Friday, March 09, 2007

Standing rant



Okay--this isn't meant as some kind of a decent drawing(how's that for a disclaimer, heh).
I was just thinking how much the current vogue for standing fashionably bugs me. You've all seen it--everyone does it: all the ladies on the carpet stand pigeon-toed. And as far as I can tell, it's really unflattering. Yet, it's supposed to be the "best" way to stand to flatter oneself. Jeez.

So, on the left: the Way To Stand from the golden age of Hollywood(for the purposes of argument, 1919-1965).

On the right, the pigeon-toed thing.

There are even books out there that advise us everyday slobs that if we want to look slim, elegant and well, slim: stand with your arms akimbo, your pelvis tilted back and your toes pointing at each other. How awkward can you get!
The old fashioned style is so much prettier, and makes anatomical sense...look at any posed photo of Marilyn Monroe, for instance: she always crossed one leg slightly in front of the other and bends her knee; it makes for a beautiful, graceful shape from the waist down, makes the legs look longer, and slims from the widest part of the hips down to the feet. How on earth is spreading your legs apart wide enough that you can point your stilettoed toes at each other supposed to slim anybody? It's the red carpet emperor's new clothes as far as I'm concerned.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I too think the fashion editorial approach to posing has made its way onto the red carpet. Awkward and angular is a staple of that aesthetic, and stars these days do cross over into that territory with their various cosmetic contracts!

I wonder if the intent is to somehow make the female seem more vulnerable, and appeal to the male protective instinct at a subconscious level? Just a thought, but that contribute something to the equation...

andy said...

Heheh, yeah, it is a little klunky-looking.
I hadn't consciously noticed it till you just pointed it out, but you're right, I now recall seeing the starlets on the red carpet and it is a very strange trend; the classic crossed-legged pose is much more appealing, to me anyway...

Jeff said...

Interesting! It's one of those "I hadn't really focused on it but now that you mention it..." types of things. Nifty drawings, too. The head drawing in your previous post is to die for.

Andreas said...

As someone that spent a lot of effort learning photography, the easiest way to get someone into a good basic pose is have them point one foot at the camera and the other away from the camera. Easy, simple, and never fails to flatter. Head tilt is optional.

Anonymous said...

Cool! I never noticed that!

Kevin said...

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that nowadays the starlets are wafer thin and ANYTHING to accentuate their non existent hips and skeletal bodies is what they are aiming for.
The starlets of old had much more glamour and more elegance.

DINTOONS said...

well, no matter what fashion is in vogue, your spontaneous drawings make the ladies very appealing indeed...!
:-)

Mark said...

I had a friend link me to this post because I rant about the same thing. Standing with toes pointed inward makes a person look like they're six years old. All maturity just goes out the window. I absolutely can't stand it.