I have an unhealthy love of J. Crew. I’d die happy (and fashionable) if my entire wardrobe was J. Crew sweater sets and ballet flats.

So when I noticed that the new J. Crew Style Guide arrived in my mailbox on Monday, I tore through the pages of the book before I even ripped open my birthday card– sorry, Grandma.

But when I turned the last glossy page, I was left with a feeling of utter disappointment.

The style was impeccable. The clothes were colorful and gorgeous. But all I could think about was: “why are there no ‘real’ women models?”

If you haven’t seen the style guide yet, in the Men’s section of the book, “real” men are modeling the majority of the clothes. No doubt, the “real” men are not your everyday Joe Schmo. The “real” men are hip investment bankers and restauranteurs, wear no socks with their sandals, and they are all gorgeous. But the women’s section didn’t have a “real” woman in sight. All models.

Model and Restaurateur, Michael Chernow.

I know J. Crew has a history of sometimes using real people as models and I appreciate it. It’s better than most companies. But the contrast between the men and women’s sections of the catalog was unsettling.

Are real women not hip enough? Do we not have interesting jobs? Do we not occasionally go sock-less? Are we not gorgeous?

I know this is barely grazing the tip of the iceberg. This could be an entire novel about the fashion industry and body image and women, but I think it is high time we started bringing real women into the picture.

What do you all think?

love,
melanie