The Critical Pulse no. 3

THE CRITICAL PULSE ISSUE NO. 3

SEPTEMBER 2021 WHY IS UNISEX CLOTHING SO MASCULINE? REVIEW OF COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK AND CIFF - AUGUST 2021 FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY AND ITS POWER TO PROVOKE

www.thecriticalpulse.com thecriticalpulse Artwork by: Sandra Jäger

THE MEANING OF SIGNS THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER PERFORMATIVITY

ritical Puls e The C

EDITORS’ LETTER Welcome to our third magazine issue with a special focus on gender!

First, we want to address the changes that have been made since the last issue: the editorial team of the magazine has changed and now includes three new members, while others have had to step down, at least for a while, due to unrelated circumstances.

Therefore, our first order of business is to introduce the new members. Our first new member is Jacob Krebs, who is currently a student at SDU in Kolding, studying Design Culture and Economics, with a focus on fashion. For this issue, he has been editing articles and reviews, and for future issues, he would like to contribute with some writing as well. His interests are mainly focused on contemporary fashion, high fashion, streetwear, the culture of fashion and sustainability. Mia Petersen is a writer, photographer, and SoMe administrator for the magazine. She studies Design Culture and Economics with a focus on fashion, too. Her main interests are creativity, diversity, gender, communication in fashion and sustainability. Sandra Rosenkranz Jäger joins our team as a writer, communications coordinator and contact person, illustrator, and SoMe manager for the magazine. She is studying Design Culture and Economics, also focusing on fashion. Her interests include vintage fashion, recycled and secondhand clothing, sustainability, environment, gender and inclusivity. Our team is also fortunate to have Robin Chantree, a non-binary artist and fashion scholar based in Toronto, Canada, who is a contributing writer and editor for this issue. Their work looks at fashion and fashion history through a queer lens. Emilie and Bjørn remain on the team as the co-founders, graphic designers, and webmasters. They both graduated from the Design Culture and Economics program at SDU and continue their MA studies in Web Communication at SDU. Their interests include fashion, sustainability, technology.

This issue has a special focus on gender, inclusivity, and body positivity. We picked this focus for multiple reasons, first and foremost because the fashion industry still has a long way to go regarding inclusivity, and we need to address that and make it visible.

The articles and reviews in this issue address this problem from various perspectives. We analyze what the fashion industry is doing, what needs to be changed, and what has been changing. We look at the good and the bad practices and culture has been evolving over time. Furthermore, this issue’s theme was inspired by World Pride, hosted in Copenhagen just after Fashion Week this August 2021, and our team travelled to Copenhagen to interview some of the designers, activists, and curators to learn about their work with fashion and gender. The Critical Pulse will continue to look at themes concerning the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We will continue to address sustainability and social justice, as well as ethics, inclusivity, diversity, intersectional feminism, and decoloniality because we want to see a transformation in the fashion system and fashion education.

Photo by: Mia Petersen

La Femme Rousse

We welcome contributions, such as reviews of books, films, current events, and other relevant topics. Through studying the discourse of design, fashion, and economics, we want to empower and amplify marginalised voices of creatives and young professionals. We only publish well-researched, and well-analysed information. We hope that our different views give you an objective and critical perspective of the fashion industry, creating a desire to push views, traditions, and conditions forward.

We hope you enjoy this third issue and that you join us in disrupting the current fashion practices.

Sincerely, the editorial team of The Critical Pulse Bjørn Utoft Sørensen, Emilie Thomsen, Jacob Krebs, Mia Petersen, Robin Chantree, Sandra Rosenkranz Jäger Contributions by Mentored and Inspired by Milan Flíček and Agnes Ørum Ocaña Dr Kat Sark

Content 6 12 22 32 38 Small Revolution Photo by Mia Petersen

FIXING MOLLIS: THE BOUNDARIES OF GENDER FOR EIGHTTEENTH CENTURY MOLLIES

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THE FASHION INDUSTRY DEMANDS CREATIVITY AND BUSINESS KNOWHOW: A REVIEW OF THE MINISERIES HALSTON ON NETFLIX.

