Modeling 101: Hack Posin'

LAY DOWN, SALLY Poser Just a few years ago, the world of style-setting was quite an exclusive club, and if your name wasn't Kate or Naomi, the only one you could expect to ooh-ooh or pooh-pooh your outfits would be creepy Rick with the elastic pants who stands outside the Lane Bryant. But in today's online, DIY culture, the turf of modeling has been infiltrated by an eager cast of wide-eyed fashion bloggers. Clutching a vintage Chanel 2.55 in one hand and a MacBook in the other, these girls have found themselves as the newest breed of fashion muses. Ladies like Rumi from Fashion Toast and Alix at Cherry Blossom Girl have inspired a slew of copy-cat dressers, and giant photo galleries like Chictopia have provided the platform for a whole nation of stylephiles.

But just because the whole thing's democratic doesn't mean that it can't still suck. Let's take as an example the poses. Downcast eyes, pigeon-toed feet, and skinny arms akimbo are meant to project some sort of jadedness at having their pictures taken—and of course it doesn't. But no matter, the whole thing's taking root. Don't be surprised if the next time you huddle around for family pictures, your niece juts out an "I Just Gave Blood" elbow or pulls off a "Menstrual Cramp" twist with aplomb. As a service to you, the streetwalkers in the sights of unemployed street photogs, Radar examines The Most Over-utilized Fashion Poses Pulled from the Mags and Dumped Into the Style Blogging Realm!