CGI Models Margot & Zhi Join Shudu In #Balmain Army; Is It The Beginning of the End for Humanity?

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CGI Models Margot & Zhi Join Shudu In #Balmain Army; Is It The Beginning of the End for Humanity?

Everyone is welcome in Olivier Rousteing's #Balmain Army, a brand committed to diversity. The latest extension of the #Balmain Army includes CGI models (computer generated imagery). Rousteing worked with Cameron-James Wilson, the CGI artist and photographer behind Fenty Beauty's controversial Shudu model. 

Controversy surrounded Shudu when she made her debut in March of 2018. With social media saying the unknown Shudu was just a little too perfect, Wilson explained to the clamoring crowds: ""Basically Shudu is my creation, she’s my art piece that I am working on at the moment. She is not a real model unfortunately, but she represents a lot of the real models of today. There’s a big kind of movement with dark skin models, so she represents them and is inspired by them. Obviously some models like Duckie (Thot) were definitely big inspirations for her as well."

Refinery 29 has followed the story from its inception, writing: "This did not sit well with people, who believe Shudu represents a lot more than one man's digital art project. The news of her non-existence has triggered an online backlash, with people quickly pointing out how problematic it is that she, a Black woman, was created by a white man and "hired" instead of an actual Black model, a demographic that remains underrepresented in the fashion and beauty industries."

We will add that the CGI models now join sex robots as idealized female creations of the male mind. It's an interesting philosophical consideration in the evolution of fashion and female models. 

Shudu now joins two Balmain-exclusive, digital supermodels Margot and Zhi. 

Karen Elson Joins Model Alliance Board As It Embraces Fashion Industry's Trickle Down Effect On Women

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Karen Elson Joins Model Alliance Board As It Embraces Fashion Industry's Trickle Down Effect On Women

One of the industry's most prominent models Karen Elson recently joined the Model Alliance's board of directors. Sara Ziff and the Model Alliance came into existence in 2012 with the mission of promoting the fair treatment, safety, overall working conditions and mental health of models. More prominent now than ever, we note a new evolution in the group's mission that includes a need to embrace fashion's trickle-down effect and its impact in the larger population. 

This week Elson joined the Model Alliance's board of directors and its founding director Ziff in a chat in Rachel Comey's Crosby Street store. On hand were editors, agents and designers, along with a lot of young models, writes Vogue. 

Ziff and Elson reviewed the basic accountability steps that the industry is taking to address the 'job' of being a model. Fresh -- if not new -- commentary in the presentation focused on the trickle-down effect that the fashion industry has on women's self-images and the larger culture. Elson shared her thoughts:

Is Linda Helena The Next Linda Rising Towards Model Stardom?

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In April 2017 Vogue asked 'Is Modeling Ready For Its Next Great Linda?' While assuring us that Brazilian models Gisele Bündchen, Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima still reign supreme, Janelle Okwodu shared news of 20-year-old IMG's Linda Helena and her rising runway and editorial star. See Instagram. 

The smoldering mix of vixen status with a vibrant androgyny gives Linda Helena tremendous appeal. In a year of Trump, the historic January 2017 Women's March and now the #MeToo campaign. Female empowerment sells better than sex -- at least to women -- writes Facebook IQ in its first annual trends report. 

The months since the Women's March have unleashed a torrent of sexual harassment accusations against prominent figures, with stories coming out on such a regular basis that “The Silence Breakers” were named Time Person of the Year.

Linda Helena's strong features blend perfectly her innate sensuality with a lady boss physicality. Other compliments about Linda Helena underscore her ability to role play with easy, making her not just another pretty woman like Kendall Jenner. 

The rising star arrived in New York from the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. located close to Bolivia and Paraguay. Now she lives in Brooklyn, where the sports enthusiast calls the Barclays Center her second home. 

A Google search doesn't put feminism in Linda Helena's on the record commentary, but she cites charity as a huge part of her identity, telling Vogue:

“When I was a kid I thought I was going live my life helping abandoned animals. I'm not too far off that goal, though; I still volunteer at animal shelters every Sunday in Brooklyn. My first day, I ended up taking two cats home! Charity is a huge part of who I am; I always want to be giving back. Most people don't know it, but I grew up singing in hospitals and nursing homes to the sick and elderly. Not many people know I can even carry a tune.”