The use of non-professional models in fashion photography changes traditional notions of beauty and perfection by subverting the aspirational and often unattainable ideal that is perpetuated by traditional fashion imagery. Here's how:

Diverse Representation

Non-professional models, with their diverse body types and perceived imperfections, challenge the fashion industry's narrow standards of beauty and promote more inclusive and realistic representation of bodies.

Magazines like i-D use the "straight-up" style, featuring ordinary people in their everyday clothes, often photographed on city streets. This approach contrasts with traditional fashion photography that relies on professional models and staged studio settings. The focus on street style celebrates the diversity and creativity of individual fashion choices. These images often include the subject's own description of their style, moving away from the idea that fashion is solely the domain of designers and professional models.
i-D Straight-Ups

Subverting Ideals and Challenging Perfection

By using "real" people who don't conform to typical model standards, fashion photography challenges the traditional idea that only a specific type of person can be considered beautiful or fashionable.

Some art photographers, like Nan Goldin and Martin Parr, use non-professional models in their work, bringing their documentary style to fashion photography. Goldin, for example, photographed her friends in a Russian bathhouse for a lingerie shoot. Parr's Fashion Magazine features non-professional models, including himself, and plays with the codes of advertising. These examples highlight the use of everyday people to challenge the traditional, idealized imagery often seen in fashion magazines.
Rebecca at the Russian Baths, New York City 1985
Cannes, France, 2018. Commissioned by Gucci. Picture credit: © Martin Parr

Authenticity

The use of non-professional models can evoke a sense of realism and authenticity, which contrasts with the highly staged and polished imagery of traditional studio shoots. This also provides an alternative to the "absolute body" often presented in fashion photography.

Juergen Teller’s "The Clients": Teller photographed wealthy haute couture clients using a casual, snapshot style, in mundane settings, portraying them honestly and sometimes unflatteringly. This approach contrasts sharply with the idealized images typically associated with high fashion, and it suggests that beauty and style exist outside of the constructed, flawless image often presented in fashion magazines. It also demonstrates that non-professional models can bring a sense of authenticity and individuality to fashion photography.
THE CLIENTS | PHOTOGRAPHY JUERGEN TELLER | W MAGAZINE | MARCH 1999

Marketing Strategy

The use of non-professional models can be a unique marketing strategy designed to appeal to a sophisticated, image-savvy demographic, particularly in the "alternative" fashion press. This also can be seen as a way to introduce novelty into the fashion image.

Rankin's Dove Campaign: The Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty" used six "real" women to send a message that overweight or older bodies are no longer to be feared or shunned. While still somewhat curated, the campaign challenged the notion that only a certain type of person is beautiful or worthy of representation, further moving away from the traditional standards of beauty found in fashion photography.
An early Real Beauty billboard in London in 2004. Credit: Dove
This shift in fashion photography, towards greater inclusivity with non-professional models, emphasizes individuality, authenticity, and a broader acceptance of diverse body types and personal styles, and can also be seen as a move towards a more democratic form of fashion.
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