When I was younger, all I wanted was to be a doll. A fairy princess mermaid doll, but a all the same. How could I not? On the floor of my pink bedroom, my plastic playthings allowed me to be anything I wanted. A queen with a Californian beach house one afternoon. A Little Mermaid-esque sea creature with a collection of stilettos the next.
Admittedly, the job titles weren鈥檛 that diverse but for me, dolls were always about living a big and beautiful life, complete with endless, sparkly clothes.
Never once did I think: Boy, I wish I had her silicon-smooth face, devoid of any texture or irregularity that makes a person look human. Was I the only one?
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During the Spring 2026 shows in New York City, a myriad of American brands sent models with a 鈥渕annequin skin鈥 beauty look down the runways.
While Kim Shui and Sandy Liang played with filtered-looking faces, the most obvious example was Wiederhoeft.聽Marrying both matte and dewy makeup, the look was created by makeup artist Sharryn Hinchliffe using a strategic combination of MAC Cosmetics liquid highlighter and shine-proof powder on skin to give the models an uncanny valley-type of vibe.
Think of it as an ugly blend of the internet鈥檚 鈥渃lean girl鈥 esthetic with polish. Not ugly in the literal sense 鈥 because the makeup itself was nice. Ugly as in the way it reduced women鈥檚 faces to featureless frames, devoid of any character or distinctions.
Yes, the runway is often a place to workshop ideas and showcase artistic expression. But, it鈥檚 wild that in 2025 I have to explain why comparing a woman to a mannequin is insulting. Let鈥檚 call it what it is: sexism, fetishism, objectification, misogyny. The word itself conjures inanimate objects: a body with no organs; a prop to be moved as others please; a literal 鈥渄ummy.鈥
It鈥檚 less about appearance and more about autonomy, which historically, women have had less or none. Practically since Eve met Adam, women have been told to stand there, smile and look pretty. We鈥檙e not supposed to have thoughts, ideals or opinions but rather, be an object for a man to admire and own.
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Interestingly, Jackson Wiederhoeft, the designer behind the namesake brand, has never been one to conform to traditional gender ideals, as they told they go by 鈥渁ny pronouns used with respect.鈥 Their designs are about play and provocation, full of and unapologetically feminine silhouettes.
Their Spring 2026 collection was staged as an elegant couture atelier, seemingly in homage to , the 19th-century designer who pioneered the salon-style fashion show. According to fashion folklore, Worth initially used the term 鈥渕annequin parades鈥 to describe his early runways, and by default, pioneered the concept of a model.
These women were trained to embody blank perfection 鈥 props meant to showcase clothing, not personalities. It was a performance of conformity and doll-like displays, which was unfortunately befitting of the times.
A model on the Wiederhoeft Spring/Summer 2026 runway.
Getty ImagesToday, echoes of that same idealized perfection reverberate through social media 鈥 where artistry quickly morphs into algorithm-driven beauty trends, and critical thinking flatten into a sea of self-esteem crushing inspo videos. The mannequin has been replaced by influencers, but the expectation of flawlessness remains. See: the lengths girls go to to smooth their skin into something resembling a dolphin, a glazed donut or a piece of glass.
Armed with filters and sponsored products companies are all too happy to sell, they chase a kind of beauty that feels less human than ever 鈥 smooth, glowing and yet eerily lifeless.
That鈥檚 why makeup artist聽 makeup for the Maison Margiela Couture Spring 2024 show was so successful. The now-iconic porcelain look wasn鈥檛 a nod to inanimate perfection 鈥 it was artful distortion.
Painted red cheeks, exaggerated eyelashes and lacquer-like skin punctuated then-creative director John Galliano鈥檚 clothes, which laughed at absurdist proportions and danced with fantastical silhouettes. The models weren鈥檛 trying to be real; they were knowingly surreal.
How @Pat McGrath Labs turned models at Maison Margiela Couture SS24 by John Galliano into porcelain dolls
What walked at Wiederhoeft, by contrast, wasn鈥檛 a Tim Burton heroine 鈥 it was a TikTok filter in human form. Gone was the knowing theatricality. In its place, a kind of algorithmic blankness. admits as much: When describing the inspiration behind the runway makeup, the brand says, 鈥淭he Mannequin Skin trend really blurs the line between glass skin and matte makeup 鈥 between reality and filtered.鈥
This isn鈥檛 escapism; it鈥檚 erasure.
Sure, right now it鈥檚 just a handful of brands and creators experimenting with this mannequin makeup trend. And one could be more forgiving if we were in a different political climate. But when our cultural narratives are being influenced by trad and Mormon wives glorifying traditional (read: limiting) gender roles, and women鈥檚 rights are being positioned as a fleeting privilege, not an ironclad priority, we cannot afford to be careless with our words.
There鈥檚 nothing wrong with a little imaginative play 鈥 I still love my Barbies and I haven鈥檛 given up on being a fairy princess mermaid. But there鈥檚 a difference between fantasy and fetishism. Because when you strip away individuality, when you smooth every edge and silence every expression, what you鈥檙e left with isn鈥檛 beauty. It鈥檚 compliance. And I am not a mannequin.
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