15th of November~ Pornostyle: Sexualized Dress and the Fracturing of Feminism

Text: Pornostyle: Sexualized Dress and the Fracturing of Feminism

Author: Pamela Church Gibson

Pamela Church Gibson is Reader in Cultural and Historical Studies at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, founder and principal editor of the journal Film, Fashion and Communication. She has extensively published on fashion, film, fandom, heritage and history.

            In this article, Gibson talks about the body ideal being promoted by so called ‘sexy’ celebrities. She informs us that this new body, as well as the system behind it, knots fashion and pornography together.

Gibson starts explaining that many young women – and it is important to say that there are no male-equivalent for this phenomenon – dress in a ‘sexy’ way, hoping to emulate particular celebrities. She notes that those celebrities being mirrored are not the ones promoted in the high-fashion media as ‘stylish’ icons, instead it refers to ‘sexy’ celebrities – once considered vulgar – but that now dominates the masses and the fashion industry. In this new ‘system’, a curvier and tanned body substitutes the traditionally skinny and elongated fashion model one.

In the text, Gibson points out that the fashion industry have been seduced a few times by what has been called by Lynch (2012) the “porno chic”, which she says is a potent popular concept with interesting commercial value. She mentions the V magazine editorial with Kate Moss and Rihanna, shoot by Mario Testino, as an example. In the photoshoot the models appear very sexual and intimate on a ‘vibrant pink’ background that evokes soft-porn. Gibson mention the popularity of the ‘starlets’ – which can be considered a personification of the ideal body discussed in this article – on the television. She notes that, yet criticised those women are considered celebrities. As a matter of fact they make their own capital and have numerous followers.

The text mentions the popular ‘Kardashians’, in this case Kim Kardashian – which is described is the most famous one. It points out that despite the popularity of ‘sexy’ icons such as Kim, some magazines – like Vogue – would ignore her in order to promote the values and trends of the high-fashion world. This part of the text emphasises that the two different bodies and lifestyles being promoted by the two different systems are dramatically divergent. She cites the case of Victoria Beckham that went through a complete image – body and clothing – transformation when she decided to enter the fashion world as a designer. In order to do that and be accepted she had to match the fashion ideals at place.

Furthermore, the text narrates the conflicts between feminists around the problem of whether women can or cannot have the freedom to dress whatever way they want, including the ones who desire to look ‘sexy’. Gibson explains that this is a discussion that became much more complex recently for it raises questions around class and taste that have become more complicated in ‘the age of celebrity culture’ that ‘challenges the traditional fashion system’.

“For there is a ‘tasteful’ variant of body-conscious dressing, complete with mane of long, glossy hair and tanned limbs, that is now seeping into the upper echelons of society”

The Kardashians (Image: http://www.oxygen.com/sites/nbcuoxygen/files/field_blog_image/2016/01/kardashiansmain.jpg)

Kendal, Kim and Kylie (Image: https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2014/08/25/09/KardashianSisters.jpg)

“Fecund, pregnant or not, this other, opposed, contemporary ideal is curvaceous in a particular way that is no easier to attain than the overall slimless demanded of the fashion model”

(Image: http://tvseriesfinale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Season_10_Promo.jpeg)

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In this image you can compare Kim and Kendal's body type with the fashion models. (Image: http://celebmafia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/kim-kardashian-vogue-foundation-gala-paris-fashion-week-july-2014_7.jpg)

(Image: http://www.fashiongonerogue.com/rihanna-and-kate-moss-star-in-the-cover-shoot-of-v-magazine-82/)

Rihanna and Kate Moss for V magazine by Maria Testino. (Image: http://vmagazine.com/article/only-girls-in-the-world/)

I think is safe to say that 'even Vogue', which is presented in the text as a magazine that 'ignores' Kim Kardashian has fallen into hers, and her family's, spell.

Brazilian Vogue. On this edition Kim talks about her collection to the department store C&A (Image: http://www.blackbutterflylifestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Kim-Kardashian-Vogue-Brazil-June-2015-Cover-Shoot01.jpg)

(Image: http://www.correiodopovo.com.br/blogs/correiofeminino/tag/kim-kardashian/)

15th of November~ No muscles, no tattoos

Text: No muscles, no tattoos

Authors: Alice Twemlow and Jop Van Bennekon for Eye Magazine 61:16 (published in 2006)

Available at: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/no-muscles-no-tattoos

This text was wrote by Alice Twemlow, who is the founding chair of the SVA MFA Design Criticism and SVA MA Design Research, Writing & Criticism programs. She also often moderates and lectures at conferences and seminars. The article was first published at Eye Magazine, no. 61 vl.16, in 2006. Eye Magazine is a graphic design journal published quaternary for professional designer, design students or design enthusiastic.

