My first topic is about ageism in fashion. So I began with an eye where I cut out the wrinkles, something that is always marketed towards to get rid of in the beauty industry. Then I looked at a “granny” costume, and how that has become a trend that produced the Gucci glasses in the left corner. On a more positive note, I looked at the blog and movie “Advanced Style.” It gained popularity to the point where the brand Celine used a few of the older women pictured in it for their ads. Then I went onto a bit of a tangent and looked at a typical pantsuit that my Grandma would have worn. This is typical of older women but also has social connotations, especially coming about during the election with Hilary Clinton often sporting them. From there I went to my next topic of the about the growing closures of physical retailers. Being from Seattle I wanted to look at Amazon which has grown exponentially in the last few years. However, in searching both clothing and what came up for “senior citizen clothing,” I found that they must grow in the production of trendy saleable clothing to compete with retails like Nordstrom or Forever21. I also played the AOL guy taking down the banner of a Macy’s storefront because they are a retailer facing closures even in their staple 5th av store. Going back to my search for clothing on Amazon, I found that what came up tended towards boring and matronly, something I did expect. This style reminded me of the Orthodox Jewish women with the stroller. Thus, bringing me to my favorite topic, the inherent submission of nudity and modesty in modern western society. I looked at the two sides of the modesty spectrum in religions like Islam and Judaism, where submission to your husband or male figure is common, but also where there are liberated women choosing to be modest. I also looked at Christianity, whose women are covering up for G-d who is referred to as “he,” and, as a contrast, the “Free the Nipple” campaign. In addition, I looked at art being made during the recent relational aesthetics movement with Jemima Stehli and 2nd wave feminism with Yayoi Kusama who both explored the idea of nudity holding power. I also came across a model posing naked. She was being praised for being essentially old when in reality she was in her 50’s. I definitely need to narrow this topic to just one religion or time, so I was thinking Christianity because I have done a project around this subject with Judaism. The idea that G-d is a man and they cover up for him is also really interesting to me when talking about nuns.
