14 DAY TRIAL // Karl Lagerfeld, while famous for his highly innovative and boundary-breaking creations, is also known for saying the most hurtful things in the most blatant manner. He’s made his views on fat people public in the past as well, so it’s probably no wonder that he’s getting serious heat again, now that he said only fat women could possibly hate the thin models he featured in his collection, as the Examiner can confirm.
In the midst of the heated debate of whether size-0 models are “created” by the designers who put them on the catwalk and whether the fashion industry is responsible for completely separating fashion from the real world, Lagerfeld puts in his two cents as well. Fashion is an illusion and an art, therefore it’s supposed to be cut off from reality. Similarly, only fat women who sit on their couches eating all day long could possibly see anything wrong with size-0 models.
“No one wants to see curvy women. You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly.” Lagerfeld said in a recent interview. His comment did not come out of the blue: it followed an announcement from the German-language Brigitte magazine saying it would include regular-sized women in its spreads and editorial from that moment on. It also followed the decision of many other glossy magazines of doing the same.
Of course, this is not the first time that Lagerfeld goes on the record saying that pin-sized models should not be an issue when there are millions of overweight women out there. However, as the Examiner also points out, it could very well be that what the legendary designer is missing is that there is a very well-defined line between high fashion and women’s magazines, with the latter being the one that women – real women, not models – look to for inspiration and, if need be, advice.
“On the runways, yes we have to see the clothing, so a girl no wider than a coat hanger is preferred. When we flip open an issue of Cosmo, it’s a different story. The Chanel spring 2010 fashion show was about fantasy, but when we’re looking at a magazine, we’re most likely looking for real tips that can be used for a Friday night out, a day at the office or a casual date. Lagerfeld says that fashion is about ‘dreams and illusions,’ so there’s no room for a round body on the runway.” the aforementioned publication writes in response to Karl’s recent comment.