We might have given her a pass if she had been wearing a latex dress…
In a viral video posted last year, TikToker Antonia Freya Lydia (@turnttoni) attempted to pose in a London Underground ‘tube’ station wearing a black feather strapless dress. Her modeling proved too difficult, though, as London commuters moving along the platform, caused Lydia to post “Taking an aesthetic video in London Underground be like,” but addied: “Like, can you wait just one sec,sir.”
The incident, which garnered some spirited back-and-forth posting when it appeared last year, was sparked into the daily debate this week when the video was reposted. And considerations flew again over whether or not someone taking the time out of everyone’s day to model for her popular TikTik ‘channel’ was pushing the boundaries of politeness or simply doing what people do these days,
Comments ranged from the pro:
“When you see someone recording just walk behind the camera or wait literally ten seconds, if you can’t do this then you don’t deserve to be part of a civilized society,”
To a lot of con:
“Some people actually use the station to get to places instead of taking insta photos crazy, right?!?”
“GIRL IT’S A TRAIN STATION—”
“You know people have to go to work, and they’re not going to stop their lives for you. Don’t want people around, go someplace private.”
The incident begs another question beyond those of civility. In a sure wag-the-dog consideration and something we are all fully aware of, from designers, to haute couture fashionista to casual fashion fan, for quite a while the model or the circumstance has superseded the wardrobe being worn. The term supermodel goes back to the late 1800s, and we have surely seen the celebrity that has arisen around our most notable faces and bodies. Events like the Met Gala (often called The Oscars of Fashion) and broadcast award shows honoring movies, music, and videos all have their adjoining red-carpet walk-ins, where attendees are as much asked about their careers as who and what they are wearing.
‘Influencers’ like Antonia Freya Lydia seem to be just furthering the trend as we all realize we are indeed what we wear these days…and how we post about it.
