The Prada Effect: The dark side of the 2000's modeling industry

   In the 2000’s, Miuccia Prada made a choice that significantly changed the fashion industry for the some people in a good way but for me, in a bad way. Miuccia Prada wanted all the models to look alike.

BEFORE THE PRADA EFFECT: THE 90's SUPERMODELS

   In the 80’s and 90’s, there was the Supermodel era which included the Big Five: Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington. An era where models made one with the clothes and brought them into life with their catwalk. Even tho the standard were to be thin (still now), the models were distinctive thanks to their beauty, their walk, their smile,…  

The supermodels were everywhere: in TV shows, magazines, advertisements, and obviously runways. They dominated the industry. Cindy Crawford was in Pepsi campaign which is now in the Pop Culture and became the face of Clavin Klein and Revlon, in 1988 

Naomi Campbell became the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue,… in short they had an enormous impact. 

   Nevertheless the supermodels were too recognizable, some of them had some backlash due to their arrogant behaviors like Linda Evangelista infamously said “We don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day". Their success was world-wide and designers like Muiccia Prada could not stand it because supermodels were overpowered the clothes. 

Muiccia Prada decided to change that, it is called now the Prada Effect. 

THE PRADA EFFECT

   The "Prada Effect" refers to the significant influence of Miuccia Prada's aesthetic vision in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which reshaped the fashion industry's approach to runway models and branding. 

   Miuccia Prada wanted the attention on the clothing and not on the models. To do that, her strategy was to book models from Eastern Europe that shared similar features, were white, super thin with small noses and slanted eyes. The models were like a new canvas and the clothing the main character of the runway. Even tho the Slavic Dolls did not look alike, they had similar features and were not distinctive as the Supermodels in the 90’s. 

   We had for instance Natasha Poly, Tanya Dziahileva, Vlada Roslyakova, Gemma Ward, Snejana Onopka and more. To be honest, they had one the best walks and were super talented and it created a space where inclusivity did not exist. 

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE PRADA EFFECT

   The Prada Effect set unhealthy beauty standards: a huge pressure the be the thinest model. This has contributed to widespread issues like eating disorders, anorexia, …  Moreover, the Prada Effect has been accused of promoting narrow definitions of beauty-favoring extremely thin, often young, and predominantly Eurocentric models. These standards contribute to harmful societal norms, affecting not just models but the wider public, particularly young people who consume fashion media. Models frequently work long hours, often juggling multiple bookings, castings, and fittings in a single day. During fashion weeks, this pace intensifies, with models running from one show to another with little time for rest or proper meals. 

   The Slavic Doll’s image is now used on TikTok to promote eating disorders with the "are you sure about that" meme of Snejana, shame people’s weight, … Even if the model Vlada Roslyakova said "Eat whatever you want, and if anyone tries to lecture you about your weight, eat them too." , it does not change the mentality. 

   Gemma Ward was also a victim of body shaming. The model decided to step away from modeling after the death of her boyfriend, Heath Ledger. One year later, on a beach, she was photographed and the magazine published the photos by commenting her weight-gain. In an interview, she said “It felt like a public shaming”. 

CONCLUSION: 

   Due to that, agencies blocked opportunities for people of color, making them invisible in the modeling industry. The talents of the Slavic Dolls could not stop the raise of concerns towards how the industry became so restrictive and did not allow any diversity. Haute couture brands have the responsibility now to create an ethical space for the models. Hopefully, we can see on the runway more diversity of ethnicities, body-type, and inclusivity which feels like a fresh bowl of air.  

   The Prada Effect is a topic that truly interests me because I saw it with my own eyes when I was a kid. I did not understand why the models had to walk and act the same way. When I wanted to see a fashion show, I wanted to see art and not robots. Thanks God there were models like Natasha Poly or Tanya Dziahileva who truly had the dream walk and had a personality on the runway. 

Thanks for reading my article <3

By Aya L.