第1755期:'Imperfect' Models in Italy Redefine Beauty

An Italian project on the social media service Instagram is aiming to bring attention to women who do not look like usual fashion models. Carlotta Giancane started L’Imperfetta modeling agency in 2020. The name means “imperfect” in the Italian language. And the agency aims to redefine ideas about beauty in Italy. The agency works with models who are unusual for the industry in many ways. The models are of all sizes and ages. Some of the models have disabilities. Others have medical conditions — like alopecia, which causes hair loss. Still others have scars where they have been injured or have skin discolorations.

社交媒体服务 Instagram 上的一个意大利项目旨在吸引那些看起来不像普通时装模特的女性。 Carlotta Giancane 于 2020 年创办了 L'Imperfetta 模特经纪公司。这个名字在意大利语中的意思是“不完美”。该机构旨在重新定义意大利关于美的观念。该机构与在许多方面对行业来说不同寻常的模特合作。这些模特有各种尺寸和年龄。有些模型有残疾。其他人有健康问题——比如导致脱发的脱发。还有一些人在受伤的地方有疤痕或皮肤变色。

Sonia Spartá is one of the models. The 28-year-old from Sicily has a condition called hyperpigmentation or unusual skin coloring. It results in dark spots on her face and body. She said that she often hears people talk in public about her appearance. She has heard some parents tell their children that she is from the circus. Before, she tried to hide her condition. Now, she does not. She considers her appearance beautiful. She said, “I changed things so that my weakness, or how I perceived a weakness, became my source of strength -- my distinctiveness.” This is the first such agency in Italy. Giancane, the founder of the company, said: “I feel like a revolutionary because I realize that around me all this did not exist before L’Imperfetta.” The agency has more than 140 models. They are in Italy and around the world. However, Giancane said she wants to change things in Italy.

Sonia Spartá 是模特之一。这位来自西西里岛的 28 岁男子患有一种称为色素沉着过度或异常肤色的病症。这导致她的脸和身体出现黑斑。她说她经常听到人们在公共场合谈论她的外表。她曾听一些父母告诉他们的孩子，她来自马戏团。之前，她试图隐瞒自己的病情。现在，她没有。她认为自己的外表很漂亮。她说，“我改变了一些事情，让我的弱点，或者我对弱点的看法，成为我力量的源泉——我的与众不同。”这是意大利第一个这样的机构。公司创始人 Giancane 说：“我觉得自己像个革命者，因为我意识到在我周围，这一切在 L’Imperfetta 之前都不存在。”该机构拥有 140 多个模型。他们在意大利和世界各地。然而，吉安卡内说她想改变意大利的情况。

Her models have appeared in advertising campaigns for cosmetic products, fashion retailers, and supermarkets. Much of the work is in online advertisements. But there have also been calls for models in television advertisements. Two models have appeared in fashion shows in Milan for designer Marco Rambaldi.Model Lucia Della Ratta is a university student in Rome. She hid her albinism for most of her life. She tried to darken the color of her hair and skin with products. But during the pandemic lockdown, she let her natural hair color grow out and began posting photos on Instagram. “I felt beautiful for the first time,” Della Ratta said recently. The change still brings tears to her eyes. “I felt it was my essence, as though it is me, as I really am.” Another model, Desireé D’Angelo, has had alopecia since she was 10 years old. At school she wore a hat to hide her baldness. But classmates would often take it off her head. At age 15, a dance teacher suggested that she accept her condition and stop hiding it. Since then, she has become a successful dancer, performer, and model.

她的模特出现在化妆品、时装零售商和超市的广告活动中。大部分工作都在在线广告中。但在电视广告中也出现了对模特的呼声。两位模特出现在米兰设计师 Marco Rambaldi 的时装秀上。模特 Lucia Della Ratta 是罗马的一名大学生。她一生中的大部分时间都在隐藏自己的白化病。她试图用产品使头发和皮肤的颜色变深。但在大流行封锁期间，她让自然的头发颜色长出来，并开始在 Instagram 上发布照片。 “我第一次觉得自己很美，”Della Ratta 最近说道。这种变化仍然让她热泪盈眶。 “我觉得这是我的本质，就好像它就是我，就像我真的一样。”另一位模特 Desireé D’Angelo 从 10 岁起就开始脱发。在学校，她戴着一顶帽子来掩饰她的秃头。但同学们经常会把它从她的头上拿走。 15 岁时，一位舞蹈老师建议她接受自己的状况，不要再隐瞒了。从那以后，她成为了一名成功的舞者、表演者和模特。

“I like my body. I like my peculiarity. In the end, I have accepted it,” she said.

“我喜欢我的身体。我喜欢我的独特之处。最后，我接受了，”她说。