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THE MEANING OF SIGNS THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER PERFORMATIVITY

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FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY AND ITS POWER TO PROVOKE

WHY IS UNISEX CLOTHING SO MASCULINE?

REVIEW OF MÅNESKIN’S FASHION STATEMENTS

REVIEW OF COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK AND CIFF - AUGUST 2021

INTERVIEW WITH ANDERS LARSEN, ONE OF THE CREATORS OF THE EXHIBITION “BEARDED QUEENS OF COPENHAGEN”

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MILAN FLORIÁN FLÍČEK, PHOTO ESSAY

Bearded Queens Photo by Cengiz Güdücü

Cross Dressing, Molly Houses, Queer History, Costume History

Fixing Mollis:

The Boundaries of Gender for Eighteenth Century Mollies By: Robin Chantree Cross-dressing within fashion history has been a subject of debate since the 1980’s. It is one of the earliest examples of a subculture, described as being composed of hedonistic and flamboyant working- and middle-class men, who engaged in sodomical and effeminate practices. They are said to have hosted sexually charged parties behind the closed doors of molly houses, wherein they adopted female monikers, female dialect and women’s dress.

These accounts of gender and sexual transgression come to us through writing about mollies from an outsider’s perspective- specifically from pamphleteers, pejorative sermons, and trial records. Through these fragmented sources historians Norman Rictor, Alan Bray, Randolph Trumbach, Cameron Mcfarlane, Thomas King, Gary Kinsman, and David Greenberg have worked to unravel this distinct subculture known for transgressing gender norms. In their work they attempt to establish the historical presence of homosexuality, or at least same sex relationships. Norman Rictor goes so far as to draw a direct line between eighteenth century queerness and the homosexual club culture contemporaneous to him. In this scholarship, mollies are seen as the antithesis to the shifts in masculinity of the eighteenth century, using crossdressing as a mode of celebration behind the closed doors of their molly houses. This reading presumes mollies to be cisgender homosexuals, with their gender nonconformity a parody of femininity rather than an earnest inclination. However, these assumptions about mollies are predicated on the words of their detractors, leaving any reconstruction of the molly incomplete.

The crossdressing of mollies is then left to speculation by the historian, and in that we can see the gender categories that mollies are framed under serving a particular historical canon, to the detriment of others.

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Terminology

One of the hazards of looking back at a historical period lies in ascribing contemporary definitions to historical contexts and misconstruing the specificities of that period. For instance, The term homosexual is described by Michel Foucault as embodying the medicalization and individuation of sexuality in the nineteenth century1. This is in distinct contrast to how sexuality, especially involving people of the same sex, would have been viewed prior to that.

Alan Bray contends that the closest equivalent to homosexual in the seventeenth century would either be buggery or sodomy, but even these terms are distinct in their connotations2. Buggery and sodomy did not carry with them the specificity of same-sex attraction, rather they were a more general sexual deviance centered on debauchery and excess3. In Bray’s work he chose to use homosexual in the very physical sense of same-sex relations, while acknowledging that the term risks misrepresenting the nature of sexuality in Renaissance England4. Declan Kavanagh critiques Bray’s form of historicism, as Bray’s charting of a lineage of homosexuality risks naturalizing heterosexuality alongside it5. Kavanagh focuses his critique on discussions of sexuality, but this can be expanded into discussions around biological sex as well. One should consider that the contemporary formulation of binary sex categories had not yet developed in eighteenth century England. It would not be until the mid-nineteenth century when sex would start becoming a medicalized binary, brought on by the emergence of new medical fields focused on deducing humans to specific categories6.

Rather than determining a distinct category to pigeonhole mollies into, for this article I will be following Randolph Trumbach’s logic of mollies as being related to notions of masculinity and effeminacy, rather than as pre-modern homosexuals. In Trum-

bach’s formulation of effeminacy, mollies would be considered a third gender moving between masculine and feminine modes of being7. As such, mollies will be referred to as mollies, rather than as homosexuals. This is not to position mollies strictly outside of masculinity, however in framing mollies as strictly men it risks the same misrepresentation of mollies that Bray and other scholars have been critiqued for. In referring to mollies this way they can occupy their own social position distinct from the binary gender, sex, and sexuality distinctions that we can attribute to them anachronistically.