Jop Van Bennekon (Image: http://thisisaerodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/jop-vanbennekom-hero.jpg)

The text talks about Jop Van Bennekon, who is an art director, editor and designer responsible for important publications, such as Butt magazine, the Fantastic Man, The Gentlewoman and Re-Magazine. Van Bennekon knew that working with alternative magazines in Amsterdam would be improbable, unless he started his own publication. Therefore, to ‘sort things out’ he started a postgraduate at Eyck Academy in Maastricht and from this experienced, he created and started the Re-Magazine, in 1997.

For Bennekon, one of the negative side-effects of working in a place with such a rich design culture as the Netherlands is that it can be a little predictable, and he did not want to live this life of, citing the text, ‘already know where you will be at the age of 45’. However, it was while he was working for Blvd magazine that he contacted Gert Jonkers, with whom he co-founded Butt magazine in 2001.

Gerts Jokers and Jop Van Bennekon (Image: http://assets.itsnicethat.com/system/files/102015/5613f1af7fa44c26d40002fa/images_slice_large/FM-itsnicethat-1.jpg?1444147645)

While growing up Van Bennekon did not have any magazines with which he could completely connect and feel represented as a gay man and with Butt magazine he could finally create for true people like Jokers and himself. He wanted it to be sincere, more realistic, and intimate, present real people in their real environments. Another important aspect of Butt magazine is that all the ads in the magazine are designed to fit the magazine itself, which allows the reading to be interrupted. Van Bennekon remembers that when he first hand draw the logos of the advertisers to the magazine most of them were not happy and did not pay for it, however nowadays brands are ‘eager’ to be at Butt. Butt magazine is now internationally knew and is read for ‘important’ people, such as Karl Lagerfeld and Tom Ford. For Andrew Sloat, cited in the article, Butt magazine is important because is about filling the gap of the lack representation. About Bennekon works he says: ‘Not being represented means you have to start something yourself that does represent you,’ he says

Later, Jop Bennekon decided to start investing in other publications and in 2005 he started the Fantastic Man magazine, that he created to deconstruct the idea of male models that were normally seen on fashion magazines. He wanted to have men who would be ‘fucking interesting’. This was another project born from personal interest, which he used, as he said, ‘to meet his Heros’.

In 2010 Jop and Gert together with editor Penny Martin started The Gentlewoman, which is a biannual magazine that celebrates modern women.

I think this read was very interesting and inspiring because I could learn about some magazines that I actually knew before and also because, for me, it talks about how our life background and personal interests can become large scale projects that speak and represent many people.

Re- magazine (Image: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/49/76/6d/49766d3f12380b8fb3be9f6caa0339f0.jpg)

Butt magazine (Image: http://www.parismechama.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/butt_magazine_compendium_va_gb_3d_04614_1408011104_id_829674.jpg)

The Gentlewoman magazine (Image: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3793/12663288485_767e2bb4bf_b.jpg)

References:

https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/jop-van-bennekom-gert-jonkers

http://designresearch.sva.edu/faculty/alice-twemlow/

http://thegentlewoman.co.uk/names/jop-van-bennekom

http://thegentlewoman.co.uk/about

8th of November~ The Whitechapel's Guerrilla Girls: Is it even worse in Europe?

Exhibition: Guerrilla Girls: Is it even worse in Europe?

(Image: http://www.guerrillagirls.com/exhibitions/)

            The exhibition ‘Guerrilla Girls: Is it even worse in Europe?’ discuss the problem of diversity in art institutions around Europe and present relevant data to this matter that have been collected through surveys. The exhibition is being held at the Whitechapel gallery until March of 2017.

            At the beginning of the exhibition, next to the door that leads to the room where it is taking place, there is a screen that shows some videos of the Guerrillas Girls and a board with some information about them. For me it felt very exciting, and this feeling of excitement accompanied me during my entire visit. The exhibition is rather small, only one room, and consequently very direct, however very strong and honest in the way it delivers a message.

As previously mentioned, the exhibition was based on a survey conducted by the Guerrilla Girls, a group of feminist activist artists and it presented the answer of 383 directors about their exhibition programme and collections. It was all very visual. They had a big copy of the questionnaire they sent to the directors displayed on one wall; a list of the 101 institutions that did answered them; copies of some of the answered forms, boards with commented answer and, on the floor – to be stepped on, a list of the 282 institutions that did not answer them.

Overall, the space was designed in a way that passed a strong and opinionated message. The language was irreverent and easy to understand. Despite the fact that the exhibition was smaller than the ones I have been before I felt like the message was received. In fact, now that I think about the layout of the space I cannot stop thinking that it was a little uncomfortable to stand there in the centre of the room, look at the data and think about the problem it exposes. And I believe that this was the ultimate propose of this exhibition: to make people uncomfortable, to make us aware of the problem of diversity in all the different areas and places it happen and open our eyes to the fact that it will not change if it does not get talked about.

