Fake Pimples on the Runway?

The fashion-world can be so ironic.

We are used to seeing models portray a standard of beauty that is (almost always) unrealistic for the average woman to achieve. Perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect lashes, perfect lips, perfect thigh-gap, perfect boobs, etc.

However, it seems like every now and then some taste-maker gets really bored and tries to shake everything up. Forget about an unattainable levels of perfection and beauty, instead it’s like they want to break loose and showcase something that is usually considered undesirable.

In the past there have been moments where fake-freckles or faux-braces had their moments on the runway, despite the fact that these are awkward stages of child-hood / puberty that most people want to forget.

 

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Photo: Val Garland for Preen S/S 15 show.

 

Now, one fashion designer is trying to make pimples, happen.

Despite the fact that BILLIONS of dollars are spent each year on acne remedies (which indicates that acne is a very common skin situation, and something that people are actively trying to correct) a recent runway show in Milan purposely sent a slew of models down the catwalk with fake pimples all over their faces.

 

Photo: Getty Images/Victor Boyko

Why?

Malaysian designer Moto Guo — who was a recent semi-finalist for the prestigious LVMH prize — recently showcased his debut runway collection in Milan, and he had his makeup-artists cover his models’ faces in all sorts of breakouts, zits, and blemishes. The end-results featured a collection of oddly dressed models sporting big pimples and cystic acne.

Guo, whose work is on the unusual side to begin with, hasn’t offered any specific explanation for putting pockmarks and pustules on the otherwise clear-faces of his models.

Does his clothing offer any hints? Guo’s spring 2017 collection is entitled “Picnic in the Society,” and all of the looks referenced things children might wear at such an event, including bibs and jackets with smiley-faces.

Photo: Getty Images/Victor Boyko
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Getty Images

Attention Play?

A true fashion-designer would never want something like fake pimples to distract eyeballs from their work, and it is highly unlikely that acne and pimples will become the next big makeup movement of 2016 — so it’s not like he did this to be a visionary trend-setter.

Was this just a ploy for media coverage? If so, it worked. His clothes are neither attractive nor marketable, and yet — here we are anyway, talking about his runway show. Based on his aesthetic, this move was incredibly strategic and he’s lucky anyone’s talking about him at all.

Additionally, after working with people who truly are suffering with problematic skin and seeing the way it impacts their lives — it seems like a cheap move to try and pimp out acne just to stir up unwarranted publicity.

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