A Model Subject: Problematizing the 'Beauty Sells' Ideal in Fashion Marketing

Since the introduction of mannequins and models in fashion, the standard of beauty in fashion has been thin, tall, white, and conventional bodies, representing the normative ideals of perfection of the time. This Major Research Project challenged the assumption in fashion marketing of how 'beauty' sells; in essence, how clothing has to be draped on a conventionally beautiful and thin model to appear attractive and marketable to the consumer. Using body mapping as a unique arts-based methodology, the study observed the affective response of three participants in St. John's, Newfoundland to two series of fashion advertisements portraying beauty standards versus othered bodies. The resulting body maps expressed that today's consumers want to feel recognized and validated by advertisements — they need to be able to see aspects of themselves in fashion media in order to truly relate to the brand in question. This research contributes to the field of fashion marketing by offering a method of increasing consumers' positive attitudes towards brands, thus leading to greater brand equity.