The beauty of imperfection
It’s embarrassing to admit, but Barbie’s recent anniversary got us thinking. Are we the only ones having trouble telling young starlets apart? You know the look: teeth get whiter, hair gets blonder, and dress sizes get smaller. Luckily, a backlash against this so called ‘perfectionism’ has been building, and we like it. Over the last few years, fashion houses have been turning to unconventional beauties like Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chloë Sevigny and Vanessa Paradis to inject quirky nonchalance into their brand. And finally we’re seeing a trend emerge with an edgy new wave of models, actors and socialites who are embracing gapped teeth, scars, prominent bone structure, freckles and birthmarks. So if you haven’t already realised your flaws are features, it’s about time you started working them to your advantage.
Tagged: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chloë Sevigny, Vanessa Paradis
- 13
- 5
RELATED
Antichrist, a film by Lars von Trier
At a time when mainstream cinema seems to be getting more palatable and boring, it’s fantastic that an artist is still making films that challenge and confuse. Writer and director Lars von Trier is an excellent filmmaker. The cinematography throughout this movie is phenomenal, in particular the first scene and selected close-ups. It’s also a tight script, where the tension does not abate for a moment. I’ve seen a few arthouse movies that just weren’t good enough to make it mainstream. Lars von Trier has the skills but chooses to confront, and for that reason his films will be discussed for decades, instead of months.
Also by LAURA MCWHINNIE
Take a detour off Newtown’s main drag and you’ll find more than just unaffordable terraces and a place to park your car. The corner of Wilson and Brown is home to Satellite Espresso and one of the most impressive breakfast menus we’ve seen in a while. Step out of your egg and bacon comfort zone because there are more delicious options, like the fried herbed mash with kassler (double-smoked pork loins), homemade relish and rocket. Read more
Now we’re not ones to create alarmism, but with summer in Australia almost here, we feel it’s our duty to warn the men in our lives. Board short lengths are on the rise, along with the fear of knee exposure amongst the male population. We know what you’re thinking. Real boardies cover the knee. You can surf in them, ride your pushy down to the beach in them, heck — you can even head up to the pub for a beer in them. But this season short shorts are here to stay, so it’s only a matter of time before you find yourself in the foetal position on a change room floor. Come on. What’s the worst that could happen — that people will see you have knees? Well, I guess you could find yourself on the Dads in Short Shorts Read more
If you’re not in the southern hemisphere, then we’d like to apologise in advance because one look at Seventh Wonderland’s latest swimwear collection will be a cruel reminder that there’s a summer happening somewhere. But it’s this very emotion that continues to inspire Sydney-based designers Bonnie Coumbe and Carlos Aviles. Read more
YOU'RE SAYING (5)
Laura said | 3 May, 2009
I was about to say, you got me there. But I just read that Lily Allen has been chosen as the new face of Chanel. While she is not overweight in the slightest, she certainly doesn’t have the body type of a conventional model. But you are right, usually they inject the quirk through facial features and try to stick with subjects with the model body.
anna said | 7 May, 2009
why was the above model chosen to represent this article? The only break through here by what is written seam to be that she is not blond, I think she fits ever other model stero type and as far as I am concerned blond is the least offensive of the barbie aspect of beauty.
Kylie said | 7 May, 2009
I agree with Anna. How exactly does that sexualised, languidly available to the viewer pose and rake thin model differ to what is descirbed in the article other than hair colour? Seriously, guys.
Laura said | 8 May, 2009
The woman in the shot, is Charlotte Gainsbourg. She is not a model – she is a very talented French actress and singer. While she does have a model like figure, she is certainly not your traditional beauty. New York writer and film critic Erich Kuersten described her as, “the supreme goddess of the ugly-sexy”. She has a prominent nose and chin, and a long face – but she is beautiful. She is beautiful because she is unique – she has her own look and that’s what my article is about.
Hollywood has a lot to answer for – it’s an industry that is creating clones. Girls who have nothing wrong with them are getting nose jobs, fake teeth, spray tans, botox, bigger lips, implants – the list goes on and on. This is resulting in everyone chasing the same look and taking away the parts of them that were unique.
You can’t honestly say that Gainsbourg besides not having blond hair is a stereotypical looking barbie type model that I just described. If your issue is that she doesn’t look out of place in this Balenciaga advertisement – it’s because more and more we’re seeing models that don’t fit the norm. Think back to the 90s with the Elle’s, Claudia’s and the Cindy’s. Could you imagine someone like Lily Cole hitting the big time in that era?! We are moving away from this, heck, we’ve already moved away from this.
