KARLIE KLOSS

IT IS EASY TO BE JEALOUS OF KARLIE KLOSS, ESPECIALLY IN THE RAW AND PERFECTLY VULNERABLE GAZE THAT IS BEC PARSONS’ SHOOT FOR LOVEWANT’S 12TH ISSUE. SHE IS ONE OF THOSE INFINITELY PERFECT FIGURES WHO IN THE LAST DECADE HAS REDEFINED THE TERM ‘SUPERMODEL’ AND BROUGHT THE HIGH LEVELS OF FASHION TO A WHOLE NEW, GLOBAL AUDIENCE. YET THERE IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT WHAT THE OVER ACHIEVER, VERY GENEROUSLY, CHOOSES TO SHARE WITH HER 6.2M FOLLOWERS, SOMETHING THAT LEAVES HER AUDIENCE WITH A SENSE OF ADMIRATION AND DETERMINATION OVER THE MORE COMMON INSTA-EMOTIONS OF ENVY AND JEALOUSY ALIKE. MODELS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A JEALOUS POINT FOR A LARGE PART OF SOCIETY. AND HAVING A PLATFORM SEEMINGLY DEDICATED TO SHOWCASING YOUR GENETIC LOTTERY, FREE CLOTHES AND FASHIONABLY LAVISH LIFESTYLE DOESN’T HELP. BUT WHY IS IT WHEN WE’VE MADE SUCH AN EFFORT TO CANCEL OUT THE NOTION OF ‘COMPETE AND COMPARE’ IN EVERYDAY LIFE, WE CHANNEL OUR COMPETITION INTO A FALSE REALITY? FINDING OURSELVES EMPTY ON A TUESDAY NIGHT, LOST IN A 20-SOMETHING-YEAR-OLD’S FEED AND THEIR HEAVILY DOCUMENTED S/S 16 FASHION WEEK EXPERIENCE.  TO BE FAIR, MY ‘RELATIONSHIP’ WITH KARLIE IS 80% ADMIRATION AND 20% ENVY. AND, WHILE THERE ARE SO MANY OTHERS IN THE MODELLING REALM I AM IN HUGE ADMIRATION OF, FEW HAVE THE SHEER REACH AND RELATABILITY OF KLOSSY. WHILE THERE IS NO DOUBT HER LOOK IS ONE OF THE MOST VISUALLY STUNNING IN THE WORLD, I FIND MYSELF LOOKING BEYOND HER BEAUTY OR SIX PACK AND INTO HER PHILANTHROPIC WORK, WONDERING HOW CAN I BE MY BEST SELF? IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY, CHARACTERS LIKE KARLIE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, AND ALL TOO OFTEN PERSONALITY IS LEFT OFF CAMERA.  OFTEN OUR ADMIRATION FOR THE MODELS ON OUR PAGES IS CONFINED TO THE BEAUTY AND STYLE ARENAS AND WE FIND OURSELVES LOOKING TO THE MICHELLE OBAMA’S OF THE WORLD FOR THE REAL INSPIRATIONAL DIRTY WORK. BUT WHY NOT? WE SHOULDN’T BE SURPRISED BY MODELS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THEY’VE USED THEIR PLATFORMS TO CREATE MOVEMENTS, LOOK AT ADWOA ABOAH AND GURLS TALK OR CHRISTY TURLINGTON’S (KLOSS’ IDOL) EVERY MOTHER COUNTS.  FASHION IS A POWERFUL INDUSTRY AND AS HARI NEF SAID SO PERFECTLY, “IT INFORMS THE PUBLIC OF WHAT IS RESPECTABLE, WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL AND WHAT IS ASPIRATIONAL”. IN AN AGE WHERE WE’RE WEIGHING UP OUR WORTH ON AN HOURLY BASIS, WE NEED TO DRAW A LINE BETWEEN ENVY AND INSPIRATION AND START ACCURATELY REPRESENTING THESE WOMEN FOR WHAT THEY’RE WORTH.