VOA文化艺术2023--'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 scars¹ where they have been injured or have skin discolorations.

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 distinctiveness²."

This is the first such agency in Italy. Giancane, the founder³ 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.

Her models have appeared in advertising⁴ campaigns for cosmetic⁵ products, fashion retailers⁷, 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 essence⁸, 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.

"I like my body. I like my peculiarity⁹. In the end, I have accepted it," she said.

Words in This Story

fashion –adj. related to the industry of selling new clothing and wearable products

circus –n. a traveling show of people who perform tricks while wearing costumes

perceive –v. to think of something in a certain way

distinctiveness –n. the state of being different because of some quality that is often rare

cosmetic –adj. something that is worn on the face or skin to make a person look better

retailer⁶ –n. a person or business that sells products to the public, not to other businesses

albinism –n. a condition in which a person's body lacks color, so their skin and hair are nearly white, and their eyes are red

essence –n. the basic nature of something; the quality that makes something what it is

peculiarity –n. a state of being usual or quite different

1 scars   

n.伤痕( scar的名词复数 )；精神上的创伤；有损外观的地方；裸岩

参考例句：

• Slowly the war scars faded. 战争的创伤慢慢地消失了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I've got scars from head to toe in tribute to my courage. 为了嘉奖我的胆量，我得到浑身的伤疤。 来自辞典例句

2 distinctiveness   

特殊[独特]性

参考例句：

• Q10. How are the newness and distinctiveness of a design assessed? 如何评估一项外观设计的新颖性和独特性？
• We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. 你们的文化将会适应为我们服务。

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

5 cosmetic   

n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的

参考例句：

• These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
• Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品，所以请尽情微笑吧！

6 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

7 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

8 essence   

n.本质，实质，精华，精粹

参考例句：

• We must try to get to the essence of things.我们必须想法抓住事物的本质。
• The two things are the same in outward form but different in essence.这两件东西外表形式一样，但实质不同。

9 peculiarity   

n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖

参考例句：

• Each country has its own peculiarity.每个国家都有自己的独特之处。
• The peculiarity of this shop is its day and nigth service.这家商店的特点是昼夜服务。