Lauren Hutton - Beauty Trailblazer

I HAVE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT IMPERFECTIONS RECENTLY. WHY DO WE GET SO HUNG UP ON NOT BEING YOUNG ANY MORE, OR THE SCALE NOT HITTING THE RIGHT NUMBER, OR SEEING FINE LINES ON OUR FACES? IS THE SEARCH FOR BEAUTY SO UNATTAINABLE BECAUSE WE HAVE SET THE BAR SO HIGH?

ALL OF THIS HAS MADE ME THINK ABOUT LAUREN HUTTON. SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A STAR, EVER SINCE BURSTING ONTO THE NEW YORK MODELING SCENE IN THE 1960’S. IN HER CLIMB UP THE MODELING LADDER SHE ATTAINED A LUCRATIVE MODELING DEAL WITH REVLON. WITHIN HER NEW CONTRACT, REVLON ASKED HER TO FIX THE GAP BETWEEN HER FRONT TEETH. AT FIRST SHE TRIED COVERING THE GAP BY USING MORTICIAN’S WAX. THEN SHE TRIED TO CAP IT, BUT HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE CAP COMING OFF, EITHER BY SPITTING IT OUT WHEN TALKING OR INADVERTENTLY SWALLOWING IT. ALL THIS WAS IN AN EFFORT TO TRY TO FIT IN AND BECOME THE TOP MODEL SHE WAS DESTINED TO BE. ONE DAY WHEN WALKING DOWN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WHISTLED AT HER AND ASK HER WHY SHE HAD FILLED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN HER TEETH. THEY SAID THEY DIDN’T LIKE HER ANYMORE WITHOUT HER SIGNATURE GAP. THEY LIKED HER IMPERFECTION. SO SHE WENT BACK TO THE GAP! AND HER IMPERFECTION BECAME HER TRADEMARK.

FROM WHAT I HAVE READ, HUTTON WASN’T REALLY INTERESTED IN MODELING. SHE WAS INTERESTED IN THE MONEY IT PROVIDED, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE FREEDOM THAT MODELING GAVE HER: TOURING THE WORLD (ESPECIALLY AFRICA), TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS, BECOMING AN IN DEMAND ACTRESS AND STARTING HER OWN MAKEUP LINE THAT SHOWED WOMEN WHAT SHE HAD LEARNED AS A MODEL. HER MAIN INTEREST (IT SEEMS TO ME) WAS LIVING A FULL LIFE AWAY FROM THE SPOTLIGHT. AND MAYBE ALL THIS LIVING, ALONG WITH WHAT SOCIETY SOMETIMES SAYS ARE A WOMEN’S IMPERFECTIONS (WRINKLES, GAPS, AND A KNOWLEDGE OF HERSELF) HAS MADE HER A MUCH MORE IN DEMAND AND SOUGHT AFTER MODEL TODAY AT 75! HER FACE SHOWS HER LIFE, HER BEAUTY, HER SMARTS AND HER CHUTZPAH!

WELL DONE LAUREN - THANKS FOR MAKING BEAUTY ATTAINABLE AND IMPERFECTIONS BEAUTIFUL!!