Unpopular Lana Opinions

[Guest Slutty Bunny]

Being a teen model doing commercial work doesn't exempt you from knowing how to shoot properly.

 

ANYWAY, I'M SHUTTING UP ABOUT THIS NOW, I'VE GONE ON WITH THIS TOO MUCH. LET'S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE

 

Music-related: Born to Die is one of the best songs on the album :3 IT DOESN'T GET ENOUGH LOVE

[liam 560]

Sorry but FOUR is fucking amazing. A pic that will represent the first time people took notice for years to come, that pic reminds me so much of when i first heard VG and was googling promo pics of her. I'll boil you!

 

I couldn't agree more!

I love that photo so much - it's probably one of my favourites of her

[Sitar 22,210]

Being a teen model doing commercial work doesn't exempt you from knowing how to shoot properly.

 

ANYWAY, I'M SHUTTING UP ABOUT THIS NOW, I'VE GONE ON WITH THIS TOO MUCH. LET'S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE

 

Music-related: Born to Die is one of the best songs on the album :3 IT DOESN'T GET ENOUGH LOVE

 

Wait, before you go--do you see this errant modelling talent in those early teen pictures...?

 

 

Anyway, those first three singles are too often disregarded because they're all the most popular--that is, Video Games, Born to Die, and Blue Jeans. Musically, they're all rather superior. BTD's first verses up to the chorus will always do it for me. I always like some simplicity, effortlessness--those first verses balance that with the ~cinematic~ feel of the rest.

[Madrigal 2,616]

Music-related: Born to Die is one of the best songs on the album :3 IT DOESN'T GET ENOUGH LOVE

 

It's far too....forced for my taste. Not that she was strong-armed to make it; it just sounds like she had to be as "Lana-as-possible!" for it.

 

That's also why I hate "Push Me Down."

[NamiraWilhelm 5,043]

I think I don't appreciate the songs released as singles as much because the radio played them to the point that I wanted to push bamboo into my own eyes any time I heard them. Video Games especially, major overkill there.

 

Although I'm kinda sad the same can't be said for Ride

[Sitar 22,210]

It's far too....forced for my taste. Not that she was strong-armed to make it; it just sounds like she had to be as "Lana-as-possible!" for it.

 

There was no Lana precedent when she wrote it, though. You could say that about, like, "Body Electric". But the songs on her first album are just kinda her.

[Madrigal 2,616]

There was no Lana precedent when she wrote it, though. You could say that about, like, "Body Electric". But the songs on her first album are just kinda her.

 

:3

[Sitar 22,210]

:3

 

*Major label debut

[Madrigal 2,616]

*Major label debut

 

She locked herself in a box.

[Coney Island King 26,002]

As much as i like her Lizzy album, her persona back then can get fucked tbh. I love the Lana image, the lips, the hair, the nails, the kettle blow, the grand scale of everything, YAS. BORN 2 DIE 4 LYF.

[ednafrau 836]

 

I think you misunderstand me. "Be more like a real model"? -- I expect someone that was once professionally a model to not consistently shoot so poorly. I am not expecting Kate Moss or Giselle type shots here. I just expect to see her move naturally and comfortably in front of the camera, having clear knowledge of what looks good and have that translate well in print.

 

A good amount of modelling is not "stiff and rather lifeless". Let's break this part: The vast majority of the modelling industry is commercial modelling, in simple terms: accessible, relatable (yet still unattainable enough, obviously). It's impossible to be accessible and relatable to potential buyers you are trying to ~connect with~ when you are "stiff and lifeless". This already rules out the possibility that "a good amount" of modelling is stiff. Onto high-fashion: the particular "stiff and lifeless" look is found here, particularly within the advertising for major fashion houses... which have obviously influenced newer houses and brands (see: Jil Sander -- I really, really hate this brand btw, random fact about me no one wanted to know). In magazine editorials (think Vogue, V, Harper's Bazaar, etc), the particular look you're referring to (if done) is often highly exaggerated, but done with intent and purpose. There's a difference between the stiffness of a Jil Sander model and the stiffness of Lana modelling -- one is intentional and meant to set off the clothing, the other is a person that appears to be unable to translate the image they'd like to project with their body to the camera.

 

(The other half of editorials is the absurd/surreal/off-kilter shoots. This, coupled with the idea of the Supermodel, pretty much refutes your notions about modelling. Find me one successful supermodel that primarily takes stiff and lifeless photos -- guarantee you you can't do it. I could get into this further, but I just wanted to show you exactly how small that particular look is in the scope of modeling; it's like saying, "Hey, don't the Beach Boys mostly sing about surfing?")

