Vogue magazine, the fashion bible, has claimed “the cleavage is over” as women fight back against the judgment of social media to pack away their push-up bras. An article in this month’s edition claims women are turning their backs on showing off their breasts, choosing instead to show more demure flashes of the shoulder, stomach or leg in a bid to outwit “creepy” online feedback. But why should women be concerned? Surely they should be able to post a photo on their own account without the worry.
Elizabeth Saltzman, stylist, said she now has to take online harassment into account when dressing those in the public eye, with the open public comments on sites such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook leaving stars open to scrutiny. Online retailer ASOS has launched a “side boob bra” to suit the trend to have clothes cut low at the sides rather than cleavage, while supermodel Heidi Klum, who produces her Intimates range, has said she is seeking “less underwire and padding, something simpler, more racer backs.”
In this day and age surely women should have stop having to mould themselves to fit society, society should mould to suit women.
In an article headlined “desperately seeking cleavage”, a Vogue writer states: “Rejecting the stereotypes of gender has been brought sharply into focus, with the days of women as eye-candy, their sexuality positively smouldering rather than subtly played out, officially over.”
But is this truly a liberation for women or just another aspect of the fashion world aimed to make women more self-conscious and aim go to more extreme lengths to expectations which are seemingly becoming less and less realistic.
Not long ago, big boobs were all the rage…so are the women who years ago succumbed to society and got boob jobs now expected to have their implants removed?
But that begs the question, what about the big breasted girls? Are they no longer fashionable if they inevitably show some cleavage when wearing a round neck top? It all feels as though, in a time where gender equality has never before been as prominent, Vogue is going backwards. How can they decide what body type is in fashion?
It’s surely time that body-types were not placed at the judgement of the fashion industry. Instead their focus should be on young upcoming designers, the design and manufacturing process and other aspects of the fashion industry overlooked by big institutions such as Vogue.
It’s about time that women were not expected to mould to suit style, but they made fashion work for them.
