The palest of us?
The slimmest of us?
The most desirable?
Most unattainable?
I was learning a bit about the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show that happened recently. I had only ever watched the one in the late 90’s, and that was for a fun Instagram edit I made many years ago. The clothes can be interesting. The models have sassy walks. And of course they embody a very specific beauty that is strange and eye-catching. Outside of that, I was pretty ignorant about the whole thing.
Kylie Jenner.
Influencer models.
Some lady named Romee not getting picked to be in the show despite being a VS Angel.
A $50 Million Dollar Fantasy Bra that didn’t even seem to fit right.
Anok Yai dressed up like one of my fake flowers I have in my room.
Seems like a snore!
But the commentary around it has interested me more than the show itself. The video below was what really alerted me to how inane and kind of nutty this community is:
To quote:
“I don’t wan’t to see b*tches that look like me on the runway… Nobody wants this inclusive nonsense.”
I don’t want to see women that look like me on the runway.
Her words and the words of the other (mostly white) women I saw online really stuck with me.
A woman who looks like you? A woman without glasses I assume? Would it really be so bad to see a woman who looks like you on that runway? You do know these ladies have stylists, right?
To see the image of oneself (and the traits of those they consider inferior) reflected back to them on a grand and opulent stage ignited rage within women who worship this industry.
(This formerly Epstein managed and influenced industry, guilty of sex trafficking those who dreamed to be a damn “Angel.”
This industry that preys upon young girls to starve, to focus on the superficial, to serve as both something more than human and something less.
First an angel on a pedestal, then scum and filth scraped against your shoes. When did she get so fat and tired and old!)
These women didn’t just disparage themselves, but others too, as I alluded. The fat, the black, the athletic, the clumsy.
What a complete waste of time and money and cultural attention, I thought. What a weirdo display from all those who worship these idols. I was disgusted.
But I don’t blame them entirely. We live in a world that feasts upon beauty, that loves to gaze at it, squeeze it hard in our hands, grip it for dear life, possess it even for just a fleeting moment. Spectacle shapes our whole lives. We look for inspiration and escapism. A fews hours of distraction is gold to us.
And then I remember… wait, I had made an edit about these types of women when I was younger! A short clip show sent to funky music of the most famous and iconic Victoria’s Secret models in history! I thought it was aesthetically pleasing. Even though I was detached from VS culture, I was still guilty of and indoctrinated into this cult of belief. Deep in my subconscious, maybe I believe many of the cultural talking points that major fans of the show hold too.
I know that I have internalized the messaging that this industry has pushed since I was a child, defining what it means to be beautiful and why being beautiful matters in this world. And this message has been reinforced by people around me for my entire life.
Black people that voice which other black people have the “good hair” or “good skin.”
White and asian girls at my school who more easily conformed to beauty standards like paleness and long, straight hair with hairless bodies.
White boys making it very clear to me what is ugly… and that ugly was me.
Is white prettier? Is skinny prettier?
Is white and skinny angelic?
If so, how could I ever be an angel? Should a human being even attempt to achieve “angelic” status?
Do only the whites and thins of the world go to heaven?
Oh, well. If I can’t be a white or a thin, and I therefore can’t be an angel, what’s the harm in another round of ice cream? I’m hell-sent anyway.
Okay, let me take a breath…
I understand why people love models. Love beauty and spectacle and glamor. I get it completely. I am not immune.
But sadly in my mind, I can’t divorce it from this worship of not only what it means to be beautiful but what it means to be human. Our ideals of beauty are shaped by tradition and predatory ads, and neither have looked kindly upon the undesirable. I don’t think this show or the modeling industry as a whole is worthy our time and attention.
Seeing someone who looks like me on a runway shouldn’t fill me with disgust. I can find my version of beauty within me and those who look like me, and I can appreciate the value of others beyond how they look. I am not a damn angel, and neither are the Victoria’s Secret Angels. We will all soon be bone and ash and worm fodder. Beauty is fleeting, and it should not be upheld as our greatest aspiration.
If you are someone who loves the modeling industry and / or agrees with the sentiments of the woman in the video, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Frankly, if showing the fat, black, athletic, and clumsy makes this whole empire crumble, I say let it crumble! If it thrives, then let’s appreciate a slightly more diverse array of women shaping what it means to be “beautiful.”
Do you deserve to be a model?
~Sammicakes