Masculinity and Effeminacy

Mollies have been defined as distinctly effeminate in nature. What this means, as a term, shifts between scholars. Rictor Norton uses effeminacy to describe the taking on of specifically feminine characteristics, emphasizing that it was a form of advertising the self8. Certainly, the adoption of womanly gender expression to mark oneself as a molly is seen across the literature. However, this reading of effeminacy does not correspond to what would be considered effeminate in the eighteenth century.

Thomas A. King contends that although the adoption of feminine traits was symbolic of effeminacy, it was more so the failure of mollies to embody other masculine ideals that defined their effeminacy and justified their oppression9. This masculinity is attributed to four characteristics of hegemonic masculinity during this period; heterosexuality, aggression, individualism, and militarism10. From these factors we see the modern notion of hegemonic masculinity take form as ”a gendered individual character, defined through an opposition with femininity and institutionalized in economy and state”11. King elaborates on this further, noting that effeminacy is the failure to embody authority, either through being dependent on the household or through the inability to discipline the self, and therefore be incapable of holding authority over others12. As well, sodomy and feminine ornamentation were not associated with homosexuality, but rather with excessive desire. Both sodomy and ornamentation became associated with effeminacy because it was indicative of someone failing to regulate their bodies13. So rather than the adoption of feminine displays being effeminate because it replicates femininity, it was effeminate because it indicated a lack of authority.

Mollies are what Gary Kinsman has described as a transitional type between the isolated sodomite and the homosexual. The sodomite was simply describing someone who engaged in sodomy, an

array of aberrant sexual practices, rather than homosexuality, which located sexual deviance within their very being14. It is during this period that the sodomite becomes a social identity (though Cameron McFarlane is careful to differentiate social identity from an identity to the self, as the inner workings of the molly are not available through the resources that document them15. We only have access to the information positioning mollies as a social identity necessary for the upkeep of gendered hierarchies, however there is some evidence that mollies could have felt solidarity amongst each other, as in 1725 there are records of mollies fighting back at a raid in Covent Garden16. McFarlane offers that the reason mollies were targeted has to do with how they disrupted the masculinity of the time17. Through organizing around a shared effeminacy they posed a threat to the hegemonic masculinity of the eighteenth century. Mollies were working and middle-class men in a major economic centre, and as such expected to embody the “Protestant Ethic”, a form of masculinity linked to labour18. To frequent molly houses and engage in debauchery was seen as antithetical to that vision of masculinity. As well, the marking oneself as a molly made it easier for those in power to target mollies19.

Cross dressing

Part of the difficulty in studying the molly is the nature of the resources available to us about them.

There is a distinct lack of visual culture depicting mollies, especially during the early 18th century, and no images from this period depict mollies in gender transgressive dress20. As such, it is only through written accounts that we get a sense of what the dressing practices of mollies were and these records are notoriously unreliable. These written records are almost entirely by people who would disapprove of mollies and sodomy at large, leaving us with only the most vitriolic of writing describing their lives and dressing practices21. During the eighteenth century gendered cross-dressing was not illegal in London. Instead, British laws were more concerned with dress that may transgress categories of class22.

As such, the targeting of molly houses for raids and satire was more about villainizing sodomy, referring to aberrant sexual practices, with cross-dressing becoming a sign of the effeminacy that sodomy was associated with.

Although many of the historians who have studied mollies are confident that they did cross-dress,

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Bray, Norton, Trumbach, and McFarlane all emphasize the differences between transvestites and

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centre of English masculinity and queer sexuality.

Given that the records on them are highly dubious, there is a large amount of speculation that goes into explaining their sense of community and identity.

