is what I assume. I think women dress for other women because if they were truly dressing for men, they wouldn’t dress so poorly.

Thanks for the comments, Amy!

Keep in mind, Jim, that people also dress for themselves and the image of themselves they want to have. For example, I used to dress is a fedora and trenchcoat not because I wanted people to think I was a private eye but because I had this really weird sense of what I looked like (145lbs. and 6′1″ doesn’t do that look well) and how I saw myself. Actually – I think I imagined I was dressing normally.

And as far as fashion goes, there’s something to be said for the idea of abstraction, that we try to take humans and abstract the form so completely that there’s a kind of art in the presentation. This can be pushed to fetish levels, but in some cases can really represent amazing work on the part of the model, photographer, makeup artist and clothier.

All that said… I understand your reaction to current trends.

Certainly Chris, no disagreement there, and actually to get back on track, the whole article was not a dis to people’s fashion sense and the need to express it, nor was it a bash of their lifestyles, but only a comment on the extremely underfed look of the fashion models and the implications and impressions the desire to look equally underfed might have on impressionable minds.

“…but only a comment on the extremely underfed look of the fashion models and the implications and impressions the desire to look equally underfed might have on impressionable minds.”

Well – now you’re getting on to a topic very near and dear to my heart as the father of a little girl. Thingamababy has a fantastic post with links to some commercials Dove put out that really speak to the idea of beauty and body image. I’ve had that link saved in my Bloglines account for months now and keep it fresh just so that I can be reminded of what my little ones with deal with growing up.

But… what’s the place of art in fashion photography and how do ride that line? And to speak to your comment about gay men creating fashions for women, are you seriously suggesting that gay fashion designers are pedophiles?

The “Onslaught” film isn’t working on the page, so here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNFpoAt5PkA

Wow, quite a jump between “gay men creating fashion designs for women” and “pedophiles” (remember, you said it, not me).

NOWHERE in my opinion do I go there or would I.

Again, not to get WAY off track, but gay men are gay men. Pedophiles are pedophiles (note: castration).
I’d be the last one to suggest otherwise (and, before we take one more flying leap of thought, straight-men are straight men yada, yada, yada….).

What’s the place of Art in Fashion Photography? I guess that gets us back to the age-old discussion as to when does “Art” become “commerce”? ..and “How much money does the fashion industry bring in?”

I too was impressed by Dove’s attempt at being realistic with self-image and body-type. They have beautiful looking women of all body-types and ages in their ads and I certainly applaud them for that.
As for the argument that mass-media doesn’t influence people, why is it that a kid can sing a commercial-jingle 2-minutes after first hearing it?

But, ultimately, this whole notion that a person’s appearance (weight, haircolor, breast-size, clothing, what they drive etc…) defines them as “beautiful” really misses the fact that the real beauty comes from the inside out.
Of course everyone knows that, but Madison Avenue and the Fashion industry doesn’t seem to be able to convey that message, and it’d be ashamed if all of those young impressionable minds only thought that real-beauty is truly only skin-deep.

Before I let you off the hook for this… what’s your meaning for the title, “American Photo,the Fashion Industry and 12-year old boys..” and then the comment “but the models… they all are skinny and as shapely as a 12-year old boy and if I wanted to lust after 12-year old boys, I would have joined the Priesthood.” This directly implies that the designers of the magazines are in fact pedophiles (literally, child lovers – which is different than a eunuch or castrato). You then say that the people in charge of the design side of the fashion shoot are gay men. It seems pretty clear to me, but I’d like to hear what you mean if you’re not saying that.

CHRIS!!!! Lay off the cheap wine!!! It only STATES that the MODELS are as SKINNY as 12 year old boys! I DON’T imply, I STATE.

I STATE American Photo is a Photo Magazine. (period, end of STATEment).

I STATE that the Fashion Industry likes skinny models. (Period end of STATEment).

I STATE that some of the people in the industry are gay and may not have a female’s best interest in mind. (period end of STATEment).

I STATE that I, personally, don’t care what someone’s personal lifestyle preferences are (period end of STATEment…please note that pedophilia is NOT a “lifestyle”, it’s a crime).

I’ve never seen “clear” implications or “clear” allusion, so I’m puzzled how these things can be so clear to you.

Lastly, I CAN see Russia from my front porch and have fought big-oil and won.

I agree with you, Jim…at best it’s a waste of time, and at worst it creates awful standards that damage women’s self-esteem everywhere. It’s one of those things that seems to keep rich people with nothing better to do busy, and yes, most of the outfits are absurd and wouldn’t look good on a straw let alone a real woman.

That said, it might amuse you that my latest Flickr set is from a fashion show. I thought I would try it to see if it changed my mind. Nope.

Thanks for the comments, Angela!

It really makes you wonder about the “ripple effects” of that poor self-esteem…failed relationships, spending more money in hope that this time the clothes will really deliver on the promise of getting that special someone, getting rich, impressing the world…it’s a vicious and never ending cycle.

Why everyone knows that if you buy that new car, your life will be magically transformed into a wonderland of joy and wealth.
Also, lending someone 130% of a home-loan for a house they can’t afford certainly can’t hurt the economy.

Meanwhile, while expectations are raised (commensurate with the price of that outfit), the less they are fulfilled.

Thanks for the input, I’m off to check out your Fashion-shots!

I agree with your article…I think what people have to remember is that fashion models are not, in my opinion, supposed to be looked at as the “goal” for women to look like to be beautiful. The job of the fashion models is to sell the CLOTHES, not necessarily themselves. So, yes, I hate to use such an unkind term for human beings, but these ladies, in effect, make themselves into “human coat hangers”…they want the focus to be on the clothing, not necessarily them…they want to women to be interesting, but not interesting enough to distract from the CLOTHING they are trying to sell.
Truthfully, as guys, we want to see women with some curves. Granted, there will be guys who might fall in love with an extremely thin woman and hey, that’s cool for those guys, but I think the majority of guys would be wanting to be with a more curvaceous, well rounded woman (with, of course, a relationship with God, intelligence, kindness, and the other attributes of a good partner)… This is not to say that the other side of the coin from fashion model shoots (i.e. many Hip Hop videos) are any better…those videos do glorify the other types of female attributes, but to the same harmful effect-
We have to love women for who they are, just as much as guys want to be loved for who we are and not looked at for what we aren’t. We have to treat women that way, and I think by photographing different types of women and appreciating their true beauty (not just the trashy MySpace type photos, but the real woman) we can contribute to a better appreciation for God’s most beautiful of all creations, the female

Excellent, Jon, you hit the nail on the head as far as I’m concerned. Your points about the ultimate “goal’ of the fashion-model is well put and well taken, it makes a lot of sense.

Of course, while the thinness of the models might not detract from the appearance of the clothing, based on that analogy it’s not so surprising why many people are so disappointed when they get the outfit home and it doesn’t appear at all the same as on the model.

I totally agree with your sentiments and thank you for your thoughtful and insightful comments.