On my previous post I have mentioned the ‘culture of non-confrontation’ that I learned about during my visit to the Barbican’s ‘The Vulgar’ exhibition (see review on previous post). After I left the Guerrilla Girls, I started thinking how sometimes we vulgarize people who challenge the social setting we live at. It's almost like we become so defensive and afraid of being changed, or being wrong or questioning our own position in the society – which might be privileged – that we can only vulgarize, in a way of ignoring and muting, those responsible for the questions and the uncomfort. Futhermore, this exhibition made me think that, as a designer, a woman and a South American I want to feel represented not only in the art industry but in all the other industries.

Photography was allowed in the exhibition, so most of the pictures in this post were taken with my phone. However, you can find more - and perhaps better - pictures, as more information about the Guerrilla Girls, here: http://www.guerrillagirls.com/exhibitions/

8th of November~ Barbican The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined, exhibition review

Exhibition: The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined

The exhibition book (source: http://charliesmithdesign.com/work/barbican/the-vulgar/)

The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined is an exhibition being held at the Barbican, from the 13^th of October of 2016 until the 5^th of February of 2017. The exhibition reverberates around different definitions of the term “vulgar” and its manifestation in Fashion, thinking over the contradiction this word raises and discussing the concept of ‘good taste’ and ‘bad taste’.

The exhibition was divided in sections that were spread in the two floors of the gallery. Each section exploring – or emphasizing one interpretation of the word “vulgar”. The lighting of the entire gallery was very ‘controlled’, allowing the clothes exhibit being in focus, and sometimes creating shadows behind the mannequins. Along the exhibition, there were fragments of texts that presented or emphasized the approach of the exhibition’s theme in each section; most of these texts were taken from publications by Adam Phillips, who is a British psychologist. On the ground floor of the exhibition there were a ‘reading area’ were you could read some of his books used in the exhibition, as other publications. In the same floor there were also a video of fashion designers talking about what is ‘vulgar/vulgarity’ to them. This was one of my favourite parts of the exhibition, because it presented a completely new idea of vulgarity to me, which is related to ‘the culture of non-confrontation’; that ‘is about revealing what is normally hidden’, about challenging moral/morality and makes us think about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.

In general, I would say that the layout of the gallery allowed the curators to lead the visitors in the exhibition through the sections, like when you read a book, I felt that I ‘should’ follow the ‘natural order’ of the exhibition to better comprehend the message being communicated. However, I cannot say that this is the best way of experiencing this exhibition; it might just be my personal way of doing it. In addition, I believe that if enough time is allowed one should revisit the parts of the exhibition the most called one’s attention in order to take the most of it.

Being honest, by the time I finished visiting every section of the exhibition I felt a little tired. I tried to take notes of what called my attention and by the end I had five A5 pages! (Which is at least the double of what I normally do) I think this exhibition was very rich in terms of texts and I was very pleased with how the texts on the wall complemented the garments to narrate the story and vice versa.

The exhibitio visits many different concepts of Vulgar and its manifestation in Fashion through various perspectives, including materials, sihlouettes, etc. I think, as a fashion designer, this exhibition was very significant for many diffenrent reasons. (So many that I cannot dare to dry to talk about each one of them in this post) One of the reasons is that it opened my eyes to my own creative process as a creator in terms of making me more aware of what I make and what it signify. Another reason is that I think this exhibition was built around the fact that trends (fashions) are born inside a place of exclusivity but eventually become popular, massified, vulgar (although other interpretations and perspectives were approached). I think this is a crucial dynamic of Fashion, especially as an industry, as it is when trends become largely adored and reproduced that the industry ‘delights itself’. In addition, I believe that is inside this dynamic that one of the most important and criticized aspects of Fashion is born: obsolescence.

(Image: http://thelondonthing.co.uk/barbican-centre-the-vulgar-fashion-redefined/)

(Image: http://www.quilondra.com/mostre/the-vulgar-fashion-redefined)

(Image: http://thelondonthing.co.uk/barbican-centre-the-vulgar-fashion-redefined/)

(Image: http://thelondonthing.co.uk/barbican-centre-the-vulgar-fashion-redefined/)

(Image: http://www.victoriasadler.com/review-the-vulgar-barbican-centre-an-idea-too-big-for-a-single-show/)

(Image: http://www.quilondra.com/mostre/the-vulgar-fashion-redefined)

(Image:  http://www.cantabriadmoda.com/2016/10/13/que-es-vulgar/)

(Image: http://thelondonthing.co.uk/barbican-centre-the-vulgar-fashion-redefined/)

(Image: http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/the-vulgar-fashion-redefined-exhibition-opens-barbican-art-gallery-london-galliano-prada-louis-vuitton-mcqueen-10674040/)

25th of October~ Towards an Ethical Fashion Framework

Text: Towards an Ethical Fashion Framework

Authors: Anders Haug and Jacob Busch

           
               This text being here reviewed was written by Doctor Auder Haug and Jacob Busch.

