Milan to London flights are known for being crowded with the
who’s who of fashion. In fact, in the past four years of flying this specific
route regularly, I can’t remember a single flight that didn’t have at least two
long legged creatures claiming the plane aisle as their personal runway.However, on last yesterday’s trip, it seemed as if half the industry was climbing onto our plane. For reasons you are about to
discover,their identities shall remain
nameless.
I arrived on the plane early. Yes, I’m one of those annoying
people that gets to the airport two hours in advance of the flight. I blame my
own long legs. If it isn’t Business or First, it’s a scramble for a good seat
and it’s always first come first serve. So my patterns are established. I am usually
one of the first on the plane and one of the first off. Being first on, I get
to partake in a true indulgence – people watching! Everyone must pass by you as
they make their way to their seats and the Milano Linate to London Heathrow
flight is a homerun when it comes to sightseeing.Only today, my regularly scheduled
broadcasting had a bit of a caffeine boost in the form of serious supermodels. It’s important to mention that moments before I boarded, I was reading
five different magazines, from five different countries. Each cover featured a
different model, and my jaw dropped to the floor as each of these cover girls
stepped delicately onto the plane for the trip to London.
Dressed in sweatpants, oversized parkas and chunky boots,
they were a far cry from the covers I had just seen. In fact, each and every
one required a double take.Not one of
these women had a lick of makeup on their face. Well, that’s a lie, one did but
it looked like it had been stretched across her face. Obviously it was a big
night in Milano for some!
It all got me to thinking. First my mind was reeling with
the idea of how much we kick ourselves on a daily basis for not looking like
the women we see in magazines. Here I am sitting looking at these ladies in the flesh and I was feeling a lot better than would have been expected. In fact, I so badly
wanted to snap pictures and share as if to say, “see ladies, it’s not real,
it’s all a production.” Sadly, that’s the sort of thing that’s frowned upon with
these ladies. They all had agents or husbands in tow and I can just imagine being
tackled in a Kanye West like manner while trying to capture the moment.
I then started thinking about the models themselves and
their daily transformations, that are part of their day-to-day job. It must come
with it’s own set of difficulties. Imagine you get “put together” everyday in
hair and makeup. You step in front of the camera, a shot is taken, and then a
computer whiz plays with the shot and spits out something that sort of looks
like you. Now imagine you have to stare at that very same woman everyday in the
mirror when you wake up – without the hair, makeup and photoshopping. I can
only think that as hard as it is for us mere morals in comparing ourselves
daily, it must be damn near impossible for a human being to see themselves
transformed into an industry standard, only to have to come back down to earth every day when you are alone, just you and the mirror.
Then there’s the expectation of looking as you do, on a
magazine or in a catalogue, for the general public. And this is where the
flight comes in. Obviously these women have gone past the idea of caring what
general Joe Bloggs has to say or think about them when they are out and about. These
women seemed tired of the makeup, tired of the high fashion, tired of the
industry standard. To most of us, that would be the equivalent of being tired
of life. Getting up every morning, putting together an outfit, and applying makeup, is just a way of life for
most of us normal ladies, and one we’ve all grown accustomed to over time.
So what’s the point of sharing all this? Well, this is more
a thought piece than anything else, just to say that these girls we all idolize
aren’t so different than each one of us. Sure, they’ve been blessed with some
defining features here or there that qualify them for the flashbulbs.Yes, they have a life that seems glamourous
and one that we should all want. But I’m telling you now, if you had seen what
I had seen, you’d rethink it all in a second. Next time you crack open that
magazine, remember that each and every woman on the page is a creation. She’s
created for us, but she doesn’t walk the streets as competition. She’s a
figment of the industry’s imagination. And you know what? She probably wishes
more than anything that she could bite into that Krispy Kreme doughnut your biting
into right now.
