Image courtesy of disaboom.com
Some of my most popular posts include images of nudes. I don’t use them to be controversial – I am genuinely interested in how garments, accessories, and makeup are used to “create” or re-create the body.
Feeling Blue, a post I recently wrote about the artist Yves Klein, explored how an artist used nude females as live paintbrushes. Aside from appreciating the artistic statement (and sensuality of seeing the works of art being created), the article reminded me so much of how clothing is an artistic medium used to create identity.
Anthropometry, Untitled Characteristics: Dry pigment in synthetic resin on paper 102 x 73 cm. Image courtesy of guggenheim-bilbao.org
I pushed this idea further in another post, Role Reversal. Sometimes, the image we see in the mirror is not an accurate representation of how we feel about ourselves. This disparity can have many different degrees. We are each born with one body, but experience change continually. At one point or another, clothing helps you transition to a new identity – a new phase of life. But sometimes, your gender may not match with your biological sex.
Gia Carangi and unknown model in YSL Rive Gauche, 1979. Photo by Helmut Newtown. Image courtesy of imtheitgirl.com
Clothing helps us to construct multiple identities. Therefore it’s virtually impossible to teach fashion without exploring how fashion constructs and deconstructs gender identities. Read more about how I discuss this topic with my students on Worn Through:
On Teaching Fashion: Gender Identities