We live in an age obsessed with appearances. Each subsequent generation is exposed to more and more pressure to conform to a certain look, live up to an idealized body standard, and strive to attain an impossible perfection. The truth, however, is that it is our very flaws that make us special, unique, and individual. We come in all shapes and sizes and were not designed to look like homogeneous clones. Accepting, embracing, and celebrating who you are is something model Severine Keimig feels passionate about. And it’s a message she and millions of others believe in preaching from the hilltops until the world sits up, takes notice, and finally changes its ways.
“As someone who has worked in the fashion industry for five years, I am more than aware of the tidal wave of negativity that young people worldwide face about their body image,” says Severine Keimig. “Whether we like it or not, the fashion industry promotes certain idealistic looks and standards that can be damaging to many people’s self-image. Although things have improved in recent years, we’re still pretty far from where we need to be as an industry.”
Germany-born Severine is what you would call classic supermodel material. She is tall, elegant, and has the sort of chiseled features that look great on the covers of magazines. Detractors have often criticized her looks and image as conflicting with and undermining her message on self-acceptance and body positivity. Yet, she has no time for what she calls ‘just another part of the problem.’
“The point I’m trying to make,” says Severine, “is that I look this way and have a certain body type, not out of choice, but because it was the shape I was born with. I don’t do crash diets or work out religiously, but fortunately my size and features have long been favored by the fashion industry. I was scouted by a photographer on the streets of Munich, and the rest is history. What I’m hoping to get across is that individuals of all shapes and sizes should be given a chance and opportunity to become models. I may not look like you and you may not look like me, but we should celebrate our differences and not all follow a standardized vision of what beauty is.”
As someone who has seen firsthand the damage and the negative impact the fashion industry can have on models, Severine is keen to point out that although outsiders may think models are impervious to negative body images, the opposite is in fact true.
Severine Keimig concludes, “Distorted self-images and eating disorders are rife in the industry. It just goes to show that no matter how beautiful or fortunate you believe an individual is, no one is immune to the pressures of beauty fascism. It’s something that affects us all. The only way we can successfully combat it is to find a measure of peace and confidence in who we are and what we look like. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Well, it’s about time we all started practicing as well as preaching it.”