These pieces are a series relating to immodest clothing. Through my research and personal life experiences I have found many correlations between the clothing we wear and how we are viewed and treated by others. Each of these fashion figures is depicted in popular and socially acceptable articles of clothing that are revealing in some way.
The materials I chose to make the clothing out of represent something about the clothing itself. As I believe all clothing is an expression of self and personal desires I do not believe the message these outfits send, and the desired outcome of most women are in harmony with one another. Our desired message needs to match the language we are using if we want to express ourselves accurately. This is true when speaking and writing as well as with any other type of visual communication such as advertising art or fashion.
These quotes and videos are where I got the inspiration for what type of object to use for each croqui.
*side note: a croqui is the word for a fashion figure. instead of the traditional 7 1/2-8 heads tall the average human figure is, a croqui is drawn 10 heads tall. This objectifies the body for the purpose of making it the canvas so the clothing can be the real are. It serves the purpose of highlighting the clothing of a fashion designer instead of focus being drawn to the model. I chose to use the traditional fashion figure because of its objectifying nature and correlation to the message of the pieces. The lack of hair or facial features is a deliberate choice to further dehumanize the figures in the same way I feel our clothing choices can do.
Mud:
This material had 2 meanings for me. The first came from this meme I saw a while back on facebook.
(I opted for mud as opposed to manure because 1. I have heard the phrase both ways, and 2. eww.)
The second significance this material hold for me is from a social science class I took my sophomore year of college about relationships. In this class we discussed the cycle of abuse and signs of an abused person. One telltale sign that a girl has been raped, or sexually abused is a dramatic change in behavior going from relative innocence to bold promiscuity. The overwhelming feeling of worthlessness, shame, or helplessness felt by rape victims is almost universal. The idea that "I'm already dirty I might as well role around in the mud." is a common notion for victims to have. This unhealthy and damaging self view can often lead to girls seeking approval and attention through their clothing. Trying to get positive attention by what the world tells them is a display of confident behavior. However, this method of trying to mask a deeper issue does not yield good results. Girls often find themselves in situations of further abuse at the hands of males reading more into the message a little black dress can send than the message a woman may be saying verbally. If actions really do speak louder than words we should be careful about the message our choice of clothing is sending.
Tools:
The material I chose for this bikini comes from a study conducted at Princeton that deals with the human brain and its reaction to certain types of clothing. In this study, when male participants were shown images of women who were dressed more modestly the part of the brain that lit up was the part that deals with human interaction. Normal right? However, when women dressed in bikinis were presented a different part of the brain was activated, the part that deals more with objects and using tools. So based on this study the way we dress can literally, chemically objectify ourselves to another person. I don't think this is the type of empowerment women who advocate sexy=confidence are trying to have.
This video is a popular one and mentions the above study as well as the history of the bikini itself. If you haven't watched it yet you definitely should!
This study is mentioned at about 4:15 in the video.
Trash:
Dressing modestly is always in fashion because it is classy and respectful.
And that's all there is to say.
Never about body shaming, We are all beautiful!
