November 2, 2013

"Reality"?

Upworthy has some interesting pictures from a British department store catalog and the headline is "A Catalog That Believes Reality Can Sell Clothes Better Than Photoshop." But is this "reality" or is just another kind of sensationalism? The first picture makes a nice bigger-is-better argument, but that bigger lady is fabulously large and even she has one leg angled forward and a strategically placed sarong to improve the proportions. And why the amputee models? Because of reality?

12 comments:

Rusty said...

And why the amputee models? Because of reality?

Because somebody is getting a fat cheque from some ministry or other.

Bob Ellison said...

They should all be playing professional soccer. Especially that dorky guy in the blue suit. No, make him play rugby.

Kelly said...

I like it. I don't often shop for clothing online because I have a hard time imagining what a piece of clothing on a size zero model would like on my size ten frame.

I did wonder how the leg amputee could walk in one high heel shoe and if her balance is really that good.

rhhardin said...

It's to avoid the LLBean effect, where you notice that it's always the same two girls.

Amputees modelling hunting knives would be good.

Rae said...

...and the new moral panic will be preventing impressionable youths from amputating limbs.

Ann Althouse said...

"...and the new moral panic will be preventing impressionable youths from amputating limbs."

Somewhere in the archives of this blog is a post about an article in The Atlantic (or someplace like that) about people who are seeking (getting?) amputations because they feel their personal identity is that of an amputee.

And check out the novel "Geek Love."

Ann Althouse said...

Here's the article, in The Atlantic: "A New Way to Be Mad."

Ann Althouse said...

"Apotemnophilia is sexual arousal based on the image or fantasy of one's self as an amputee. It can be associated with Body integrity identity disorder (BIID) in which otherwise sane and rational individuals express a strong and specific desire for the amputation of a healthy limb or limbs. Apotemnophilia has features in common with somatoparaphrenia. Some apotemnophiles seek surgeons to perform an amputation or purposefully injure a limb in order to force emergency medical amputation."

Anonymous said...

I think they are right. The stores will get less returns and less complaints from customers: the dresses are too tight, the handbag straps are too long, they looked so good on the 5'9 120 lb. model.

They never say big is beautiful or anything like that. They want to show real people how to look their best in their clothes.

The amputee models tell us we don't have to cover up our imperfections.

Anonymous said...

Ann Althouse said...
"people who are seeking (getting?) amputations because they feel their personal identity is that of an amputee."

People are seeking to stop voices in their heads too.

Paco Wové said...

"Apotemnophilia is ...."

Still trying to decide if that's more or less crazy than deciding you are the wrong sex and chopping your willy off.

Known Unknown said...

FAIL. I can't readily tell which of these models is a lesbian.