Young Canadian model agent Ben Barry is now turning his energies to academia, researching whether or not the fashion industry’s ‘rules’ about who can and can’t become a model, actually reflect public preferences.
Barry runs his own innovative agency and is well known for seeking to open up the industry to allow real women a shot at careers in modelling. At just 26 years of age, he’s provided models for Dove’s famous Campaign For Real Beauty, received a number of industry awards, and even appeared on Oprah.
For now however, Barry is digging deeper into why the fashion business is the way it is and why at present, women need to fit a certain mould if they want to find work as a model.
Barry’s research, carried out through Cambridge University, will explore how different cultures react to fashion and beauty advertising by showing mock fashion advertisements to different groups of women.
Damian O’Connor, Managing Director of one of the UK’s largest modelling agencies, Models Direct, is eagerly anticipating the results of Barry’s research.
“We’ve noticed a real trend of clients coming to us to find a model of a particular age, ethnicity, or size to fit their target demographic,” says O’Connor. “Clearly these clients believe that by reflecting their audience more accurately they will create much more empathy than by using conventional models. These campaigns really seem to work, but Barry’s research will look at this much more scientifically.”
By showing parallel sets of advertisements, one set with young, thin Western beauties, the other set with models from different demographics, Barry hopes to establish whether advertisers can reach a bigger audience by using real women in advertising.
“When I looked in the journals of marketing there was really nothing that addressed this,” says Barry. “Right now it’s just an argument that you can reach a wider audience. I’m trying to prove that with hard numbers.”
Further links/information:
* To find out more about Models Direct: http://www.modelsdirect.com/
* Find out about how you could become a model: http://www.modelsdirect.com/locations/worldwide.html
* To find a model for your business: http://www.modelsdirect.com/find_a_model/index.html
Dave Chandler
Campaign manager
t +44 (0) 870 041 0459
[email protected]