 

(It is a common misconception though, with the prevalence of those print ads and the media's exclusion of commercial modelling from the ~industry~)

 

My concern is not that Lana become more like "a real model" and be ~fierce~, it's just that she works better with the camera. From a technical POV, the shots I linked to are not good, regardless of whether you're a high-fashion or commercial model, or even a model at all. But the fact is, she did model so I am picking this out. If it were Katy Perry or Beyonce, I wouldn't expect them to deliver on good shots the majority of the time because they don't have this sort of background.

 

I don't know how much of this can be attributed to the photographers -- although they obviously do play a part. I really do think a lot of this rests on Lana though: when a former model is consistently posing in an unflattering manner and this has been published across a variety of publications, it raises the question: How well does she know her angles? How experienced is she? I have no doubt that a better photographer would draw out better photos, but how much good would they be when the subject appears to be unknowledgeable on how to pose in a flattering manner?

 

Because of the relatively small pool of photographers + photoshoots I drew from, I will wait until we have a greater variety of shoots to choose from before making my final decision. Something tells me a lot of it is Lana, but I hope to be proven wrong and blown away by a batch of photos not dependent on a prop to model with or any sort of environment to act in. :3

 

 

maru, i agree with you 100%! if she hadn't been a model, signed to an agency, we would not be questoning this - as she would have no obligation as a singer to be good in front of the camera - but she was, unexplainably. in the real fashion world, her modeling abilities would have led her no further than a seventeen magazine prom photoshoot - heck, she wouldn't have made it into the top 10 of "america's next top model"! cute doesn't cut it. i was a fashion spot forum addict from 2006-2010 and have hundreds of editorials saved, as well as photographer portfolios, and not even paolo roversi could've made her into a model. in pictures, she doesn't convey anything through her eyes (in motion, she does). once again, if she didn't continue to "model" this wouldn't even be an issue, but the fact is - save for a few shots - she can't model to save her life. be objective, people! i save all her photos because i adore her as an artist and what i know of her as an individual, but not because of the great poses and "haute" quality of her shots.

[lola 6,640]

maru, i agree with you 100%! if she hadn't been a model, signed to an agency, we would not be questoning this - as she would have no obligation as a singer to be good in front of the camera - but she was, unexplainably. in the real fashion world, her modeling abilities would have led her no further than a seventeen magazine prom photoshoot - heck, she wouldn't have made it into the top 10 of "america's next top model"! cute doesn't cut it. i was a fashion spot forum addict from 2006-2010 and have hundreds of editorials saved, as well as photographer portfolios, and not even paolo roversi could've made her into a model. in pictures, she doesn't convey anything through her eyes (in motion, she does). once again, if she didn't continue to "model" this wouldn't even be an issue, but the fact is - save for a few shots - she can't model to save her life. be objective, people! i save all her photos because i adore her as an artist and what i know of her as an individual, but not because of the great poses and "haute" quality of her shots.

 

she's not supposed to be a good model. designers don't hire her for her great modeling skills but for her looks and image. yes, she modeled as a teen but that doesn't mean she has to be great. ford and everyone who hired her thought she was good enough.

[deeth 107]

i was a fashion spot forum addict from 2006-2010 and have hundreds of editorials saved, as well as photographer portfolios

 

Wow, are you me?!

[ednafrau 836]

Wow, are you me?!

 

hey! preach!

i still very occasionally log on, but it's a far cry from the heyday of sasha, freja, gemma, snejana, vlada, milagros, natasha, and my dear heather bratton (R.I.P.)

 

p.s. love you joanna pic, btw :love:

[pinupgirls 1,056]

I don't support smoking or anything,

but I do think lana makes it glamorous. But she does that with everything so.

[deeth 107]

hey! preach!

i still very occasionally log on, but it's a far cry from the heyday of sasha, freja, gemma, snejana, vlada, milagros, natasha, and my dear heather bratton (R.I.P.)

 

p.s. love you joanna pic, btw :love:

 

I still go there sometimes too, mainly to stalk my favourite photographers' threads, but that's about it. It seems a bit dead around there these days. And I too miss the 06-07 girls!

 

Thanks! She's by far my favourite artist (is this ok to say here?). : )

 

And so that this won't be too offtopic, I'm really not a big fan of National Anthem.

[lola 6,640]

lana is so fucking needy.

[Guest Maru the Cat]

lana is so fucking needy.

 

In what way?

[lola 6,640]

In what way?

 

she's so co-dependent. she completely relies on other people to help her instead of taking matters into her own hand. in her songs, she's always talking about "i need somebody to hold me", "take me to.." she's always passive.

[Guest Maru the Cat]

she's so co-dependent. she completely relies on other people to help her instead of taking matters into her own hand. in her songs, she's always talking about "i need somebody to hold me", "take me to.." she's always passive.

 

Before that, I did dream of escaping. I always just figured it was gonna be a man who would take me away. I don't know if I deserve a good man, but I think about it sometimes