If you don't already know that the fashion industry is built on nearly-laughable contradiction and impossibility, after Filippa Hamilton, a Ralph Lauren model, being photoshopped then fired this week, you're surely aware of this particular breed of insanity. Apparently not even a woman who weighs 120lbs. at 5'10'' is skinny enough to be considered beautiful by the brilliant staff at Ralph Lauren.
The above horrorshow (photo courtesy of boingboing's blog, where the original post was made) is the infamous photoshopped shot, if you couldn't tell that thang ain't quite human. You can also check out the post made on Appetite for Equal Rights, which gives a great side-by-side of the alien-creature in plaid and the real model with space for lungs inside that ribcage. The original post made on boingboing says it best, "Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis."
It's not just the fact that the model was photoshopped to the point of near-decimation, but it's that later this size four model was fired because she supposedly couldn't fit into the clothes. Ralph Lauren apologized for the photoshoptastrophy, but also fired the girl who obviously wasn't skinny enough for Ralph Lauren.
For over 42 years, we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman's body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the calibre of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.
That's all nice and fine, but wasn't firing the model a bad sign to send about your brand to the millions of people following this story? I mean, the apology sounds a little weak to me. It's sounds more like "We're sorry that picture was bad looking. We'll make sure not to get caught next time so that our brand doesn't suffer any bad publicity."
Sorry, Ralph Lauren. This one's just a little too much. If this girl looks too fat for your clothes, than who in the world are they supposed to fit? So maybe I don't own any of their clothes anyway, but suddenly not buying Ralph Lauren never felt so good.
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