Newspaper Clips
The changing face of beauty
Charlotte Mutesha
Dominican STAR
November 2008
It is a decades-old issue across the globe—super-skinny models and waiflike celebrities influencing “regular” people—but it wasn’t always like that. In the 1940s and 50s, voluptuous, post-war fertility symbols were worshipped—models and actresses such as Marilyn Monroe—and they dominated pop culture until British model Twiggy hit the scene. Ninety pounds at the age of 16, she was a catalyst for the 60s mod craze embracing fair, thin-limbed, doe-eyed beauties that has continued…until now.
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Change may be on the horizon, however. Sparked by the runway collapse of a Uruguayan model who subsisted on leafy vegetables for six months, leading to her death, Milan and Madrid have banned excessively thin models from their runways. There is even pending legislation that would enable judges to fine or imprison publications, modeling agencies, or fashion designers for “inciting” anorexia, according to “Size zero not my hero,” an article the Daily Targum published in April. They report that models with a body mass index (BMI) of lower than 18 are not able to walk the runways, and new industry standards are requiring them to carry an up-to-date health certificate. Is that too much?
“I think it’s a good idea,” said freshman Dominican University student Alex Cifuentes, “but models are always going to be skinny.”
Dr. Susan Strawn, associate professor of fashion, agrees. “The [industry] talks about it, and gets a lot of publicity for it, but then nothing really seems to change,” she said. “It seems like they’re designing for 14-year-old girls who’ve just had a growth spurt. I can’t claim that I fully understand it.” Strawn, who is teaching history of dress and cultural perspectives of dress courses this semester, address these issues with students in the merchandising course.
“I received a number of comments last year that the Dominican fashion show models were too skinny,” she reveals. “It’s something people are aware of and it’s going to be an ethical issue that the apparel design and merchandising students will grapple with when they enter the working world.” Student designer Andrea Blaylock addresses that now: she focuses on styles for plus-size teens. “She’s helping them make better choices about what’s flattering on them,” Strawn said, “because if they put on something designed for slender bodies, they look terrible.”
Uber-thin industry standards not only affect ordinary women, but the models themselves. The question of what constitutes a healthy body is also an issue that needs closer examination. Dr. Judy Beto, professor of nutrition sciences, understands the problem all too well, but offers solutions. As a former morning news anchor, she occasionally traveled with girls who had gripes about the pressure. ”Most models would complain that they can’t eat as much food as they’d like,” she said, “But the way they can get around that is to build body muscle, because muscle burns more calories than fat.”
Many models, and females who strive to look like them, resort to unhealthy methods of losing weight: starving, purging, using laxatives, smoking, eating only fruit, lettuce, or Kleenex (yes, tissues!), excessive detoxifying, and even hooking up to yellow-colored IV drips containing multivitamins–but not eating.
“Models need to eat!” said freshman Perla Reyes. “They’re role models. They should just eat good food—fruit, vegetables, meat—eat regularly. Not too much, but regularly. Models make young girls want to be skinnier, and they become anorexic and get sick. ”
When asked his preference between thin or curvy girls, Student Greg Zook, sophomore, responded, “You mean, thick? No. I prefer skinny girls. Just don’t overdo it. You don’t want to date a girl that looks TOO good because they dump you, but some girls become anorexic; they go overboard.” His friends Mohammad Alyai and George Sauvageau agreed that they prefer healthy bodies over “toothpick skinny” ones, and that models are a bad influence on young women.
Beto backs up that statement with facts. “Body mass index [is calculated] by your height and weight, but the most important thing is to have a healthy body. Many people are overweight by BMI standards, but are cardiovascular fit,” she explained. “The concern we have is when someone is larger than they were designed to be—like they were born to be a Toyota and they become a Mack truck. Their hearts have not been exercised to support that extra weight, and they’re at greater risk. ”
The long-term health effects of the aforementioned methods are all detrimental—anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, claiming more lives than schizophrenia and depression, Dawn Sagario wrote in the 2001 article “A Web of Deceit.” However, Beto offers healthy advice: “Models can do Pilates to tone muscles without bulking up,” she said. “That creates lean muscle but maintains muscle mass so that they can eat more food than if they were just of low body weight without any muscle mass. That’s why you see more models today with defined arms and toned bodies.”
As a culture evolves, the standard of beauty seems to change as well. The most recent cycle of retired supermodel Tyra Banks’ television show America’s Next Top Model crowned its first “plus-sized” model, Whitney Thomson. While most would argue that a size eight is not large but standard, one should remember that the winners from the previous two cycles were sizes zero and two. The blonde, bubbly Thomson said on the show that she wanted to be a representative for “normal” women.
Not only are weight standards being regulated, but the classic blonde-hair-blue-eyed beauty ideal is being challenged. In July, Italian Vogue published its first issue featuring all black models of all skin tones and dress sizes. Featuring a wide span of classic and fresh faces from Iman to Naomi to Chanel Iman, it was Italian Vogue’s best-selling issue. Ever. Publisher Conde Nast ran a 100,000 copy reprint which promptly sold out, and it is still in high demand: people are currently selling the issue for $60 on eBay. Following suit, the November issue of l’Uomo Vogue, a men’s European style magazine, will feature an all-Africa theme, with half of the ad revenue going to African charities.
In an age where people are becoming more consciously awakened and celebrating diversity, it is only fitting that the design industry takes small steps toward progress—the fact that European fashion epicenters are challenging long-held beauty trends to promote health is evidence.
Beto applauds the rising health standards, but emphasizes caution in standardizing BMI limits. “The number itself is not as important as the body distribution,” she explains. “You could have an emaciated model with a BMI of 18, and one who’s healthy and in that same category. Calories are calories, but you still have to use common sense—is it right to eat a chocolate brownie instead of an apple? There still has to be judgment. We can’t just use a number.”
