Run-A-Way Fashion (Part 2)

The fashion editorials like the runway shows are played out in such a way as to evoke a provocative and sometimes biting response from the part of the reader. They can capture beauty or distort it. In the September issue of Italian Vogue, photographer Steven Meisel captures model Stella Tennant in an exaggerated hourglass shape. Channeling the figure of Ethel Granger (1900?-1982), Mr. Meisel mimics the unrealistic proportions of Ms. Granger’s 13 inch waist.
I perused some comments from readers of certain blogs regarding this photo shoot. Comments like, “The waist sure does hurt. But my god! That looks so damn beautiful!..I love how the cover looks so haunting and at the same time refreshing.” Hhmm? Refreshing? What is refreshing about cinching in the waist to the point where major organs have to find another place to live?
As I study these pictures I can’t help but ask the questions, “are we glorifying the shape of women or objectifying it?” “Are we (women) still being subjected to the whims of the industries that produce the things we buy?” As disturbing as I find these pictures, someone else might suggest that wearing high heels is the same as corseting your waist to a cartoonish size. My response would be ,”Wearing heels too high to walk might be the same as cinching your waist to 13 inches but wearing heels you can walk in, like wearing a belt you can breathe in is a little different?” What say ye?