Women Respond To Models That Look Familiar

Why Half the Market: Women Respond To Models That Look Familiar

In a Mamamia article in which Lucy Ormonde discusses a new challenge to the fashion industry’s insistence on using young, skinny, and mostly white models, she asks: “If they’re not fussed about the effect they have on body image, how about the effect it’s having on their bottom line?”

Ormonde reports on a recent study conducted by model agency founder Ben Barry to see what effect looking at different types of models had on women’s desire to buy clothes. He created fake fashion ads with women of varying ages, sizes, and races, but all wearing the same type of designer wrap dress, and showed them to 2,500 women of different ages and sizes.

‘Which Model Would Make You Want to Buy the Dress?’

Women’s purchasing intentions increased by 175% when the model’s age reflected theirs
Their purchasing intentions increased by 200% when the model they looked at was their size

Barry also found that black consumers were 1.5 times as likely to buy a product advertised by a black model.

“Women will buy fashion when models convey a realistic, attainable image and make them feel confident.” — Ben Barry, in Elle Canada

The study strong suggests that women will respond much better to fashion advertising when it gives them a more realistic sense of what they might actually look like in the clothing item.

Brands would be well-advised to have their models reflect the diversity of the market.

Read the full article here