Models

I was debating whether I should put this in IE or not, but I think I'll try first here, since I might get a straighter answer here from people that know more or less about fashion.

To make it short, I had a debate with a friend the other day while flipping through some sort of Cosmo-type magazine. I can't remember exactly which one it was, but it's probably irrelevant. Anyway, we came to a the pages with swim-wear, both male and female.

The debate is the following:
My friend maintains that when looking through the magazine and taking in the pictures of swim-wear the models are there only to serve the purpose of providing a body on which the swim-wear can be placed, and that while looking at those types of pictures you're only judging the swim-wear for itself.

I told her I thought that the models play a part in making the clothing look desirable, since they typically hire attractive and well-built models to be present their products. I said that you don't just look at the swim-wear, that you more or less can not separate it from the model that is wearing it. Otherwise you would just have a magazine that is showing photographs of swim-wear, without the models.

So what do you guys think? Am I right, or is she right? And is it different for men and women? Does a woman really just look at the clothes, or does she also check out the male model modelling them and make her opinion based on that as well?

Cheers.

Its the same with big shops too like Evans which caters for larger women, their models are usually quite pretty even though they havent got amazing figures.


go see here: http://www.evans.ltd.uk/promostores/Evans/index.html?make_live=yes&promo=


so basically they want to show off their clothes, and make them look desirable (which is where the models come in).

I do think that because of a specific type of model, her shpe, and figure does apply to your level of attractiveness to buy those clothes. Like for example I saw a nice shirt in a flyer and was like, 'wow, i'll buy that' but it wasn't only because it was a nice shirt, but because the model wearing it had the perfect figure for it giving me that illusion that'll i'll look the same way if I buy that shirt.

If the models were only there to provide a body to see how it would fit, they would hire all shapes and sizes, not just the super-thin, shapely models (or big, buff models, in the case of men). Most women (and men) simply do not look like the models do, so having them pose as a body type simply wouldn't work.

As for males and females, I think in both cases it's all about sex appeal. Sex sells, after all. And like Chrissy said, seeing a model look great in a shirt makes you believe that you'll look just as good as he/she does, even if your body type is completely different from the model's.

Thanks for the replies guys. I can't help thinking that if there was truly no association between the clothing and the model wearing it then clothes would be fitted to mannequins or simply presented on shelves or in photographs on their own. It definitely would be more cost-effective than hiring a model, right?

Based on the principle of maximising profit, there's a very good reason to use models.

Exactly. The illusion that there is such a thing as the perfect body is exactly that - an illusion. It all depends on your taste. However, most clothes do hang better on tall and slender figures which is why you predominantly see that shape in the fashion industry and thus, people tend to think of it as the "model body" which it is not - it simply shows off the clothes better.

I think that the models play a big part in selling the swimsuit. They have to be attractive or there worthless. The point of models is so they look sexy, that way some women who do not think they are as sexy as other women see it, some might think that if they wear what the pretty models are wearing they might look somewhat better.

Basically, a tall and slender shape can wear most any type of clothing and make it look good, which is why these people are models - because of their versatility. A person of any size and shape can look great in clothes as well, but usually has to tailor the shape and cut of their clothes specifically to their body type. That is all I am saying.