THE BODY: FASHION AND PHYSIQUE
For my object, I chose a black velvet dress designed by Thierry Mugler in 1981, which was a year where there was a major emphasis on female fitness and the female body in general. The heavy boning and thick velvet material helped mold the wearer into a woman with a seemingly toned “hardbody” physique and superhuman curves through the usage of the built in corset.
As you can assume through Thierry Mugler’s own personal transformation into a man of pure muscle: Manfred Thierry Mugler (what he’s referred to as now), Mugler clearly prides himself on being extremely fit and assumes his ideal customer base to be as well which I think stems from allowing one to feel empowered. In order to be toned, instead of just thin, one has to be extremely self disciplined in maintaining a strict diet and exercise regimen while also constantly challenging their mind and body to train harder, which could be seen as a way of gaining power and strength inside and out.
Personally, I’ve always admired Mugler’s fantasy-like type designs and runway shows but most importantly I’ve liked how he’s always maintained his own unique take on what a woman’s body should look like (whether it be through exercise or cosmetic procedures), which I think is benefitial in contributing to the idea of fashion as fantasy or transformative. Although many can argue that this sort of “fantasy like” body can be detrimental to body image, I think that the way how Mugler’s garments temporarily shapes or “fixes” one’s body through the thick boning can serve as a sort of fun expression of sexuality and femininity.
