Does anyone else feel disenfranchised by models?

There are now lots of models who are older and wider now, especially in clothes catalogues.

Yes! Even when the clothes are aimed at people our age the model is in her 30s.

I see many older women as models. None of them are five foot nothing, round with not much hair so I suppose I could be disenfranchised ?

There are quite a lot of older models with grey hair. They tend to be slim, which shows the clothes off to best advantage. Why would I feel ‘disenfranchised’ because they’re slim? I accept that I’ve put on weight but have no desire to see a load of fat models.

It doesn’t bother me and doesn’t put me off buying clothes.

If I see something I like and can afford on a young, skinny model I can work out for myself whether or not it would suit me.

An overweight ageing model with grey hair would not exactly make me feel young at heart and aren’t stylish clothes supposed to make us feel happy and confident?

Absolutely right merlotgran. I would find a catalogue full of overweight ageing ladies pretty depressing. If I want to see that I only need to look in the mirror.

I think the same when I see adverts on tv for moisturisers.
Stunning young women with not a wrinkle in sight. Are we meant to believe these are older women looking younger because of these products?

On tv, ads now show all shapes and sizes, mastectomy scars, vitiligo, old, young, and prosthetic limbs.
We've come an awful long way, I think.

If the models were of the short dumpy variety or with wrinkled skin the clothes would not look so good and not tempt you to buy them.We know that we will not look like the models but we want to, we do not want to look like the old dumpy wrinkled women that we can see in the mirror.

I want to look like a grown up woman.
Stretch marks, scars, the lot!
That is being what living life does to people.

I do wonder though if the proclaimers knew their best selling record would be copied and used on a viagra advert

I didn't know that.
Which song? 500 miles?

yes, i just hope the cartoon man doesn't go for 500 miles after taking viagra

And then 500 more!,

None of them are five foot nothing, round with not much hair so I suppose I could be disenfranchised

We're not all five foot nothing though ?

I've seen older and larger models on various sites. Yes they are still beautiful and well groomed but that's the selling ploy isn't it? Who would buy a dress that said 'Wear this and you too could look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards' ??

Elizabeth27

If the models were of the short dumpy variety or with wrinkled skin the clothes would not look so good and not tempt you to buy them.We know that we will not look like the models but we want to, we do not want to look like the old dumpy wrinkled women that we can see in the mirror.

Unfortunately this is true.
I'm ashamed to say that I ended up not buying a pair of running leggings once because the model they were using was extremely overweight and the leggings looked awful on her. And even though I'm a bit overweight myself I was not going to buy something that would make me look terrible.

JaneJudge

yes, i just hope the cartoon man doesn't go for 500 miles after taking viagra

I can’t say that glamorous models put me off particularly. I suppose I’ve never been a beauty (except to my dh ) so I’m used to it.

I can work out for myself what suits me and what won’t although I must say, I’m put off by some of the more ‘diverse’ photos I’ve seen because I don’t want to look like the sack of spuds they depict.

Fernhillnana, totally agree. I see plenty older models, dead glamorous, full make up. If I saw any older models who were my size, I think Id faint with shock. I have seen one model my age, my size on a YouTube advert, but none on mainstream media.

No, I like to have something to aspire to. I said to DH just the other day that I won’t be buying any clothes from a certain website if they can’t even make the models look good.

I was looking on line for jackets some of the models are like walking coat hangers. I said to my husband I don't know how the company managers to sell any of their clothes as they just hang on them. The models do nothing to entice me to buy the clothes. No I am not disenfranchised by the super skinny miserable models. I am 65 white haired and not ashamed of how I look.

Clothes seem to be designed exclusively for 6ft tall, size 6, 16 year olds, presumably because it easier to make the clothes look good on them.

Surely a good clothes designer should be able to design clothes for real women and make the women look good in the clothes, rather than the other way round.

Perhaps fashion models should be chosen at random from the general population - then we'd soon find out who the good designers are.

If you look in the Moshulu catalogue you will find several models who, though not grey, appear to be short and chubby and look good in the clothes and shoes.
There used to be a model known as 'Mrs. Exeter', much admired by my mother; she was certainly grey, of middle age, elegant and fashionably but appropriately dressed for her age at that time (Mid 1960s).