A Model As A Muse, Then And Now
Has the homogenisation of social media changed the modelling industry?
I have exciting news to share: You can now read Fashion Tingz in the new Substack app for iPhone!
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.
Once upon a time, supermodels and the modelling industry were a mysterious force that the general public had little insight into or knowledge about. Yes, these glamorous beings would grace the glossy pages of our favourite magazines and appear on gigantic billboards at every twist and turn, but we knew little about them or their personal lives. There was a time when modelling seemed unattainable and chic, a time where we didn’t have as much access to these superior beings as we do now. But with the advent of the digital age and the homogenisation of social media, all of that's changed.
Popular culture in the 21st century means that models now have a far greater reach and impact than they did in the past. They’re more accessible, and more relatable depending on how you look at it. Thanks to 24/7 grids that constantly update and refresh we know what our pretty pals ate for breakfast, what type of workouts they do, what cars they drive and what the inside of their elusive homes look like. There’s nothing we don’t know about them, and this lack of a barrier can be a bit much. The emergence of the internet has made becoming a well-known model way easier than it used to be, but at what cost? Have the models of today really earned their stripes? And what does it even mean to be a model now?
The reign of the original supermodels
Janice Dickinson - icon, hero, legend - was thought to have coined the term supermodel when referring to herself in the late 70s. For generations afterwards, being a supermodel or even a regular model was reserved for a hired group of individuals that were perceived to be better than your average Joe. Models were never supposed to be like regular people, they reinforced a set of aesthetic ideals that people would aspire to achieve and look like. They held a certain amount of power and influence through their beauty and physique, their Western appeal and aesthetic - thin, tall and attractive by conventional standards - set global cultural standards for the world of modelling.
Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington - these were the dominant figures of the 90s that kickstarted people's obsession with all things supermodel. These women had a voice and leverage. Not only would you find them sprawled across the pages of your favourite monthly woman’s magazine or strutting their stuff on various runways, but they’d also appear on talk shows, in movies, they were written about in gossip columns and you could be sure to find pictures of them leaving the hottest nightclubs at early hours of the morning. Many of them found success beyond modelling, becoming household names outside of what they were originally discovered for.
Evangelista was once quoted as saying: “We won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.” This attitude of entitlement led the personal relationship many designers had with the 90s supermodels to dwindle, as figures in fashion grew weary of their arrogance they sought models that weren’t such elusive rarities and that were more down-to-earth. The ranks of supermodels are changing as the people with influence change, the decision makers that get to spotlight models are evolving the idea of who a model can be and what they look like. Supermodels will always occupy space in wider culture, but few modern day models will be crowned with the supermodel title. But for those that do take home the coveted crown, they’re endure in our collective consciousness.
Models as influencers and the homogenisation of social media
It seems that in today's modelling sphere, it matters more how many followers a model has over whether or not they’re any good at what they do. People no longer care about what a model stands for or what she does in her spare time, instead they look questioningly at the amount of likes a post gets or how viral a model can become - brands especially are casting their eagle eye over social media metrics. The term model, and even supermodel, has become synonymous with that of celebrity. Models now need to be more than just models to have a degree of fame or success, where they were once used to showcase brands now they must be brands themselves.
Anyone and everyone can be a model now. Instagram models are a new phenomena that has emerged with the popularisation of social media, and whether you believe in the worth of Instagram models or not, the homogenisation of social media has meant that this new era of models have an undeniable power that brands seem to be clamouring over. Social feeds are highly edited, we all know that. And with everyone sounding the same, looking the same, sticking to the same aesthetic and posting similar-looking content, models, and especially Instagram models, are now indistinguishable from one another. So what does it even mean to be a model now?
Viral social media fame isn’t the same as runway modelling fame, but in today's world it doesn’t need to be. As we all channel a little bit of main character energy and become the stars of our own stories, models are becoming more redundant as society no longer relies on them so fastidiously. Models as influencers, influencers as models, is there a difference? With model agencies priding themselves on signing anyone that aspires to engross themselves in the world of modelling rather than approving wannabe models by archaic standards, there's a power struggle going on between those that want to be models and those that want to gatekeep the industry. Currently, the pendulum isn’t swinging in anyone's favour - but that's not to say it won't.
What are your thoughts on the modelling industry? How do you think social media has affected the world of modelling, and what it stands for?
Share this post, feel free to comment, and subscribe to Fashion Tingz to keep the conversation going.