Although this establishes the presence of homosexuality within Western history, this form of history consequently embodies the preconceptions of the historian who is writing about them. Within this history we see the foreclosure of genders outside of hegemonic binary gender categories- even though they existed at a time when those categories were just forming. What we do know is that the organization of mollies and their existence was seen as challenging to hegemonic masculinity in their time, and that they chose to embrace and embody being the antithesis to this authority. Crossdressing was the Conclusion Although we cannot know who exactly mollies vehicle- and it was a powerful medium. were, they are a pivotal figure positioned at the

lies having a separate public sphere life. Trumbach describes mollies using their heteronormative families as a cloak to avoid being persecuted36. Certainly, there is evidence that mollies would use their families as evidence against sodomy37, but without firsthand accounts of mollies it is difficult to ascertain how they viewed their own family. Similarly, without these firsthand accounts, any speculation about how mollies viewed themself is inflected by the view of the historian writing them. There is no evidence that mollies would view themself as distinct from “transvestites”, rather than choosing to pursue their interests within the privacy of a molly house to avoid persecution.

If these figures were taking on the “names, speech, and bodily movements” of women, why does this scholarship deny them womanhood?

In asking this question my intention is not to construct a lineage of trans identity concurrent with homosexual identity, but rather to highlight how this construction erases the possibility of trans identity.

In the scholarship of Bray, Norton and Trumbach they attempt to establish a lineage of homosexuality that necessitates a separation of “transvestites” from mollies, and by extension, transpeople from gay subculture. Norton asserts that “as far as we can tell, gay men did not think of themselves as women trapped in men’s bodies until the sexologists began popularising this theory in the 1860’s”33.

However, the work of sexologists that Norton is describing happened concurrently with the medicalization of homosexuality34,35, and why homosexuality is allowed to predate its medical definition, but transness is not, is left unclear. Trumbach and Bray instead separate mollies and “transvestites” with a divide between public and private spheres.

Mollies were seen as replicating “transvestite” sex workers in the privacy of molly houses, but also being distinct from those practices. In all facets of molly subculture there is a distinct linkage to the private sphere of the molly house, with many mol-

Photo by Unknown artist, ca. 1725-1780, retrieved from: https://bit.ly/3AlgcBK

Molly vs. Transvestite

mollies. Bray asserts that transvestites were sex workers crossdressing in public to deceive prospective clients, and mollies were doing so in private to mark their homosexuality30. For Bray crossdressing was the satirical reclamation of negative stereotypes that were just starting to be condensed into the figure of the sodomite, similar to how mollies would appropriate terms like “chapel” or “wedding night”31. If the group Bray describes as transvestites is like the group Trumbach compares mollies to, then the term transvestite could be seen as referring to pre-modern transgender women. Trumbach describes transvestite sex workers as male persons who took on the names, speech, and bodily movements of women within the public space32. While tracing transgender embodiment across history risks replicating the same problematics of drawing a queer lineage that Bray, Norton and Trumbach are critiqued for doing, relegating these figures to solely being “transvestites” risks denying these figures their gendered lives. Doing so assigns more significance to their assigned gender at birth rather than to how we understand they lived their lives.

A Morning Frolic, or the Transmutation of the Sexes

due to the consistency of it being mentioned across sources, there are differences of opinion as to how it occurred and how often. Bray, Norton, Greenberg, and McFarlane view it as unlikely that mollies exclusively engaged in crossdressing. To Norton, cross-dressing was reserved for special occasions, with it being relatively rare for mollies to adopt crossdressing outside of molly houses23. Norton uses trial records to make his point, implying that crossdressing was as common as any other form of costume24. The only point where crossdressing was to be an expectation was in a “lying-in” or “mockbirth” ceremony25. In this ritual mollies would perform a simulated birth, the purpose of which is fairly mysterious, and the actuality of it is fairly dubious.

