“90% of women don’t feel represented in the media and that is a statistic we absolutely have to change” – jenny mcquaile - straight/curve director
reth-ink It is now proven women who have tattoos have a greater amount of self-esteem. So why does the industry still have a long way to go for those who choose to be different?
photography and words by jennifer frank
We’re pretty good at talking the talk about diversity, but we’re not half as good at giving the women who are stepping out of mainstream beauty the recognition they deserve. Here’s three cheers to the girls refusing to conform and the industry innovators pushing for change. Tattoo culture is beginning to play a great part in the fashion industry, and likewise, the fashion industry is finding its place amongst tattoos. For instance, Grace Neutral who made her London Fashion Week debut walking for Ashley Williams just two years ago doesn’t fit the standard mould you’d expect for a fashion model. As we’re all guilty of sitting by and documenting the rise of models such as Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid; the thin, white, seemingly-immaculate models placed on an unreachable pedestal. Yet Grace, boasting heavily inked skin, tattooed blue corneas and even a forked-tongue, stood out as a highlight. Which really makes you wonder just how diverse the industry is. According to the Social Science Journals latest study, statistics show young girls with tattoos had a greater amount of self esteem. Since fashion is notably the most popular form of selfexpression, it shouldn’t be so drastic in comparison when it comes to women using their own bodies. Especially since these women are more confident. Still, trying to find a woman with tattoos who doesn’t face discrimination on a daily basis is a ridiculous task. I spoke to Alice, a 20-year-old fine art student who also works as an inked alternative model. Alice puts up with disapproving glances and remarks almost every day. She spoke of her biggest tattoo, the babydoll script spread across the back of her thighs. To outsiders, this welcomes hurtful comments whenever it’s on show, to name a few - “promiscuous, slutty, asking for it”. Yet when you get to the real reasoning behind her tattoo, the childhood nickname her late grandfather gave her, it couldn’t be more different from the hurtful remarks she receives. Having tattoos for several years now she finds herself longing for a ’normal day’, without the looks and the passing judgements. Alice quotes “It’s like you’re a book and you’re constantly getting judged by your cover” and it’s clearly a
fitting statement. Nobody wants to know the deeper reasoning behind Alice’s tattoos, and nobody seems to care that since getting tattoos, Alice has learnt to- truly love her body and gained a huge amount of confidence whilst doing so. Not surprisingly, Alice isn’t alone when it comes to facing these s tereotypes either. You would think that being a famous illustrator, whose art is quoted “to help people get out of bed on a morning”, you wouldn’t fall victim to being told how you should look. But Anastasia does, almost every day. Anastasia Tasou is an activist who regularly promotes body-positivity. Her work is based on real conversations and real thoughts and definitely speaks out to her mass 100k followers on Instagram. She spoke of people talking about her tattoos in the street thinking she can’t hear, or ‘coincidentally’ start discussing why “they don’t understand why nice girls ruin their bodies with tattoos” whenever she’s nearby. I find myself resonating with Anastasia because she believes society is less accepting of girls with body modifications and the constraints we face “aren’t necessary” and “very damaging”, I couldn’t agree more. Unlike many influential people who have the real following to make a difference in our industry but turn a blind eye, Anastasia confronts the negativity in the media head-on and it inspires the work she creates. Women are drawn to her work so much that her illustrated quotes have become a global tattoo trend. In a society where we can only look to the industry to see how we should look, it’s refreshing to think that there’re artists like Anastasia who are helping us make peace with our bodies. Although you only have to document the real determination of the women behind the Straight/Curve film, to recognise that change is slowly happening in the media. Due to be released this month, despite failing to meet their kick-starter target, Straight/Curve is a documentary celebrating all of the people in the industry that are pushing for a more accurate representation of women’s bodies.
The woman behind the film, Jenny McQuaile started researching the subject matter four years ago and found that both the fashion industry and the media were not quite ready to have this open dialogue on the issues with women’s bodies. Witnessing the success of the #Freethenipple campaign, which took off worldwide before the film was even released, Jenny recognises documentary films really have the potential to educate young women all across the globe. Upon creating the film, Jenny learnt that a staggering 90% of women say they do not feel represented in the fashion industry or media and that is a very dangerous statistic that we absolutely have to change. What I found most interesting is that she admits she still struggles with her own body image. To Jenny, making the film crystallised just how messed up society’s standards of beauty are and the immense pressure women are put under to ‘appear a certain way’. If Jenny is still looking in the mirror and questioning the way she looks, despite everything she campaigns for on a daily basis, then we know we have a truly deep rooted problem. As Jenny quotes, “Fashion and body image are deeply personal and everyone is entitled to express themselves as they see fit”. Does this mean society will accept it? absolutely not. But society is deeply unaccepting of a lot of things and the only way to shift this stigma is to see more of what we want to be accepted. Change is happening and the media is beginning to embrace different ideas of beauty, but there is still more left to do. Will the fashion industry ever become all embracing with an open attitude towards women with tattoos? Probably not in the next decade, but we are inviting the conversation. We’re ignoring the media’s attempts to control our beauty ideals and we’re becoming comfortable in our own skin through our own means, and that’s what’s important.
FIN.