i'd like your opinion!


good morning! how are you my dears?

today i awoke to a really beautiful and thought provoking comment on my most recent blog, 'winter 2012'. the comment sweetly and respectfully said, 'i love your message, your ethos... but it doesn't seem in line with the women in your photos. they have perfect bodies when your blog and your persona is mostly about acceptance, compassion, etc. wouldn't it be better, more yogic, to feature models of all sizes?'

when i first read this, to be honest, i felt a little defensive. i thought, my models are healthy and gorgeous and ha, i don't think they have "perfect" bodies, but rather they are fit and take care of themselves. i know for a fact they all practice yoga and live healthy lives. what is wrong with being healthy and trim?


i also understand i have a business to run, and a huge part of my personality is really business minded. i adore writing and creativity and kindness, but i also thrive on and get excited about business strategies, marketing, branding, and discovering what will make purusha a success. it might not show it here on my blog all the time, but i am really competitive when it comes to what i do. i have big dreams for purusha people and i want to always do what is best for my brand.

but then there is this other side of me that totally gets what this commentary is saying. most of my youth was spent yearning for a long and lean body, and i do partly blame the media for it. i know i am also to blame for lacking in self esteem to realize my own beauty, but reading seventeen magazine and watching saved by the bell and MTV sure didn't help! i truly thought there was only one standard of beauty. the thing is... i've changed my mind. the advertisements haven't changed, TV is still the same, and yet i obviously don't feel this internal struggle anymore to look a certain way. i look at models in magazines now and don't feel any desire to look like that. i've grown older and don't really give a shit about models, haha. i love myself (most of the time) and really feel like so much beauty is from within.


this comment has got me thinking though. should i be using a more wide variety of body types in my photos? would you buy something modeled by a bigger woman, perhaps without such a "perfect body"? do fit models make you feel inspired or inferior? do you think my clothing would sell as well if modeled by women with more unique bodies?

i would really love your opinion. i am realizing more and more with what i do that, often, what i want doesn't matter. i might love one pair of pants, but if customers aren't digging it, that's the decision. and some clothing, eh, i am not super pumped about and people love, well then i make more of like that. so it's up to you. i value your thoughts on this subject so highly!!!

thank you with all my heart. may your weekend be peaceful and merry! namaste.


6 comments:

  1. Definitely .. I am relatively thin but often I see clothes on model bodies and think they would not fit mine (even if they might). Showing different shapes/sizes might open your market to people who otherwise would not think your clothes are right for them.


    I think it's lovely that you are concerned and that alone makes me look again at your clothing as something I'd like to get.

    and I'd happily help you spread the word too ;-)

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  2. Please do! I am a yoga teacher and after having 2 babies my body is not quite as thin and trim as it used to be. I often wish I could see yoga clothes modelled on different sizes so that I would know how it would look now that I have more belly and a bigger chest. I hesitate sometimes to buy online because of this.

    I think you could set a precedent that I would happily share with the world. I write about yoga and handmade items on my blog. I was hoping to get a pair of your pants and write a post about you too. The fact that you shared this post with us makes me like you even more. Thank you for your honesty and your passion!

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  3. It's really inspiring that you are so attentive to feedback from your customers! I appreciate this blog post and though I don't usually comment on blogs, will respond.
    I love all your clothing but I admit that I sometimes think "these are AMAZING...but I am not near as slender as her, so I'll probably look horrible in those pants." I was glad to see in your winter look book one model (wearing blue pants with a pink waistband?) who looked slightly more curvy than the rest of the rail thin models and I thought "she looks more like me and she looks amazing! I'm so glad she was included." All of your models are amazingly gorgeous and are doing a great job selling your clothes. Seeing a more diverse array of beautiful, healthy bodies will help more people realize they too will look and feel great in Purusha.

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    Replies
    1. I largely agree with this feedback! I held back for many months after first spotting your etsy store because I'm very short and not very slender and worries I'd look and feel horrible in the clothes. Those are my own insecurities shining through. Personal body image issues aside, I find it beneficial when companies showcase their wares on a variety of body types. It helps the buyer more closely envision them in the items, and it works on a more cerebral level to assure the buyer that you, as a designer, aren't biasing your line towards just one body type.

      I agree that your models truly exemplify beauty, grace, and strength in your promotions and love that a curvier model was included this time around. As someone who covets her purusha pants and actively promotes the brand to everyone, I buy because the quality is there and I believe in you and your mission. But it never hurts to remind the less than perfect body that she matters too!

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  4. I love your clothing, and while it would be awesome for some to see models more their size, don't forget about us who are the same size as your models! Also, everyone, me included, could always use a little inspiration!

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  5. Hm, Great question Hayley...Let me see...

    Yoga is a way of life and showing the clothes on fit models that this aspect of life shines through on the physical being as well is important, especially when selling clothes in relating to the practice.

    I do not DISAGREE that you should have maybe a few photos of different body sizes to show what Large/Xlarge body types would look like in your clothes as long as they are in shape and healthy. But I personally would prefer to see more body types just as you are showing now.

    There it is.

    Cheerios!

    Teesha from Iowa

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