Photo: Ugly Models Agency

It’s great when stereotypical notions of beauty are stood on their head, when the haughty world of whisper-thin models, metrosexual stylists and cold-hearted Vogue editors is chucked out in favor of real people looking as flawed, but beautiful, as real people do. When a size 8 is considered as sexy as a size 2, when…

Oh wait. No, that’s not what’s going on here at all.

The UGLY modeling agency is a London-based “character” modeling agency. Which is to say it takes unusual, funny-looking people and hires them out to magazines, agencies and stock-photo houses to add either comic relief or contrast.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, as far as we’re concerned. Even “characters” have to make a living, after all.

But why call your agency UGLY? I mean, we know why: it’s a good gimmick and it gets you attention. But isn’t it sort of reinforcing the idea that models are beautiful and everyone else is hideous?

What’s that you say? You didn’t start your company to upend the ridiculous beauty standards of the fashion industry? You started it to make money?

Well, if that’s your attitude, we only have one thing to say to you: can we get in on the action? We’re a pretty odd looking lot. Our VP for Sales is missing two front teeth, half the copywriters have uni-brows and don’t get us started on our bearded receptionist Lurlene. Can we FTP you some head shots?

http://www.odditycentral.com/news/ugly-model-agency-redefines-fashion-business-standards.html