Norton tries to establish these rituals as a way to ward off bad spirits, linking them to “primitive” rituals from Papua New Guinea and Mohave peoples, implying that mollies could have been subconsciously aware of these similarities26. He does not explain how mollies could have had access to this knowledge, even subconsciously, despite the large geographic gap between London and Papua New Guinea or the Mojave Desert. This ritual is derived from the writings of Ned Ward, a key source on mollies known for his voyeuristic and stigmatizing writing on molly houses. McFarlane critiques Norton for taking this writing too literally, as Norton does not specify as to why Ned Ward should be taken at face value when his writing is clearly pejorative27. McFarlane asserts that ‘birthings’ were more likely to be satirical, gleeful mocking of a process they would never partake. In Greenberg’s critique of the idea that all mollies engaged in cross-dressing, he views it as being unrealistic because they were known to have sex with each other28. He does not elaborate on why cross-dressing would prevent a molly from having sex, but McFarlane states that the passive sexual partner in sodomy during this time would be satirized as wearing women’s clothing in an attempt to restore the normative gender hierarchy29. It is possible then that Greenberg shares this thinking, and is assuming that mollies would replicate that gendered belief derived from satire. However, it is not clear why mollies would replicate this aspect of heteronormativity while repudiating others, especially if we are to understand much of molly house culture as being satirical in nature.

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Halston, American designer, business, branding, fashion system, Netflix series

The Fashion Industry Demands Creativity and Business Knowhow: A Review of the Miniseries Halston on Netflix.

By: Sandra Jäger Diving into the continuous battles between success and downfall of one of the most iconic American fashion designers, this series showcases how even the most genius designer is affected and drained by the ruthless business and branding of the fashion system.

The miniseries Halston premiered on Netflix on May 14, 20211, consists of five 45min. episodes, and depicts the career and life of the iconic American fashion designer Roy Halston (played by Ewan McGregor) based on the biography Simply Halston: The Untold Story (1991) by Steven Gaines2. The series is produced by Roy Murphy, who is also the producer of Pose, American Horror Story and another series depicting a fashion designer, The Assassination of Gianni Versace (also on Netflix). The series includes other famous and iconic people in Halston’s life, such as singer Liza Minelli (Krysta Rodriguez), jewelry designer Elsa Peretti (Rebecca Dayan), and Halston’s close friend and colleague Joe Eula (David Pittu)3. Their performances draw the audience in and provide a glimpse into Halston’s universe of fashion, excess, addiction, corporate capitalism, and fashion licencing, which eventually leads to Halston’s downfall. Ewan McGregor delivered a heartfelt performance as Halston, making us cheer for him even though the historical facts deviate from the end of the series.

The show presents the ups and downs of Halston’s life, from his early success as a hat designer until his downfall at the end of the 1970’s and his unfortunate early death. It follows Halston’s personal life and professional development as an artist, revealing his genius and creativity in fashion design, but also the importance of the influence of his friends, colleagues, and partners. An important overall take-away from the series and Halston’s career, where one bad business deal unfortunately led to the loss of his own brand and name, revealing the exploitative nature of the fashion system, in which creativity of a designer is not enough to stay continuously successful in the fashion system.

Nevertheless, the series shows how Halston changed American fashion and reinvented it to be its own.

Historic scenes play out as the show recreates the famous “Battle of Versailles,” in November 1973, where US designers competed with French designers and proved that they were as innovative as the French couturiers. Jackie Kennedy is presented as a fashion icon who wore and popularized Halston’s pillbox hats, and the parties at Studio 54 are presented in all their notorious, eccentric, and promiscuous glamour.

The show offers beautiful shots of parties, fashion shows, and overall a colourful and exciting profile of a fashion icon. It portrays the history very factually, despite some altering in the characters and timeline, but gives a fast, entertaining, encapsulating and easily consumable portrait of the life of one of America’s greatest designers.

Artwork by: Sandra Jäger

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Artwork by: Sandra Jäger

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Unisex, Men in dresses, Women in pants, Gender, fashion photography, script

Why is Unisex Clothing so Masculine?

By: Sandra Jäger A tailored black tuxedo, trousers with a vertical stripe down the side of the leg, side pockets and buttons on the jacket, a chest pocket with a handkerchief, and a white ruffled undershirt. This was once seen as a traditional attire for men. Nevertheless, the garment described was the first tuxedo for and worn by women; Le Smoking.

What made a garment like Le Smoking so iconic? How are the changes this garment made decades ago relevant for the discussions on menswear today? Unisex clothes today focus on masculine attire, but now men are starting to fight for skirts to be socially accepted menswear.

Is the fight going to be as successful and which mechanisms is standing in the way of clothing truly being unisex?

