Kristi Ropeleski

I have a love/hate relationship with fashion. While I adore the the visual aspect of it, I cannot wholeheartedly agree with the widespread use of rail-thin models. I myself admit that having a very slender figure allows the clothes to move and breathe as the designer envisions, allowing for greater freedom in volume and structure experimentation. However, this practice breeds the romantic “ideal” that cannot be fully attainable, as it is pre-written in your genetic code. I read somewhere that Canadian model Coco Rocha was chastised for, at 108 lbs and 5′10″, being “too big”:

“The look this year is anorexia. We do not want you to be anorexic, but we want you to look it.”

Where does this lead us? Scores of young women and men starving themselves to fit into that image. And this is why I champion artists are Kristi Ropeleksi. Her work depicts women in their natural forms lounging, in many instances partially nude, midair. I do not know if these women would be overweight if they were real (and I certainly do not condone an unhealthy body weight), but her work definitely promotes a healthy outlook on body image. I am naturally slender, and do not constrict my caloric intake. I would like to think that, if I did possess my metabolism, I would still not submit to the pressures to be slim, as long as I was still healthy.

Perhaps such beautiful work can balance out the current obsession with unrealistic body image?

Please go to Kristi Ropeleksi’s site to view more of her work.