how famous or rich. No matter how pretty their
face. Elevating them to iconic status is a compli-
cated, psychological hurdle for the arbiters of
beauty. They need sleek élan in their symbols of
beauty. They need long lines and sharp edges.
They need women who can fit into sample sizes.
But instead of operating in a vacuum, they
now are operating in a new media environment.
Average folks have taken note of whether design-
ers have a diverse cast of models, and if they do
not, critics can voice their ire on social media
and an angry army of like-minded souls can
rise up and demand change. Digital media has
made it easier for stories about emaciated and
anorexic models to reach the general public, and
the public now has a way to shame and pressure
the fashion industry to stop hiring these deathly
thin women. The Fashion Spot website became
a diversity watchdog, regularly issuing reports
on the demographic breakdown on the runways.
How many models of color? How many plus-size
women? How many of them were transgender?
How many older models?
One might think that as female designers
themselves aged, they would begin to highlight
older women in their work. But women in fash-
ion are part of the same cult of youth that they
created. They Botox and diet. They swear by
raw food and SoulCycle. How often do you see a
chubby designer? A gray-haired one? Designers
still use the phrase “old lady” to describe clothes
that are unattractive. A “matronly” dress is one
that is unflattering or out-of-date. The language
makes the bias plain. But today women don’t
take it as a matter of course. They revolt. Making
“old” synonymous with unattractive is simply
not going to stand.
The spread of luxury brands into China, Latin108 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC