Venezuelan mannequins reflect Plastic Surgery trends
Not that anyone has ever really heralded mannequins as holding up a virtue of the ordinary woman, it seems one Venezuelan mannequin manufacturer is creating a design to more closely mirror the shape and look that customers have.
Or perhaps rather, what they want.
It is not, as in the case of a Swedish store recently displaying lingerie mannequins in sizes 12 and 16, to reflect a broader and more inclusive image of women however, but is reflecting a surgical trend instead.
Rather than using stick-thin mannequins whose proportions are more akin to those on the catwalk (if, indeed, anything like the proportions of a real person), he has had the idea of creating a look that Venezuelans are more inclined to prefer – that being: nipped-in waist, surgically-enhanced breasts and even buttock implants.
The result is still a shape that most women would not find themselves comparable to but it is a shift closer towards how some Venezuelan women look, and for many more at least what they aspire to look like. Cosmetic surgery has become commonplace for wealthy Venezuelans and even fairly common within poorer sections of society who cant really afford it.
In response, current Miss Venezuela Chair, Osmel Sousa, tells The New York Times that it is part of the Venezuelan culture to improve anything about their appearance that they are unhappy with, so thinks the mannequin move makes sense.
Its unlikely that the design of mannequins will follow suit here in the UK though - Debenhams have already committed to following in the footsteps of Swedish lingerie retailer by introducing size 16 models.