Phew – that was a very long comment, but I am happy to continue discussing this.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Luke Feldman is an Australian born illustrator and animator recently relocated to San Francisco due to work demands. ‘His work, both vector and ink illustrations, is a unique collection of bizarre creatures often surrounded by contrasting environments. Each piece is its own narrative’.
Yum, yum, cupcakes are fun. These creations are so clever, so arty, so damn bizarre that it would almost be a shame to eat them. Almost! Read more
Some might argue that the team behind People of Walmart are elitist snobs poking fun at the working masses, but is there really an economic rationale behind an ‘I Hate Queers’ t-shirt? Read more
Though most people in the West think of mahjong as a mysterious game old Chinese people play, it’s actually gets quite rowdy when people get together to play it. Rowdy is certainly a good adjective for Mahjongg, the exquisitely danceable electro-whatever outfit from Chicago who draw as much from Afrobeat as they do vocoder-laden sleaze rock from the 70s.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
This amazing looking thing can be found wandering the streets of Shibuya Station in Tokyo, Japan, dishing up ample servings of Coca-Cola and gripping the city’s teenagers with a sudden fear of the future.
Improv Everywhere strikes again with a spontaneous musical in a Los Angeles mall. Wireless microphones hooked up to the mall’s PA system ensured the feeding masses didn’t slip into Cinnabon-induced comas until after the show was over. Note especially the angry dude in sunglasses at about 2:51 — apparently he thinks nothing can ever top Rent.
I wasn’t aware of who Emilio Pucci was until my work was compared to his for the hundredth time. I’m happy to have anyone make that connection. I’m not a high fashion person. I keep to the basics and feel alright about it. The introduction to his work was mind blowing for me. Not only for the rich colors and patterns, but how those things worked with the human form. It was an interesting revelation, and one that has sparked more interest for me to explore fashion as a medium for art.
WE'RE RESPECTING
WE'RE POSTING / SOME OF THE BEST
German painter Armin Rohr’s works look like stills from Stan Brakhage films, all acid-washed, scratched out, and ethereal like a sudden flood of memories. Read more
Amazing cake designs by Charm City Cakes
Baltimore company Charm City Cakes produces the most innovative wedding and party cakes on the market. Inspiration for these creative bakers comes from everywhere: art, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, and music, and each cake is individually designed to match your personality, and the theme of the occasion you are celebrating. Don’t miss these cakey engineering masterpieces. Read more
Forget battery powered vehicles. Cars made from ice are the future of transportation: no pollution, no honking horns, no painful rap music blasting out of souped up stereos. And if they melt, they melt. You just swim the rest of the way down the slipstream.
Good thing Kris Kuksi channelled the trauma of growing up with an alcoholic stepfather, his disdain for ‘the typical American life and pop culture’, and his fascination with the macabre into obsessive, baroque assemblages, paintings, and drawings. Read more
Oslo artist Gry E.Pedersen blends digital artwork and photos, but her generally experimental artwork also includes more traditional forms of paintings. Read more
From this artist selection of t-shirts comes this Christina Koustospirou illustration, silkscreened on a limited edition t-shirt, and distributed in a vinyl sleeve, with a biography of the artist on the back of the sleeve. Every t-shirt is numbered and signed by the artist, and comes in organic cotton. Read more
We’ve just updated the Lost At E Minor iPhone app in the iTunes store with some new features. It’s a daily snapshot of the latest content from the site. You can download it now. Win? Well, it’s free. So you win, we win. Snap!
FOLLOW US
DISCOVER MORE
SO...
SEARCH: Can't find what you're looking for? Do a search..
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU TOO?
We hope you're enjoying your time on Lost At E Minor, but it’s not over yet. Got something to share? Tell us about it and we'll look to publish it. If you want to have your work featured on the site, we'd love to hear from you. Pssst, we also have an online store stocking some of the goodies we feature on the site.
If you're a media agency and want to use this platform to connect with our readership, then drop us a line and tell us about it. Oh yeah, and we do digital consulting for cool brands that want to reach the sort of demographic that visits this site.
penny said | 30 April, 2009
yes, but all of the women mentioned still have body types conventional to models.