The real supermodels

<Feature by: Amit Divekar>

As I tore my eyes away from the Dolce and Gabbana Fashion Week 2016 show on ‪style.com, I proceeded to make myself a cup of coffee. What a great show it was! Flashes of the runway were going off in my head while I drank my strong brew. The dazzling back drop, the grandiose theme, the vivid colour palate, the lighting comme il faut, the alluring vibe, the chic front row guests, the fabulous hair and makeup, and of course the picturesque clothes themselves. Like a fairy tale being played out in my subconscious, I was enthralled by the whole experience. But then I realised… Something was amiss.

If I used say a food tray as a metaphor for the show and filled each compartment with each aspect of the show, all the compartments would be full, except one: the model compartment.

Dolce & Gabbana Fashion Week 2016

“Why?” I asked myself. Not that the models were ugly, or worse… emaciated! Not that they strutted ungracefully, nor did they carry the clothes awkwardly. All the above was in place. They looked copacetic and did their bit properly. Yet nothing about the models was striking. As if they didn’t have a face or a personality. Yeah, that was it! They all looked like one another; there was no distinguishing factor between any two. Like mannequins sauntering down the runway. Why was it so? They were all top models or ‘super models’ of today, yet I barely knew any of their names, let alone knowing them by their faces.

Call me ancient but I grew up watching the original supermodel brigade. The royalty: Cindy, Naomi, Linda, Christy, Claudia, Helena and Elle. Following closely in their footsteps came Tyra, Heidi, Giselle and Adriana.

Joan Smalls

I think something changed radically post that generation of models. None of the so-called supermodels of today have any uniqueness. It’s like they are each other’s clones. Probably the only way of knowing who’s who is by knowing who they are dating. Behati is the one married to Adam Lavine. Gigi is the one dating Zayn Malik. Joan Smalls is the dark one. They don’t even have any scandals in their repertoire, no drama! They just don’t have an edge. Are they really so banal and boring? Are they playing it too safe? Or are they simply devoid of chutzpah? In my opinion Cara Delavigne is the only one from the current crop who has a very different face. Also her bi tendencies and a mad habit of photo bombing with funny faces are things that make her stand out.

Naomi had her foul temper, Christy had her yoga, Kate Moss had her partying and coke, Linda that scandalous statement: “I wouldn’t even get out of bed for less than a $10,000,” and of course Cindy her sexy mole. These girls each had their own identity. Good, bad or ugly, they had a voice, a face, a personality. They packed a punch.

Cara Delevigne

In fact, todays girls have a huge advantage over the older lot, that of social media, aggressive PR, instant international exposure, global recognition, myriad brands signing them etc. Or is this whole thing counter intuitive? Have all the above so-called modern-day boons become their shortcomings? Are they stopping these girls from being themselves? Are these dogmatic forces pigeonholing the girls into being only a certain way? Is this media pressure controlling and crippling them?

As we know, today it’s all about how you look, how you are perceived, how you are packaged, who you are wearing, who you are seen with and how many followers you have. This encumbrance of eternally doing, saying and wearing the correct things, appearing to have a seriously ‘cool’ life is plundering these girls innate personalities.

Gigi Hadid

Now I am no sociologist but my humble take on this is that because of all the above compelling aspects, somewhere in this Gen Y/Z, there is a complete lack of soul. There fails to be a depth in them. All looks, feels, sounds, smells and tastes are peachy, but it is all superficial. Dig deeper and you will probably find something flagrant or even worse, just emptiness. Dirth of a strong foundation and a grounding are evident.

A significant lack of cultural, familial, educational, traditional and simply natural rooting prevails in this generation. It’s Google, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram that this entire generation is based and built on.

Beauties from the past

They all want and try to be ‘Perfect’. And the sources of knowing what is ‘Perfect’ and how to achieve it are the same across the board. What is the latest hair cut? Check Pinterest. How do I style myself? See a YouTube video. What is the healthiest snack or best type of exercise? Google it. What should I be doing this season? See what’s trending on Instagram. What should I be doing with my life? The same as the Kardashians. This is why everyone looks the same, dresses the same, walks and talks the same, tries to have the same lifestyle and life goals. Everyone’s knowledge comes from the same limited pool of information. And it’s ‘Perfect’!

Therefore, any nuances or endearing imperfections or peculiar traits or defining situations that may set them apart from others are promptly either denied, concealed, photo shopped or surgically removed.

Behati Princeloo

I don’t mean to sound condescending but “Where is the individuality?”

I don’t hear anybody say, “My grandmother used to have hair just like mine and she looked gorgeous so let me style it like her,” or “My teacher speaks so beautifully let me emulate her and try to be as eloquent,” or “That biography I read was so inspiring, let me try and think and act on those lines,” or “My mother taught me how to drape a scarf like they used to in the 80s, its so different, let me do it her way,” or even “Sorry I don’t want to overdress, go for the party and take a million selfies, coz I’d rather go for a walk and try a new recipe.”

These are simple things my generation (which was bereft of any tubes or grams or tweets and we deemed faces and books as separates) had and did. It is precisely these things that set us apart from each other and lent us more diverse and interesting personalities. Awarded us individuality.

We did not look and behave like we all came out of the same mould like Barbie and Ken dolls.

Anyway, having said all that there is always a generation gap at play. These kids are a product of their milieu and so were we. Enough said, I am not here to offer a solution or bridge any gap, I am merely an observer emphatically expressing my point of view. Now before I come off as being a total prude, I do believe one should change a little with changing times, and stay abreast with the ‘in’ stuff. So I should perhaps stop typing now and go look for some Pokemons!

Amit Divekar is fashion stylist, designer, writer and owns an apparel export house. 

Over the last 10 years he has enjoyed a diverse repertoire, from styling pop icon Shakira and super star Cate Blanchet to creating costumes for award winning films like ‘Split Wide Open’ and ‘Happy Journey’. An alumni of NIFT and XIC, his columns and personal profile have often featured in publications like GQ, TOI and Loksatta. He is your true blue fashionista!