LOS ANGELES—Fashion Week hits Los Angeles on March 13–20 full of related events, shows, and parties to take place all over the city. Among the designers presenting their new collections are David Alexander, Petra Zillia, Maxine Dillon, and Sonia Vera Swimwear. But not everyone in the industry is celebrating.
I spoke with runway model Brit Tranckino about her experiences in the high-fashion modeling world this week in a very candid conversation.
“I love doing runway,” says Tranckino, “it’s fun.” But her enthusiasm for working has waned as pressure to lose weight has increased from the industry’s relentless demand for unnaturally thin models.
Tranckino, who has worked in Paris and New York during the sacrosanct Fashion Weeks, hit up against the rigid standard when, after partaking in French pastries prior to the show, she was sent back home for gaining weight.
This constant pressure has left Tranckino a bit insecure, “I don’t feel like a runway girl anymore,” says the 22-year-old beauty who has been working since she was 14. “I am just a regular girl.”
It is not until the conversation continues that I understand what she means by this. Later it becomes clear that by “regular” she means that she is not anorexic. She explains that all the girls struggle as she watches another girl, that Tranckino refers to as “skinny,” being berated for her extra pounds.
So now, Tranckino is taking acting classes and happy to participate in fashion shows for worthy causes, having just participated in a cancer awareness show. Perhaps Tranckino understands what still eludes the industry—that beauty is not defined or expressed by pounds or ounces.
I spoke with runway model Brit Tranckino about her experiences in the high-fashion modeling world this week in a very candid conversation.
“I love doing runway,” says Tranckino, “it’s fun.” But her enthusiasm for working has waned as pressure to lose weight has increased from the industry’s relentless demand for unnaturally thin models.
Tranckino, who has worked in Paris and New York during the sacrosanct Fashion Weeks, hit up against the rigid standard when, after partaking in French pastries prior to the show, she was sent back home for gaining weight.
This constant pressure has left Tranckino a bit insecure, “I don’t feel like a runway girl anymore,” says the 22-year-old beauty who has been working since she was 14. “I am just a regular girl.”
It is not until the conversation continues that I understand what she means by this. Later it becomes clear that by “regular” she means that she is not anorexic. She explains that all the girls struggle as she watches another girl, that Tranckino refers to as “skinny,” being berated for her extra pounds.
So now, Tranckino is taking acting classes and happy to participate in fashion shows for worthy causes, having just participated in a cancer awareness show. Perhaps Tranckino understands what still eludes the industry—that beauty is not defined or expressed by pounds or ounces.
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