Between Object and Subject

The Image of Women in Fashion

Following Trump and #MeToo, new feminism is en vogue. Catwalks act as a stage for real statements. For a long time, fashion wasn’t political at all - today it is. The new feminine self-perception does not renounce femininity, as is seen in the depiction of powerful women with sex appeal. At the same time, there are fierce debates within the industry and advertising campaigns - as in the case of Saint Laurent - are banned when women are depicted as too submissive. What is sexy and self-determined? What is supposedly imposed? Opinions differ widely about how strong women should behave and the self-image of women is far from self-evident. Fashion is looking for its own take on the situation. It comes out fighting and emphasises sex appeal. But it also hides behind bulky oversize items, wide men’s trousers, and unisex designs. What has to change in fashion and the industry in general in order to ensure that women finally make the transition from object to subject? Text: Petrina Engelke, Ina Köhler, Martina Müllner-Seybold, Kay Alexander Plonka, Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Interviewees, Reid Beels, Jennifer Fey

The Industry is Experimenting

Susann Hoffmann, Co-Founder of Edition F “For some it is freedom, self-realisation, creativity, and expression. For others it is a vile routine, a celebration of superficiality, or a path to a safe zone where one doesn’t attract attention or - even worse - forgets oneself. Fashion is perceived so differently and yet it is always more than the clothes we wear. Whether consciously or unconsciously, the clothes we wear underline social stereotypes: hipster, philistine, normal, you name it. We are sexy or reserved, conservative or extreme. The categories seem more infinite than ever, but at the end of the day we are still searching for a construct that allows us to understand who we are and who our opposite is. The dilemma is that nobody knows what’s what these days anyway. So, the question is whether fashion really helps us in the search for who we are or whether it is merely a means to an end to do justice to the personal chameleon, to re-express one’s attitude on a daily basis. Sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly… After all, I don’t eat spaghetti every single day. One thing is certain: the industry is experimenting. And we are playing along as consumers. But do I believe in the fashion dictate and in consumers that allow themselves to be driven by an industry that fills our stores? Hardly… Today, fashion strives to be more political than ever. Bold statements on feminism, freedom, or the anti-Trump movement can be found on shirts, sweaters, and caps. It almost seems as if the product doesn’t matter; it’s all about the positioning in terms of content. What fashion is currently experiencing comes from consumers. The world is becoming more political, feminism is socially acceptable again, and everyone has something to say against Trump. Especially the female voices are getting louder and more self-confident. That’s fantastic. After all, we have praised the ‘old white man’ in the sky for decades. The world is changing. The same applies to fashion and the industry. Those who don’t change are yesterday’s news. The latter is barely imaginable in fashion.”

Live the Freedom

Lena Terlutter, Influencer and Owner of Boutique Belgique and BB Loves Cologne “Fashion is communication. It is a signal, an appeal, and a mirror image of every individual and society. It is the outside of the inside, so to speak. It has always been - and will always be - political, but has lacked such (unwanted, yet necessary) anchors and ‘crying points’ such as Trump and #metoo. Those who define themselves - or allow themselves to be defined - as a slave and object are just that. The compulsive image of women as objects should be seen as part of ‘Trump’s fake world of lacking culture’. Nothing needs to change in terms of fashion; there shouldn’t even be a debate about that. The absolute implicitness that fashion is a way to express oneself and should be fun needs to be rediscovered. Thank god we live in a free country: everyone is allowed to marry whoever they want and everyone is allowed to be whoever they want (and express it with fashion). It is exactly this freedom that I love and live to the fullest in my job as an entrepreneur. I can express myself and my personality with my style and, at best, inspire my followers. On Instagram, I not only share my business life, but also provide many insights into my private life, my family, and our home. I am often asked how I manage to reconcile it all: managing my businesses, kids, family, friends, and hobbies. My job doesn’t really feel like work for me. I draw strength from it rather than it draining me. The comments on my blog suggest that I am perceived as a power woman. Naturally, it makes me very happy if I can encourage women to pursue their dreams confidently. Women strive to - and can - achieve anything today. They are keen to be successful both professionally and privately. That balancing act is often not easy. At the same time, they have to fight clichés and hold their own more than men. The saddest aspect of the debate is not the men, but the women themselves. Nobody fights dirtier than women against women, or even worse: mothers against mothers. It’s a shame that women don’t support each other more and pat each other on the back when something great has been achieved. I hope that my postings contribute to proving that it is possible to do both. Family and career are compatible. At the same time, I hope that women can feel free and express themselves creatively.”

