The SQueen wears Prada*
*Pun combining the words “Skin” and “Queen” (i.e., “the Skinny Queen”)
« The Group never used child labour in all its history and if its providers had occasionally used workers under the age of 18, they were over the age of 15, with a clear authorization according to specific law requirements
»
Prada store, Passeig de Gràcia, 88, Barcelona, Spain
“The SQueen wears Prada” mirrors the movie “The Devil wears Prada”. Skinny queens with red heels get undressed, unmasked, embody the hidden realities of luxury brands’ backstage: emaciated teen bodies which, once showcased to the public as object of desire, are pared down from their sumptuous customs, offering their bodies to the ideals of aspirational esthetics.
This artwork denounces the covered ways in which fashion brand such as Prada turn a blind eye on child welfare laws. While sparking controversy after using a 14-year-old model for the 2015 Milan Fashion Week, Prada also covered the headlines when openly using underaged models in adult and provocative situations in its ads, including a 10-year-old topless child wearing lipstick in one shot and a 13 year old girl sensually caressing herself in a video.
There is a reason the fashion industry has convinced itself this is acceptable: brands advertise clothes for adults but know they will face criticism and anti-anorexia laws banning the use of skinny models on catwalk or advertising. Their twisted solution is to use non-anorexic young girls whose bodies are thin enough to meet the industry's bizarre aspirational esthetic for adult women.