            The matter of ‘sustainability’ is becoming more discussed as people are becoming more aware of the limitless of raw materials. Inside various industries, this subjected started to be debated, in some more than in others.

            Inside the Fashion industry this matter has been largely discussed, especially at universities, however, despite the fact that some designers can be listed as ‘ethical’ producers, not many changes have been implemented.

            This paper points the fashion producers – designers, consumers and marketers - as the ones responsible for the current situation in how products are made. According to the text they are not only the ones blame but also the ones who have the ways to do some changes, although, as noted in the article, there are factors that limited the producers power. The text reverberates around the validity of actions already took by some brands and designers, that every so often bring ‘ethical’ products to the market. It notes that not only it is not an aspect that is part integral of most of the brands production but also it is not very accessible in terms of prices for the main targeted groups within the fast fashion market - adolescents and adults.

            The text also points out the fact that information about how the products are made is not easy to get. Although some designers use terms such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable’ to promote their products, they usually do not give enough information to the consumer to the decide if he/she thinks the goods being advertised are consistent with their ideology. However, although I agree that fashion companies, among others, should give more detailed information about their manufacture, I would like to emphasize the role of the consumer as the one who must try to research about what he is consuming and demand more information from the makers.

            Furthermore, the text explain, in a language that is easy to understand – making it appropriate for various audiences -, that, like many other industries, the Fashion industry is engaged in a system that prioritizes the economic success. There is, in this industry it is important that the products are made for the minimum value achievable and sold for the maximum value possible, which primarily goes against the principle of ethical production. Still, as the text emphasizes, the producers, especially the designers and media, have the power of influencing the population and leading the trends to a desire for ‘ethical’ wear. This way, I think the question that we are left with is: how can the industry continue to grow economically while following social and material ethical standards?

25th of October~ It's a Joy to Be on a Bike Again!: The 1980s Onward

Text: It’s a joy to be in a bike again!: The 1980s Onward

Author: Pete Jordan

            Pete Jordan is an American – born and raised in San Francisco, California. He became famous for working as a dishwasher for ten years, an experience that he narrates on his book “Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States. Jordan moved to Amsterdam in 2002, where he fell in love for the city’s bike culture and history. The text being reviewed here was taken from the chapter 20 of his second book “In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist”.

(Pete Jordan on his bike near the Rijksmuseum passageway)

Jordan starts this chapter describing the relationship between himself, his son – Ferris - and bikes. He explains that after Ferris became too old to ride in the front of Jordan’s bike he had to install a kid’s seat on the back of his bike. However, Jordan became discontent with this, as he felt that it was bringing to an end his rides with his son – that would now be seating ‘far away’ from him. Frustrated with the separation Jordan is introduced to the solution: the bakfiets. He ends this first part of this chapter narrating his son development into a new Amsterdam cyclist.

(Bakfiests in Amsterdam)

            Next, Jordan narrates how cyclist activists campaigns, usually taken place near to the elections period, were received and how the authorities reacted to them. As a Brazilian, born and raised in Fortaleza – northeast of Brazil - it is interesting to note how seriously cycling is taken in Amsterdam, for in my city it is a recent discussion, while is has been a hot topic for Amsterdamers since 'always'. From this part of the text, what more calls my attention is the irony in the fact that the cyclists in Amsterdam would protest for better traffic conditions for them – being ultimately attended – although they do not obey to some state regulations. Jordan narrates that the state would charge a fee from cyclists caught without lights on their bikes, and that, despite the heavy patrols - which resulted in many bike users being fined – most cyclist would not care to invest in their bike, for there was a big bikes thievery problem happening at the time. To solve this problem, the police implemented new regulations to discourage the commerce of stolen bikes, obtaining a significant success.

(Queen Wilhelmina on her bicycle)

(Queen Juliana on her bicycle)

(Queen Máxima on her bicycle)

(The Duthc Royal Family in 2012)

(The Duthc Royal Family in 1980s)

(The Duthc Royal Family in 1950s)

            In general, the text explains how Amsterdam developed into ‘a city of bikes’. Now, from my personal experience, in what regards my home city – Fortaleza -, as mentioned before, bikes are becoming a more common transport choice. The reasons for that varies from place to place. According to the text, bikes became a national transport for Dutch people, endorsed by Dutch royalty. However, around the world, the reasons are many; healthy lifestyle, wean the pollution levels, improve cities’ traffic, etc. Indifferently, it is important to be aware the changes take time. In order to do a transition from one system to the other many aspects have to be rethink and it is fundamental that people do their claims and be patient.


Pictures of Befores and Afters from Amsterdam (Cycling oriented):