Fashion Thrives on Contradiction

Petra Fladenhofer, Marketing Director of The KaDeWe Group “I believe this discussion currently includes many aspects that don’t really belong together. Fashion is an expression of our gender affiliation or an expression of playing with said affiliation. Fashion tells a story about feelings and moods, thus thriving on contradictions. In the 1920s, women wore suits and sported bobs. They were economical, but not necessarily self-sufficient. Kim Kardashian’s fashion expression, however, is in line with the cliché of a self-imposed porn-chic and, at the same time, undermines it at least to the extent that she is even more successful than her husband. Likewise, the fashion content and its business are often contradictory. Weren’t Palestinian scarves in fashion a while back? For example, the majority of individuals buying fashion are female, but women remain underrepresented in the business itself. The reasons for this are similar to other industries. Are the ‘statements’ on the catwalks ‘real’ or merely bold and marketable catchwords? Time will tell…”

Diversity via Inclusion

Keah Brown, US-based journalist who created the hashtag #DisabledAndCute “The fashion world’s predominant image of women is often a very thin, white, or ethnically ambiguous woman in varied sexualised contexts or positions. After the #MeToo movement gained traction, I’ve seen only a little change: more campaigns where the same women are less sexualised. There has been a push to give these photo shoots more context in giving women agency to be sexual if they please. But that’s only one aspect. Ableism - the discrimination in favour of able-bodied people - is all around us and it affects our everyday lives, beliefs, decisions, and actions. Much of that is a dislike of what people don’t understand, and some don’t ever want to. Fashion should consider and champion diversity via inclusion that begins by showcasing non-binary people of colour and all genders. There is also the fact that most clothing is not able to fit disabled bodies, because our bodies are often not symmetrical. Apart from that, I think clothes can fail us in that not all people are thin and petite - and not all people love feminine styled clothing. It is a very big question what the fashion industry should start doing in order to address these failures. I am still trying to figure out the answer. The first thing that can be done to fix these issues is an apology, yes, but also a promise and execution of action. The fashion industry should make more clothes for disabled people. I think they have to work on the fear of doing something wrong and try it anyway. I would also serve the industry to feature people with different types of bodies - including disabilities, both physical and invisible - in advertising so that people see people in the real world reflected back to them. I think a hashtag can achieve a lot and already has, as I can tell as the creator of #DisabledAndCute. It began online, so people without Internet access didn’t know about it until it started reaching print-based publications. I think it has opened people’s eyes a bit and helped able-bodied people confront their biases. It is also providing disabled people with a sense of community. So it’s more than a hashtag; it’s a movement. I think that’s what hashtags can do. Sometimes, when we trivialise them, we are actually trivialising communities and hard work. I’m a journalist and writer first and foremost, but some people only think of me as a hashtag creator. Nevertheless, I’m very proud of the work that I do both as a writer and with the hashtag, limitations and all.”

Analysis of the Content

Prof. Kai Jünemann, Photographer, University of Applied Sciences & Arts Dortmund “One of the most pressing issues - and therefore one of the most desirable in terms of change - is the fact that there still aren’t enough women in key, decision-making positions of major fashion houses. At the same time, women are still - in terms of percentage - massively underrepresented among the international photographers who shoot for magazines like Vogue and Elle - and shape modern campaigns. More EllesVMH and more women like Maria Grazia Chiuri could lead to a short-term fashion hype being anchored within social consensus in small steps. Young female photographers like Harley Weir, Jana Gerberding, and Laura Kaczmarek utilise completely different storytelling techniques to portray new and differentiated images of women, especially in fashion photography. Established publications such as the legendary Pirelli Calendar have been booking photographers like Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindhberg, and Tim Walker for years. They stage their motifs in a way that are far removed from conventional, supposedly erotic imagery worlds. Artists such as Nan Goldin, whose work has always had a strong focus on issues of ‘gender building’, now cooperate with fashion houses (Bottega Veneta, supreme, etc.). Platforms like girlsareawesome.com connect and portray ‘women who live their lives with style and strength’. And last but not least, the feminist angle was and is omnipresent in numerous fashion shows of the last season(s). The broad field of fashion photography primarily works with models who are booked in a similar way to actors, albeit with a few exceptions (for example Jürgen Teller or Ryan McGinley). This approach presupposes a certain degree of objectification per se, albeit more in the sense of pursuing the idea of staging normative stereotypes rather than actual objectification. For this reason, I consider the analysis of the content of the respective photographic settings to be much more important. Which images of women, role models, clichés, and scenography can I (still) show as a photographer? And which ones do I actually want to show? The individual creative position may and must be reconsidered constantly, not least in the context of social responsibility. An ongoing open discourse is a prerequisite. The ‘strength of a woman’ and the feminist concerns definitely should not be gauged by the length of the skirt’s hem.”

It’s About Attitude Again

Nicole Adler, Author and Initiator of Wien for Women Only “The standardised image of women - young, thin, and immaculate (very stereotypical) - is what is so irritating and almost disturbing today. The editing techniques and optimisation options that flood our imagery via Instagram and social media change our perception of reality. One has to sell oneself and stage oneself in the best possible way, thus turning into a commodity, a product. Pouting lips and wide open eyes turn all these young influencer girls and social media queens into dolls - they solidify to objects. The fashion business itself merely follows this distorted image contingently. Trendsetting labels such as Vetements (with stylist Lotta Valkova) and Balenciaga are quite deliberately placing people from the streets on the catwalk, thus propagating different ideals. It’s more about attitude, coolness, protest, and the genderless theme. Let’s not forget that ugly sneakers and XL shirts have conquered the female street style (if one can still call it that in this context). Fashion is fighting back - and that’s encouraging.”