It’s Here Now! 50 Shades of Beautiful

Dove campaign for all types of beauty from Huffington PostThe American fashion industry has slowly and gradually progressed beyond focusing on the stereotypical beauty as only being the blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman.   After much pressure, they began to include beautiful young women of other ethnicities.  Then the Dove soap company broke another barrier by starting an ad campaign showing normal women as beautiful.

Be your true self…age doesn’t matter.

Recently, plus size models, models over 40, models with vitiligo, and all sorts of unique women are being celebrated in the fashion mainstream. A Moscow Fashion Week show just took yet another important step toward inclusivity: It featured models in wheelchairs. And Indonesian Muslim fashion designer Anniesa Hasibuan is the first to feature hijabs in every outfit of her collections in New York Fashion Week.

In just two seasons, Hasibuan has successfully made the hijab her trademark, bringing it into the mainstream and saying that “fashion is for everybody….There is beauty in diversity and differences , something we should not be afraid of.”

Meanwhile, I’ve noticed that Glamour magazine has been becoming more progressive in advocating for inclusivity and women’s rights all around.  In February, they published an article “Meet 6 People Pushing to Make Fashion Week More Inclusive” about fashion insiders who are leading the charge.

In the March issue of Glamour, the editor’s note at the beginning of “Imperfection is Where It’s At” by Brit Marling said, “The new rules of beauty are that there are none except for one: be awesome.”

Hmm, I wonder if this is a new hurdle.  I thought my mom was awesome and you probably thought the same about yours, but they didn’t have to do anything more than the most important thing in the world:  love.  Being a kind soul can be the most beautiful thing about you!

Anyway, Marling talks about how “what’s usually considered the flaw is often the loveliest part.”  It reminds me of how Cindy Crawford was advised to get the mole removed from her face when she started modeling.  Luckily she didn’t because it became her signature beauty mark and set her apart from all the other models.

And, finally, in Glamour’s May issue, the editorial is titled “There’s No One Right Age to Be Awesome“.  Editor-in-chief Cindi Leive talks about awesome women from 17 to 71 and beyond inside and out.  Some just look beautiful, and some are doing beautiful things.

The Senior Living Blog featured “22 Inspirational Women Over 60“.  Women who have made major accomplishments after the age of 60 are wonderful role models to remind us that it is never too late to do great things and live life to its fullest.

Now that we know that we are all beautiful in our own ways, we need to also know that we are beautiful on the inside.  Your true self is beautiful, inside and out.  And what’s most beautiful of all is love and kindness.

What do you think about the progress being made in the fashion industry?  How does it impact you or women you know?  Give us your opinions in the comments below!

Like this post?  You might also want to read:

• “Is It Good To Be Forever Fierce?“
• “Do You Want To Be Told What To Wear In Your 60’s?“
• “How To Be Absolutely Radiant As You Get Older“

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Thanks!  Angie  🙂 

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