Ralph Lauren Model Fired Because Too "Fat"

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So apparently the today show has been a lot more fashion conscious ( they recently did a segment on the Black faced models in French Vogue), and as a part of their efforts they invited Fillipa Hamilton. She was fired from Ralph Lauren for being "too fat" at 5'10", 120lbs, and a size 4.

Here is the full statement:

For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality, integrity and a wholesome American lifestyle. Filippa Hamilton is a beautiful and healthy woman that we have worked closely with for over 6 years and we consider her an important part of our imaging and branding. We regret that our relationship has ended as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us. The image in question was mistakenly released and used in a department store in Japan and was not the approved image which ran in the U.S. We take full responsibility for allowing this image to run as this is completely inconsistent with our creative standards and brand values. This error has absolutely no connection to our relationship with Filippa Hamilton.

So, why is no one saying what the contract says? Wouldn't that clear at least some of the air with Ralph Lauren?

A few weeks before she was let go, this photo was released in one store in Japan. The picture was extremely photo-shopped. I mean honestly, was no one overlooking the photo shop team that day at Ralph Lauren?

Noticing their mistake, the people at Ralph Lauren removed the photo and took full responsibility to the damage they are causing the women's views on body image.


My thing is Filippa needs to stop crying. She had a contract, she no longer meets the terms, so she is fired. This is a business. She didn't go into this thinking " oh my body doesn't matter and this silly little contract means nothing," at least I hope not. She was fully aware of the expectations of her profession.

I am also kind of sick of people blaming ( COMPLETELY) women's body image issues on the fashion industry. What happened to learning values and morals in the home? Are you letting the media teach your children or are you stepping in and saying " you know this isn't real."


Also, I think people are forgetting the purpose of the model. A model is a walking mannequin. Their primary job is to display the clothing. They aren't even required to be pretty, because weird looking faces would allow people to remember the clothing. They also need to be very tiny for the sample clothing.

If you know nothing about designing, know that it is expensive.

Sample clothing is like a prototype for the final product. With prototypes sometimes you change it and some times you trash the idea all together. To make this process cost effective you want to buy small amounts of fabric and spend as little time sewing as possible. This is the economics behind skinny models. It is cheap to make a sample for these size 2 girls that may or may not be adopted in the collection. Now image having to buy 6 yards of cashmere at $200/yard to make a sample dress that was the size of the average women in America, a size 14. That is $1200 wasted on the possibility of a garment being chosen, just to make customers who don't even purchase the merchandise feel better about themselves.

Now I would rather buy 2 yards and make the dress as a sample, then find out people like it, and make more sizes. Now that it is a recession, budgets are tighter. Designers don't have the money to waste making big samples of possibilities. Cutting costs means smaller models.

The real problem here is the value people put on the career of a model. People idolize these women, and for what, because they get to try on nice clothes first? Most of them don;t get to keep the clothes . They also aren't treated like humans, but like walking dolls playing dress up. People in Japan are even in the process of making Robot models.


All this is just to say, think for yourself. The media put out what they think is beautiful, but you don't have to go along with it. Many guys/girls don't like super skinny or super buff bodies that the media glorifies anyway. I mean at the end of the day, do you know who is pushing this image on us ? Old, white, male executives who believe this is the way to be. They then to hire people who believe in their skewed visions and the chain continues. I don't know about you, but I will not be convinced by these people, and neither should you.