MAFS' Dom slams Aussie designer for 'sick' act: 'Slap in the face'

Former MAFS star Domenica Calarco has lashed out at Aussie designer Christopher Esber in a scathing Instagram story. The ready to wear fashion designer faced heated backlash on Monday afternoon after sharing photos of their latest swimwear collection.

To promote their newest Resort 23 swimwear line, Christopher Esber had models wear the green Solis bikini with a strong tan line visible. The difference between the model’s natural pale skin where the bikini had been sitting and the dark tan was shocking, with many people slamming the designer for promoting tanning.

“Shades of green connect us with nature, contrasted with our brutalist orbit hardware in Italian Lycra,” the fashion brand captioned their images on Instagram.

According to the Cancer Council Australia, tanning ‘is a sign you have been exposed to enough UV radiation to damage your skin’. Along with a slew of other skin issues tanning can cause, the charity warns that it ‘increases the risk of developing skin cancer’.

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Domenica commented on their post and said she was ‘disappointed’ by their marketing decision.

“The tan lines are just not it!!!! Come on guys,” the reality TV star wrote.

In a now-deleted Instagram story, the podcast host shared the designer’s post and explained why she was so upset.

“The glamorising of THIS kind of culture makes me feel sick. Especially on a day like today. It’s a slap to the face of people like our beautiful Nat who suffered so much. I don’t care if this is makeup. It’s just not cool,” she wrote, referring to Aussie writer Natalie Fornasier who recently died from metastatic melanoma at 28.

“@christopher_esber fan of the brand and have been for years. But I feel deeply that this campaign should be taken down,” Domenica added.

Not long after the MAFS star shared her story, she swiftly deleted it and Christopher Esber followed suit.

Scary detail in Aussie influencers’ bikini snaps

This comes after fans slammed social media personalities Mia Fevola, Taylor Damir and Sophia Begg for promoting tanning.

The influencers have a collective reach of almost 1.4 million followers on Instagram alone, so followers have urged the Aussies to use their platform for good.

Rozalia was described as looking “crispy” while she lay on the sand in a tiny black crocheted bikini. She showed off how thick her paperback copy of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara was, saying that she was determined to finish reading it during her holiday.

Mia was also heavily criticised for ‘promoting’ tanning after sharing a carousel of snaps on Instagram that depicted her extreme tan.

In one of her bikini snaps, she poses with her straps down so her followers could see the difference between her naturally coloured skin and her dark tan.

One passionate Aussie said that influencers promoting tanning culture was “actually disgusting”, suggesting they could promote “sun safety behaviours” instead.

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“Tanning is trending on TikTok driven by Aussie influencers. Very sad. If only they understood how bad it is,” another commented.

“This is extremely disappointing as [Rozalia] has already been severely sunburnt and yet is back tanning her tortured skin,” a third pointed out.

“You’d think by 2023, people would understand the dangers of getting a tan,” another remarked.

“As disappointing as these posts are, it’s nice to see there’s a strong commentary from the public that tanning is wrong. A big step in the right direction,” added another.

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