Moving into the twentieth century, cultural perceptions of beauty began to celebrate a thinner, younger physique as opposed to the curvy figure popular in previous centuries. Contemporary garment construction at this time began to popularize narrow shoulders and full skirts to accentuate a thin, toned physique. By the end of the century, supermodels such as Kate Moss popularized an extremely thin aesthetic, now known as heroine chic.
Women, of course, aren’t the only ones facing cultural expectations about the body. As aerobic exercise became popular, the ideal for men became athletic and muscular, symbolized by six-pack abs. Fashion reflected (and mocked) this fact with garments such as Jean Paul Gaultier’s 1991 men’s sweater seen in figure 3.
Fashion today attempts to incorporate a greater diversity of physiques, though such inclusivity has been a recurrent, if short-lived, theme over the past century. The exhibition points to the internet and social media as the catalyst for this most recent shift (Fig. 4). The growing acceptance of the transgender community is also noted as a driving factor into the greater acceptance of bodies of all shapes and sizes.
The exhibition explores the extent to which fashion and culture influence how we feel about our bodies. The show ends with a thoughtful celebration of designers’ acceptance of size-inclusivity in fashion.