Dumb Model Poses

I must admit I nearly breezed right over this week's Dumb Model Poses nomination from the February issue of German Vogue. The model in question, Karmen Pedaru, was not hanging upside down covered in metallic body paint and eating a shoe, so initially, there was nothing to grab my attention. In fact, I felt like I'd seen this pose thousands of times before. Probably because I had seen this pose thousands of times before in different iterations, but recycling what is essentially the same clichéd formula. I would venture a guess that the intent was to make this photograph sexy and alluring, glamorous, or maybe even a little provocative. It's none of that. It's the photographic equivalent of yourr first high school boyfriend; it just tries too hard. The flowing hair, the parted lips, the oil (just when did oily skin make a comeback?), and the spread-eagle pose is so hyper-sexualized and over-the-top that it's a caricature of itself ... and about as sexy as a vibrating hotel bed.

Image: Fashionising