A social media post meant to advertise sunglasses has turned into an online debate about body shaming, with Victoria Beckham and Lithuanian model Giedre Dukauskaite smack-dab at the center.
Over the weekend, the Spice Girl-turned-designer posted images of Dukauskaite modeling her fashion eyewear line. Here’s the Instagram post:
Back to work! Start the year with new frames from the Spring Summer 2018 #VBEyewear collection inspired by 1970s retro classics and updated for a feathery-light, fresh and modern look. Available at https://t.co/z8jKj9nMGH and #VBDoverSt. #VBSS18pic.twitter.com/SDq0onL2EJ
— Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) January 11, 2018
A whole lot of people had an instant reaction to the images accompanying the post. Their thinking? This model is way too thin.
This woman is so skinny that she looks ill, and so do you. Please get the help both you and she need. 🕯
— Nudi. (@32flavoursNudi) January 16, 2018
Why not use healthy, normal women? What point are you trying to make? Please stop making our girls feel like starving is normal.
— Yoby Alexander (@yoby) January 15, 2018
The images even inspired one woman to write an open letter to Beckham, condemning her choice to use thin models in advertising.
But many others thought that those who bringing attention to the model’s thin frame were body shaming her.
On Instagram, @lisahastings72 writes:
“It’s so hypocritical that she’s getting so much heat for the way her body is… How can we celebrate a plus size woman and not celebrate this girl too? Can we just STOP shaming and call it a day???”
And @sneguli had this to say:
“…there isn’t just one type of healthy. You can see a plus size lady who perhaps doesn’t look like she’s healthy but turns out she is. Guess who gets to make that call? Her doctor. Same with this gorgeous lady in the campaign. Perhaps it is your perception of what healthy is that needs some tuning…
@finally.ivo wrote:
“Well said! So fed up with those people claiming that they are fighting against body shaming, for diversity and so on… and then just posting those kind of comments 🤦♀️”
The fashion industry is of course still rife with models who fall well below the average woman’s BMI, if that measurement means anything anymore. That being said, slowly but surely, things are moving in the right direction. This year’s season of America’s Next Top Model will feature KhrystyAna, a size-12 model who is — Gasp! — 32 years old. There are also plenty of plus-size celebrities these days that are absolutely killing it in the fashion game.
But there’s still a long way to go where model inclusivity is concerned. Despite an online outcry and a very direct call-out from curvaceous model Tabria Majors, Victoria’s Secret decided not to include any plus-size models in their last annual fashion show.
We’ve still got a long way to go before a realistic range of women are represented in the fashion industry. But the Beckham debacle begs an important question: Is calling out the thinness of one’s woman’s body an effective way of bringing about that change?
Do you think the outcry is justifiable? Tell us @britandco!
(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)