In "Citizen Models," Robin Givhan portrays John Galliano's spring runway show as an extreme makeover to runway expectations. He set his show against a backdrop that called to mind the confluence of a carnival sideshow and a burlesque theater. Each model was chosen for her/his unusual physical attributes, from the Thumbelina-size woman to the beanpole, tiny, old men. Galliano played off the extremes of humanity in a celebration of diversity. "It was fashion taking on some of its worst biases: fat, old, and ugly." The audience had been given an invitation to stare and gawk at the human-specimen display that paraded down the catwalk. Galliano used fashion as a tool for provocation. No matter if people laughed, knitted their brows in confusion or shifted uncomfortably in their seats, there was no wrong way to respond. The question left to ponder was whether there would ever be a right way.
English: A model on the runway in clothes at a fas...
Models on the catwalk
English: A fashion model on the runway.John Galliano has always been seen as the oddball of the fashion world, constantly pushing the envelope to see just how far he can go without being seen as grotesque. I thought it was very interesting that the handout that was left on each seat that was to give the viewer some sort of look into Galliano's playful intention. It read - "Jesus loves the little children / All the children of the world. / Red and yellow, black and white, / They are precious in His sight. / Jesus loves the little children of the world." In that simple phrasing he sets out to, almost in one fell swoop, make all the problems and preconceptions of the fashion industry just vanish; to rid the world of the idea that a girl must be 5' 10" or taller and no more than 115 lbs. or she could never even...