Britain’s Missing Top Model
03-07-2008
Britain’s Missing Top
Model. The exciting new series made its debut on the 1st July. A fantastic take on the ever popular, original America’s next top model, which was then taken on globally (countries including Australia, Canada and of course Britain), is Britain’s missing top model. A competition consisting of 8 disabled women, not only from the UK but the US and The Netherlands. They are competing head to head for the ultimate prize of modelling in a photo shoot that shall appear in a premier fashion magazine.

photo from bbc.co.uk
It seems Britain has finally found a way to incorporate people outside of the box promoting prejudice. The series that shall put today’s beliefs and society’s attitudes to the test, has begun, it’s part of the BBC Three’s beauty season and the contestants include a woman with an arm amputation, one woman without a forearm, a woman with partial paralysis, two women who are deaf, one woman who is paralysed from the chest down and a woman with a leg amputation.
The first to be eliminated was 27 year old administrator, Rebecca Le’gon, from Colchester. With her leg having been amputated and a height of only 5,5, Rebecca was hardly the usual candidate for modelling in the fashion world, but that is what this competition is all about creating opportunities to all who aspire to model, making it the perfect tool in getting the fashion industry and society as a whole to appreciate and open their minds to everyone, as well as raise well needed awareness regarding disabilities. People have been made to feel as though having a disability or disfigurement is wrong, a freak of nature, ugly even but now that shall definitely be challenged. I believe this to be a strong stance in the game that is this industry. This could be the way forward in ending some of the craziness attached to beauty… What a thought…

photo from bbc.co.uk
Although in saying that there are no contestants with facial disfigurements from burns or other unfortunate occurrences. Should these not be encouraged to be looked upon as beautiful? Yes the fashion industry and beauty industry alike are based on looks, astounding appearance and genetic makeup, but who set’s the standards? Why is everything so black and white? Why should all of us be pressured or manipulated into believing that we need to look like all these women who are super skinny, gaunt and have no disfigurements or flaws what so ever? How about giving those with visual and non visual disabilities and disfigurements a sense of belonging and acceptance rather than feeling like a discard, by having models that are just like them…
Everybody wears clothes, so if it’s about money surely you would want as many different people to be buying your collections, hence why benefits would be reaped in more ways than one, for the buyers who feel at ease and not so segregated and for the designers wanting to make money. Simply by displaying a wider scope of possible consumers, via having models that would represent several different disabilities and disfigurement, a lot could be achieved.
The world will not change overnight but this show is definitely a start in getting the ball rolling and should be applauded. Next week see’s the 7 remaining contestants modelling lingerie in a high street shop window… Bring it on ladies!!!
Make sure you don’t miss the next instalment of this terrific project, next Tuesday, on BBC Three, at 9pm. For those of you who can’t tune in, I shall keep you posted on the progress of the competition.
Luisa Savino