Shortly after Victoria’s Secret came under fire for their “Perfect Body” campaign, Calvin Klein took a stab at underwear pics…
And they appear to have done a much better job!
Alongside their usual size 2 models like Jourdan Dunn and Lara Stone, the brand included size 10 model Myla Dalbesio in their “Perfectly Fit” campaign pics.
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While this shouldn’t be a big deal, it’s actually pretty ground-breaking for a company known for featuring ultra-thin models like Kate Moss.
It also stirred an interesting debate about whether Myla would be considered “plus size” or “straight size”. Modeling agencies consider models between size 6 and size 14 to be plus size, while the fashion industry considers anything above a size 12 to be plus size.
This puts Myla right on the cusp of plus size and straight size, which is arguably a more “normal” size — and a size that’s underrepresented in fashion advertising.
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Myla is happy to have opened up a dialogue about this issue, and after the debate began she released a statement, saying:
“I love that after working in the fashion industry for nine years, I have finally found my place, right in the middle. Neither plus, nor straight size, I love that I can be recognized for what I am, a healthy size 10.
I love that as the conversation on the internet explodes and brings greater awareness, I am receiving emails from 15 year-old girls, telling me that I have given them hope and that sharing my story has made them feel less freakish, less weird, and that they can accept their size 8 or 10 frame.
I love that I get to be a part of this conversation, about size and body image and that I get to represent a brand like Calvin Klein. They didn’t introduce this campaign for shock value, they simply included what some would refer to as a “normal size” girl in their advertising, right next to other girls of varying sizes and shapes.
I love that by opening this discussion, I can also (hopefully) open some doors for other models, friends of mine, that have always straddled the line between straight size and plus. True body diversity doesn’t mean only sizes 0’s and 2’s then jumping to size 16 and up. There is a middle ground.”
Very true!!
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Calvin Klein has also released a statement about the matter:
The new Calvin Klein Underwear Perfectly Fit imagery features models Myla Dalbesio, Jourdan Dunn, Amanda Wellsh, Ji Hye Park and the face of the brand, Lara Stone, in several styles. The Perfectly Fit line was created to celebrate and cater to the needs of different women, and these images are intended to communicate that our new line is more inclusive and available in several silhouettes in an extensive range of sizes.
But even though this all seems very progressive and positive for the fashion house, some people are still upset because they feel the label selected a size 10 model to represent plus size ladies, when most do not consider size 10 to be plus size.
Calvin Klein purposefully stays away from using any size terminology in their campaign and just describes everyone they included as “Perfectly Fit”.
Thoughts???
See Myla’s stunning ad below!
[Image via JAG Models/Calvin Klein.]
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