Over the past two decades, there has been extensive critique in academic and popular press about the use of models in advertising that reflect a singular ideal of beauty – thin, tall, and young – which is dramatically different from the average female consumer. This research provides mounting evidence concluding that the predominance of these models is having a significant and negative influence on the self-image of millions of women of all ages. Fueled by such harmful impact, governments, advocacy groups, and women themselves are calling on the advertising industry to diversify the models that wallpaper the world.
In the foreword to one study, Dr. Susie Orbach writes: "75% percent of women in this study [of three thousand two hundred women aged 18 to 64 in ten countries] would like to see considerably more diversity in the images of beauty. They want to see women of different shapes, they want to see women of varying sizes and they want a broader range of ages in the pictures of women that those who, at present, saturate our visual world (D'Agostino 2004, 5)."
A growing number of cases convincingly show that using models that reflect women's choices actually influence their purchase behaviour. Dove's campaign for "real beauty" – a global advertising initiative featuring women who do not conform to the current beauty ideal – provides evidence that such a strategy resonates with global female consumers and with their purchase choices; the beauty brand increased sales by seven hundred percent one-year after the campaign launch (BBC 2004, 29 July).
In this new environment, a new modeling service is needed. Traditional modeling agencies no longer provide sufficient scouting and sourcing services to meet the demands of modern clients and their consumers—their models conform to a singular standard of beauty, have been pre-scouted without an understanding of the client, and are available to all clients.
But in today's more discerning world, clients need a custom, personalized approach. And this is what the Ben Barry Agency provides as the first ever model consultancy—our models are personally scouted and exclusively sourced to our clients based on an understanding of identity and values.