Study Notes on Fashion and Bodies

Main Focus: Exploring how bodies that deviate from cultural norms around ability and size interact with the fashion world.
Key Questions:
- How do these bodies become fashionable?
- How are bodies that deviate from norms seen as marketable demographics?
- Consideration of prosthetic limbs as fashionable commodities and the rise of plus-size fashion.

Critical Class & Essay Due Date: Friday, the twenty-seventh.
Image Usage: Students encouraged to include photographs in their essays to aid reference; images do not count towards page limit.
Citations: No strict minimum or maximum but multiple sources are desired; sources can be from syllabus or external.
Extension Option: Built-in 24-hour grace period available if needed.
Encouragement for Questions: Students urged to ask questions or seek feedback early rather than last minute.

Exploration of the Intersection of Body and Fashion: How do non-normative bodies engage with fashion culture?
Discussion topics include:
- Ableism and Fat Phobia: Consideration of social stigma.
- Body Image: How societal views impact individual self-perception.

Main Argument: Prostheses transitioning from necessity to aesthetic expression.
- Prosthetics are now seen as art or fashion pieces.
- Tension between complicity with fashion trends and resistance to normative standards.
Examples:
- Covers for prosthetic limbs by companies like Younique being marketed for aesthetic purposes.
Price and Accessibility Issues: Noting costs associated with aesthetic prosthetics and potential lack of insurance coverage.

Study of prosthetics at Vancouver Fashion Week 2024.
Models showcased prosthetics as integrated parts of fashion ensembles, emphasizing design over natural appearance.
The combination of clothing and prosthetics aimed to attract attention.
Utilization of monochrome color schemes to draw the eye directly to the prosthetic as a fashion statement.

Focus: Unique, creative prosthetics that reflect individual experiences and desires.
Quote from Artist: "The limbs enable the wearer to claim control over their body and change perceptions of disability."
Examples of Creativity:
- The 'Materialise' piece using earthly and non-earthly materials.
- Vision of a prosthetic limb that is overtly stylish and functional, defying conventions.

Exploration in Music Video: Represents a persona of strength and agency.
Discussion of how her prosthetics enhance her movements, contributing to an empowered narrative.
- Emphasis on the functionality and expressive power of her prosthetics.
Fashion Inspirations: References to sci-fi influences and high fashion icons.

Overview: Record-breaking Paralympian known for her 'cheetah legs'.
Transition from athletics to high fashion, collaborating with Alexander McQueen.
Unique Approach: Prosthetics designed not for realism, but optimized for performance and style.
Dual Career in Athletics and Modeling: Highlights balancing both identities effectively.

Examination of concerns regarding branded prosthetics (e.g., Nike swoosh on prosthetics).
Considerations about agency and authenticity in the representation of disability.
Artists like Marie Kadayama focus on self-representation, rejecting mainstream commodification.

Lizzo's fluctuating body image illustrating societal pressures around body size.
Critiques surrounding her image and the societal need for body acceptance.

Focus: The rise of plus-size fashion within consumer culture.
Brands: Eloquii, Torrid, Lane Bryant, Universal Standard expanding inclusivity in sizing.
Questions Raised:
- Is increased visibility a form of liberation or co-option into capitalist consumerism?
- Fashion Rights: Addressing the critique of rights framed within capitalism.

Exploration of plus-size clothing marketed as expressing individuality but still tied to capitalist frameworks.
Navigating the tension between fashion and the push for body acceptance and liberation.

Participants: 15 interviews capturing experiences of queer fat femmes.
Key Themes Suggested:
- The pressure to embody a narrow ideal of femininity that intersects gender, sexuality, and body size.
- Experiences vary along a fatness spectrum; accessibility and representation challenges remain.

Defining pressures faced in society and expectations to perform hyperfeminine aesthetics.
The role of socioeconomic factors in shaping self-presentation.
Resistance movements within queer fat femmes seek to define identity beyond societal standards.

Understanding the complex interplay of fashion, identity, and societal expectations within the context of disability and fat representation.
Final Note: The pursuit of self-expression within the confines of capitalist and societal frameworks presents ongoing challenges and areas for potential resistance.