Another Life-affirming endeavor comes from a somewhat unexpected source: the fashion world. After actress Jamie Brewer, who has Down syndrome, was featured on the runway at New York Fashion Week, a pleasantly surprising celebration of motherhood ensued at the Milan Fashion Week. Dolce and Gabbana, the Italian luxury line, featured an homage to mothers in a runway show entitled, Viva la Mamma.
Models who are also mothers were the stars of the show – along with their stylishly-clad children. Model Bianca Balti graced the runway in a dress that hugged her burgeoning baby bump. While not all of the models in the show were flanked by children, the theme of motherhood carried through in the design of their clothes, which was inspired by children’s doodles.
At least one commentator aptly noted that the show was pertinent, drawing attention to the beauty of motherhood in a country with one of the lowest birth rates on the planet. She stated: [T]his season focused on young mothers — a group that perhaps does not get enough attention in a country with among the lowest birthrates in the Western world. And they sure made motherhood appealing.
But, unsurprisingly, the tribute also gained the scrutiny of sceptics. A pointed criticism came from Time magazine, where a pundit conceded that “celebrating motherhood is all well and good,” but lamented that the models’ representation of motherhood was “radiant and impossibly beautiful” but “not truly sexual.” Only the mainstream media would complain that, in the hyper-sexualized media, thereneeds to be more that is “truly sexual.” Pro-Lifers, though, are very encouraged to hear that at least one pair of designers celebrates motherhood.
The designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, say that this season’s motherhood-honoring collection is a tribute to their own mothers.