The Rise of Unconventional Beauty in Modeling

There is no lasting definition of beauty, rather, standards of beauty evolve with the cultural climate. Beauty as a concept is in constant flux, as it is an embodiment of the mindset of society at a given time.

In previous decades, being curvy and pointy-breasted like Marilyn Monroe was all the rage. Centuries before, beauty was associated with signs of affluence: having fair skin and a more substantial figure. More recently, to be beautiful one had to be skinny, her features had to be in perfect proportion, and while never explicitly stated, whiteness was pretty much a prerequisite to appear on the cover of vogue.

In true Gen-Z fashion, we’re redefining the definition of beauty to include those previously marginalized by the industry. In fact, our generation has initiated a movement to increase unconventional beauty in modeling; a movement spearheaded by such icons as Duckie Thot, a 22-year-old Sudanese-Australian model whose rich, dark complexion and barbie-like proportions landed her campaigns for Oscar de la Renta, Moschino, and Fenty x Puma. In 2018, she even walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Despite her stereotypical model-like features which include a height of five feet, eleven inches; a slender physique; and chiseled features, the spectacular, hyper dark pigment of her skin sets her apart from her counterparts on the catwalk.

Other figureheads of this movement include Winnie Harlow: a Canadian fashion model with vitiligo, a condition in which areas of skin lose their pigment, causing whitish patches. A decade ago, her skin condition would have barred her from appearing on any magazine cover or being at the forefront of any ad campaign. While she continues to be set apart from other models, her singularity is celebrated rather than dismissed.

It’s 2018. We’re out of the stone age and far too socially evolved to subscribe to a definition of beauty which characterizes beauty as having a set roster of features: aryan coloring and a sample-sized waist. Why must we ascribe to the notion that there are conventions in beauty? Why not throw out the nuances entirely and simply allow everyone to just be: to be beautiful, to be confident in the things that make them special.

Inclusivity rarely feels applicable to the beauty industry. When you construct an ideal such as beauty, a separation arises between the haves and the have-nots: the beautiful and the unbeautiful. The direction in which our definition of beauty is evolving marks a step away from this cookie-cutter mindset. Finally, we’re coming to put idiosyncrasies on a pedestal and recognize them for their aesthetic merit.

This inclusivity is a feat which should be celebrated. Still, however, we subconsciously marginalize individuals by labeling their beauty as “unconventional.” If the goal is truly to promote inclusivity in the realm of modeling, we have to start by changing our conventions of beauty entirely. That does not come with the addition of adjectives, but with a total paradigm shift.

Writing SOPHIE GOLDSTEIN

Editing ALEXANDRIA MOORE

Photography SLICK WOODS, COURTESY OF iD MAG