"I noted how the sun was always portrayed as a man in art, and so I wanted to portray her as a woman," says photographer, set designer and creative director Linda Blacker of this shoot, one of her earliest collaborations with plus-size model Enam Asiama." Makeup by Enam Asiama, bespoke jewellery by Suhaiyla Shakuwra. Taken on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III (now succeeded by the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV) with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 44mm, 1/100 sec f/5.6 and ISO160. © Linda Blacker
The fashion industry has come a long way since the supermodel era of the 1980s and '90s. Back then, the vast majority of models were thin, young and white, with a few exceptions – notably Naomi Campbell, who in 1987 became the first black British model to appear on the cover of British Vogue, and Sophie Dahl, who made her catwalk debut in 1997 when she was a UK size 14. In recent years, we're seeing more models of colour, more plus-size models, models of different ages, different gender identities, models with disabilities, with skin conditions, and those who show their scars or their body hair.
But is this a fleeting trend that will come and go faster than this season's handbag? Or is it a seismic cultural shift that will push the fashion and beauty industry in a genuinely more inclusive direction? Expanding on the theme of our
Shutter Stories
podcast about body positivity and photography, we asked Canon Ambassador Javier Cortés, photographer Linda Blacker and model and plus-size advocate Enam Asiama to share their experiences and opinions.
Hear more of the conversation in this episode of Canon's Shutter Stories podcast: