High Fashion Gone Too Far?

Vogue Italia has been criticised by its readers for featuring a model with a cinched-in 13 inch waist.

The coveted September cover features an image of model Stella Tennant with her midriff tightly constricted by a corseted belt in an obvious ode to Ethel Granger, a lover of corsets and facial piercings.

"Granger, who lived from 1905-1982, still holds the Guinness world record for smallest modified waist, clocking in at just 13-inches," said the Daily Mail.

"Ms Tennant's corset - not the most common wardrobe addition, by any standards - was made by Deborah Milner, although we can only guess that a hefty dose of digital modification went into making Ms Tennant's waist so impossibly miniscule."

Celebrities unite against plastic surgery

The 'Avant-Garde' themed shoot has raised concerns about the promotion of unrealistic body standards.

"Tennant's 13-inch waist hardly speaks to current trends or ideals," wrote stylecaster.com. "If the cover was intended to disturb and disrupt it succeeded, but whether or not it did so in a positive manner is still in the air."

On the other hand, argues The Stir blog, the look is not intended to be realistic. "The point of this photo isn't to get you to flip through the pages and see who designed the model's black frock. No one's going to buy it. See the phrase "avant-garde" up there? Avant-garde is all about pushing the boundaries and experimenting."

Vogue Italia came under fire just last month after referring to hoop earrings as "slave earrings".

"If the name brings to the mind the decorative traditions of the women of colour who were brought to the southern United States during the slave trade, the latest interpretation is pure freedom," said the contentious issue.

What are your thoughts? Is this an example of fashion gone too far?

Image courtesy of Vogue Italia.


Find out the latest fashion trends!