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2nd Fridays exposes artists, sates enthusiasts in Pilsen East
Charlotte Mutesha
Dominican STAR
January 2007
Jazzy funk music filled the crisp Chicago air one Friday evening in the Pilsen East neighborhood. People were bustling about, hurrying to get into the various art galleries and out of the cold. A 3½-foot ceramic figure of a young girl with the head of a rabbit stood in one window. A couple galleries south, colorful abstract drawings in motion were projected in movie form on the Plexiglas storefront window. In the main building, a model in haute couture sashayed through the crowd while artists and aficionados mingled, appreciating and celebrating all forms of the arts. This flurry of action in the Chicago Arts District was just a typical night for “XII,” the third season of the 2nd Fridays Group Show.
The Jan. 12, 2007 evening event was the third month of “XII.” Robin Monique Rios, owner of the 4Art Inc. Gallery, founded the 2nd Fridays Group Show in conjunction with the Chicago Arts District. For six months, on the second Friday of each month from 6-10 p.m., more than a dozen featured artists display the evolution of their work in a bright and inviting atmosphere. Twice a year in September and March, a new rotation begins with a different name. Most of the neighboring art galleries in the vicinity of Halsted St. and 18th St. open their doors for viewings during the same time.
The shows at the 4Art Inc. Gallery incorporate everything: interactive art sessions and local music; fashion shows and multimedia installations; watercolor, oil, and acrylic paintings; photography and digital art and much more. In addition to the regularly featured artists, each show includes one or two guest artists to showcase their art form and discuss their work.
“As an artist, I know it’s important to give art more exposure,” said Rios. “I invite everything art-related here. Being all-encompassing opens people’s minds.”
Rios, who graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, opened the 4Art Inc. Gallery at 1932 S. Halsted in October 2003. She launched the 2nd Fridays program in September 2005, calling the first rotation the “Xclusive Group Show.” The events attract a diverse array of viewers ranging from their 20s to their 50s, who were united by at least one thing: appreciation of the arts.
The dedicated artists share the newest creations and additions to their artwork in the 4Art Inc. Gallery. “[We] gather here for six months,” said Mitch Melson, one of the featured artists, over the noise of the growing crowd. “Every month [we] bring in new work, and each artist stays within their own theme. It brings people back, seeing a new array of work. And we have an obligation to bring more work and show what we do—it’s a constant renewing of energy.”
Melson’s theme was found object sculpture—using materials such as spoons, beer cans, refrigerator vents, doorknobs, scrap metal and other likely refuse—to create something new from the old. Melson, a retired psychologist and founder of an ecological art organization, explains in his mini-biography that “the art…helps remind us about the past, inform us about the present, and imply the future.”
The aesthetically tranquil Dubhe Carreno Gallery at 1841 S. Halsted was home to the life-sized, ceramic Rabbitgirl IV. A nonstop stream of people was flowing into the gallery to experience the Wonderland-esque collection created by artist Cynthia Consentino. Visitors marveled, laughed, and were awe-struck at the peculiar pieces, anxious to converse with the sociable artist. The smaller Wolfgirl, Birdman, Girlwoman, Flowergirl, and other colorful earthenware figures were on display at eye level along the walls of the ashen studio. The eccentric figures were assembled with mismatched parts, such as a bird’s head on a man’s body, or a girl’s torso connected to the hips and legs of a woman. The audible excitement of the viewers, combined with the cordiality of Consentino and Dubhe Carreno herself, made for a very inviting atmosphere in the gallery.
At the culture-laden Moka Gallery at 1825 S. Halsted, reflective viewers slowly walked from display to display, musing at the creativity. The owner, Jhonmar Castillo, also chose to feature an unconventional form of art: incorporating works on paper with canvas and video installations, projecting movie-like images on the wall and glass room dividers with music to accompany the motions. The gallery’s featured presentation, called “Lines and Passion,” was conceived, developed, and created jointly by Castillo and Russian artist Galina Schevchenko.
The Moka Gallery, considered one of the Chicago Art District’s most international galleries, “features artists from the U.S., Jamaica, Brazil, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Russia, Mexico [and more],” said Castillo as he gave a tour of the studio. In addition to Schevchenko’s spectacular work, the guests enjoyed many other types of contemporary art including wall paintings, sculptures, woodworks, and ceramics displayed in the gallery.
As evening became night, with the 4Art Gallery almost filled to capacity, the wine and cheese reception and fashion show commenced. The chartreuse-colored studio was a hubbub of activity: a disc jockey spun records; a musician played the bongos and congas; people sipped wine and socialized; artists shared their visions with enthusiasts. Meanwhile, a model showcasing designer Agnieszka Kulon’s urban and trendy garments confidently strutted through the crowd for the fashion show. Much in the way one would maneuver a crowd at a party, the runway-free model flirted with the audience, weaving around art displays and through clusters of people in the studio.
The 2nd Fridays shows have given artists an opportunity to exhibit and sell their work, and art enthusiasts a chance to observe the progression. “Not only do you see an evolution of artwork, but you can see the development of art,” Rios explained. The wide spectrum of art media was the very goal she had in mind when envisioning the multimedia showcase.
In the rapidly-developing Pilsen East neighborhood, 2nd Fridays offers everyone an opportunity to experience unique art forms, meet fascinating artists, mingle with art-oriented people, and have a good time. The positive response and enthusiasm about the program has encouraged Rios to continue finding new ways to give the arts more exposure. “It’s art without borders,” she said. “The language of art is seamless.”
For more information about the 2nd Fridays Events and the 4Art Inc. Gallery, visit www.4artinc.com, or contact Robin Rios at (312) 850-1816 or rrios@4artinc.com.