A tuxedo offering women power.

“For a woman, the tuxedo is an indispensable garment in which she will always feel in style, for it is a stylish garment and not a fashionable garment.”

– Yves Saint Laurent3

The girl with the cigarette on the street.

The garment alone is not what made Le Smoking iconic. Fashion photography significantly affects the analysis of this outfit since the mediation of fashion is vital to its understanding. The photo was printed in 1975 by Helmut Newton and shown in Vogue magazine almost ten years after the first sight of Le Smoking on the runway4,5. The script is influenced by the photographer and styling of the garment through its mediation. Mediation plays a crucial part in the attribution of meaning to design6.

Helmut Newton was an iconic photographer whose Yves Saint Laurent was an Algerian-born designer mindset changed the genre of fashion photography. with his start at Dior as the world’s youngest cou- He found his inspiration in the streets and parks of turier. He was a strong advocate for women’s em- his surroundings. His work often shows his fascinapowerment, an idea that carried over to his own tion with women, status, power and sex - which are couture label in 1961. In 1966, he introduced his prevalent narratives in fashion7. most iconic design piece; Le Smoking1 .

The photo itself expresses both the script of the It was the first tuxedo made for women, designed to designer and the photographer. The photo shows adapt the form of a men’s tuxedo to the female body. a model with slicked back, short, black hair, wearThe design is more curved, with a tighter waistline ing Le Smoking, holding a cigarette, standing casand softer lines to accentuate feminine curves. The ually at a blurred street corner. As the tuxedo was ruffled white undershirt additionally softens the tra- originally intended for men in smoking rooms8, the ditionally masculine tuxedo. Besides this detail and photograph placed the woman in male dominant the feminine tailoring, the construction of the tuxe- connotations. With its simplicity, dark tones and the do is very similar to suiting for men. It was an early mystery of the woman, there is a powerful sexual example of trousers for women’s evening wear. The undertone that displays the power that women intended meaning of the outfit, called the script in were supposed to feel by wearing the tuxedo. The script-analysis (developed from Actor Network the- photo is not focused on showing skin or other sexory) of the garment from the designer’s viewpoint, ual indicators. Through these creative decisions Le is that women wear it to aspire to masculine values. Smoking and its mediation ascribes masculine valWomen were supposed to wear it to feel empow- ues to women. ered and occupy a more prominent role in society with the same rights as men, who have more flexi- Women’s identity in society. bility in their attire2. The prescription of the garment The semiotics of fashion are never as strict as those was more permitting, than what was accepted at of the written language, as presented in Fred Davis’ the time.

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A couple where the guy is wearing a skirt and crop top and the woman in a suit, hereby showcasing their style and not conforming to the gender norms Photo by Sandra Jäger

clothing code. Davis presents alternative ideas for analysing the semiotics in clothes, which can help analyse the symbolism of Le Smoking. As fashion is communicative of our social identity9, Le Smoking proposes a social identity for women to undertake.

Le Smoking takes on a code-modification. It puts a type of garment designed for men into a new context. By altering this masculine garment to the feminine figure and mediating it through fashion photography, the code of women’s fashion is being altered. Social identities are unstable within culture, and therefore fashion is a way of either adhering to them or breaking away from them - as this tuxedo does. Le Smoking becomes a visual metaphor for the ambivalent identity of women navigating societal tensions. Le Smoking creates an ambivalent identity that plays on the roles of gender, beauty, power and sexuality, through an alternative narrative of women wearing what was once thought of as men’s attire10.

would consent to becoming a part of a subculture that goes against cultural norms. By subscribing to these codes the consumer enters the style as homology, according to Dick Hebdige. Here the style is symbolically coherent and reflects the lifestyle of those women who would wear the tuxedo and support a normative social script. This would be a way of depicting the pressures women face in society through the symbolism in fashion. Women subscribing to the tuxedo would be in opposition to the norms that were in place at the time11. Historical and cultural context is always important as a fashion item must be understood within its time12.

The historical and cultural context.

