hinhdepz7

Christian Louboutin “Men were deemed rational and educatable; women were irrational, sentimental, and uneducatable. Dress became an expression of these two different modes of gender-specific behavior. Men began to wear more dour clothing. They gave up makeup and highly ornamented clothing and heels. Those accoutrements became signifiers of femininity—especially the high heel, since it’s an irrational form of footwear…it became associated with femininity, and then was eventually linked to female desirability. - Elizabeth Semmelhack, Sex Power & High Heels As we look at fashion and power we can first consider identity expression . Identity includes biological factors such as gender, size and ethnicity as well as more subjective social factors such as culture and subculture. Gender is biological sexual identity that develops through social reinforcement and expression. That expression can assert gender identity and be used to attract and seduce in sexuality. As we think of fashion, ...

In the article “Gender and Hegemony in Fashion Magazines “, Diane Crane studies the female interpretations of fashion photographs. Crane uses focus groups comprised of middle age and college age women from diverse backgrounds. She then examines how the women interpret a selection of fashion advertisements and editorials from the February, March and September issues of Vogue from the year 1997. Crane begins her article discussing key principles that must be understood in order to fully examine the women’s responses. Crane refers to the term hegemony, which is the way an institution remains in power due to the encouragement of conceptions that the public assumes as societal norms. Conflicted hegemony is dialectic between the dominant ideology and the oppositional ones. Crane claims that postmodern fashion contributes to conflicted hegemony as it provides women with “contradictory identities”. The media is also a key example of conflicted hegemony and by using fashion magazi...

by Anne Grant Men and Women: Dressing the Part This text is an excerpt from J.B Paoletti and C.B. Kidwell’s analytical book on the history of fashion and how the medium relates to gender, class and morality. Their work explores the relationship between fashion and the notions surrounding masculinity and femininity in society. Published in 1989, the book was written at a time when women were gaining more prominence in a work environment traditionally dominated by men. The authors aim to address the question of how fashion expresses gender, or masculinity and femininity. They suggest that dress reflects social nuances between the sexes. Feminine dress has traditionally reflected women’s more restricted public presence, while masculine dress has traditionally reflected men’s more authoritative role in society. While women have adopted more masculine styles in recent years—with the advancing of women’s rights—there still remain distinguishing features between the two sexes. T...

by Sofya Gladysheva Susan Sontag explains that Camp style is something artificial that tries to be serious, but fails at it. Camp objects are often exaggerated, and a little “off.” Androgynous style is Camp because it is an exaggeration of otherwise repressed sexuality; it is both unnatural and interesting to see a woman dress masculine. Opera and Ballet are also often experienced as Camp because neither art form can truly capture “the complexity of human nature.” The origins of Camp are found in the 18 th century with things like gothic novels, and caricatures. Camp works best when it is unintentional, when the artist is actually trying to produce something serious and full of content, but never really gets there. Thus, Camp style is one that makes you go “it's good because it's awful” or “It’s too much.” In that way, Camp blurs the line between what is good and bad.

Above a glove from 1590. The major historic collections of fashion come from European courts . The best fashion of the 16th & 17th century was tailored formal wear. By contrast lower classes were given simple cotton, solid clothing in payment for their services. Below 16th century European examples. Above Louis XIV was well known for his love of luxury and fashion, especially diamonds and shoes. Cosmetics and perfumes were also popularized during his era. Below the reign of Louis XVI began in 1774 with the official portrait left, and his wife Marie Antoinette's bedroom in Versailles is shown at right. Below the look of the French court in 1765 changed little to 1775 on the right. The main differences are more embellishment on fabric, narrowing of the hips and the addition of the pouf by Marie Antoinette. The courts were an international network of power , connected to one another through trade, marriages and social events. Above a Swedish royal court dress from the 1770's ...

In the Power of Fashion the authors describe the phenomenon of the "new look" as a media sensation. The question is if this style was a genuine cultural shift or one commanded by the fashion industry. Above both Christian Dior, 1947, left is a promotional image and right by Avedon. Below Dior in 1948 and right Charles James in 1947. The "look" is traditionally described as hourglass but the general shirt was a more generous use of fabrics and richer materials. This was seen as intimidating by lower classes who argued for basic looks and shorter skirts that were common during the war. Above by 1953 Dior was creating tighter fits, but still generous with fabrics. Below the anniversary photo in Vogue for the "new look" in 1957 shows a variety of styles including a loose fitting suit in white, indicating the look was not as fixed as is described. The case study of the "new look" indicates that fashion is both a shift in thinking and a force by the m...

By Valentina Franco Jennifer M. Jones - "Repackaging Rousseau: Femininity and Fashion in Old Regime France” "Robe à la française", 1700s Jennifer M. Jones wrote this article in 1994. She is an Associate Professor of History at Rutgers University who focuses on European History. Overall the article gives an overview of the transformation fashion underwent in the eighteenth century, specifically at the end of the Old Regime and the beginning of the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette in habit du cour Initially, Jones refers to Rousseau’s criticism of the way fashion “corrupted women’s taste” because during the Old Regime fashion tended to be too adorned and luxurious. Rousseau believed that women should instead use simpler materials and objects that subtly enhance their natural beauty. Rousseau did not see women as possible consumers since the fashion industry could so easily market “artifice rather than grace”(945), but he said that if clothing were to be made commercia...