Designer Ralph Lauren is making model-related headlines again. The last time this happened, it was when the iconic American brand digitally altered model Filippa Hamilton into a biologically impossible state, rendering her waist and pelvis in miniature and leaving the rest of her body normal-sized. Astute critics noticed and spoke up. It didn't help matters when Hamilton herself stated that she was allegedly fired by the brand for being "too fat" by fashion world metrics. More recently, however, the Ralph Lauren brand has made attempts to improve its image and hired Australian plus-size model Robyn Lawley, who stands 6-foot-2 and wears a size 12, for a print campaign. After the public relations nightmare with Hamilton, many have heralded this choice as a positive sign of improvement in a fashion industry that overwhelmingly hires and promotes models who are far thinner than the average American woman.
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The Ralph Lauren brand is attracting attention for hiring a "plus-size" model
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Lauren's company previously drew attention for digitally altering bodies
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Lady Gaga's weight gain has been the subject of much scrutiny
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Gaga has launched a "Body Revolution," sharing photos and revelations about her own body
The truth is, we want to see "real women" when they look like @placeholder in a Ralph Lauren ad, coiffed and digitally altered into that brand's iconic and immaculate horse-riding fantasy world.