The history of women wearing pants or men’s attire is long and full of struggle. As far back as the 1840’s the battle for reforming women’s dress began. For instance, “Bloomers” were the first trousers worn by women back in the 19th century. These trousers, that were commonly worn under one’s dress, were The styling of the tuxedo in Helmut Newton’s fash- named after women’s rights activist Amelia Bloomion photography works as a form of intentional er. Women faced ample criticism for wearing pants communication by mediating the new codes and at this time, especially from men, and so these trouscript created by Yves Saint Laurent. In a way, by sers were appreciated by only a few American womaccepting the tuxedo as women’s wear, the wearer en and almost no British. This is an early example of

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attire, leading to gender non-conformity becoming more widely accepted. However, a man wearing a dress or skirt might still be associated with LGBTQ+ stereotypes, which may not be what all men wearing these garments want. Rather, they may merely wish to express aspects of themselves besides sexuality. For cultural icons to step to the fore and represent alternative style is hugely impactful for reforming menswear, as these figures are publicly embracing feminine characteristics in their softer, more colourful, and playful forms of fashion.

women in trousers that failed (perhaps because of the aristocracy and men in power). “Bloomers” lives on as an iconic example of fashion, symbolizing the fight against social norms and might have paved the way for later attempts13,14.

and men’s attire became more and more restricted to being simple and less colourful20. Since the 60’s, change has been seen in men’s attire, becoming freer again and experimental21,22. This loosening of standards can be attributed to increased inclusivity, but nonetheless it is still not “normal” for a man to In 1966, when Le Smoking was first presented, the wear a dress or a skirt. The fight for women wearing world was feeling the effects of the Cold War, the pants and acquiring forementioned values has not May Student Uprisings in Paris and the Vietnam War. yet transferred in a similar way to men’s fashion.

It was from the uncertainties of war that the youth movement of ”hippies” would rise out of. General- Gender norms and the sexes’ attrily opposing war and supporting values like peace, butions. harmony and free love, these young hippies also To understand this differentiation of the sexes, lookchanged fashion for a while. An early example of ing at the history of feminine and masculine value “unisex” fashion had men wearing their hair long, attributions is necessary. Historically, fashion and wearing more colourful attire, looser than before, clothing were made to fit specific codes and norms. and was called the “Peacock Revolution” to symbol- For men, it was the austere and uniform-like suit ize men showing their “feathers”. As much as the that symbolized functionality, power, and rationhippie movement influenced fashion, it was a short- ality. In contrast to this, women were ascribed to lived subculture and the general gender norms in “fashion” which symbolized a constant flux, acting fashion were back in place shortly after15. on emotion, impulse and in some cases hysteria23.

Women wanted the masculine values and creating The youth at the time clearly wanted their own voice fashion that symbolized it, by giving women freeand “Youthquake’’ was predominant in fashion. The dom to wear masculine attire was attractive. On young people in the 60’s and 70’s affected fashion the other hand, it might be less attractive for men and were the ignition for substantial change. They to achieve the feminine values. In the 1960’s, conwanted to be different from their parents, which temporaneous to Le Smoking being presented, the was evident in how they changed old social norms phenomenon “unisex” came to be in fashion. This in fashion and society16,17. was different from the traditional fashion focused on each gender but marketed and used as someWhen Le Smoking was presented in 1966 the cli- thing for both genders equally24. Nevertheless, it entele was not keen for it and only one order was is clear to see that the unisex fashion that appears placed. The consumers underwrote the script. This today is mostly focused on the traditionally mascalled for a re-inscription, where the intended culine attire. Today, all genders and identities wear meaning is altered, which occurred when Yves Saint trousers, t-shirts, ties and whatever else is ascribed Laurent marketed the rive gauche version for the as masculine. Unisex fashion does not represent younger clientele, who strongly subscribed to the feminine attire in the same way. script18. The success of Le Smoking was accentuated One possible explanation for this is that male conby the mediation of the photographs in 1975. This sumers have not expressed a desire for this type of success could be owed to the changing values of fashion until recently. Fashion and the clothes we the time, pushed by the roaring youth and their ac- wear is a huge part of our social identity, so much ceptance of new social codes and norms. Le Smok- that it becomes a part of us and is reflecting ouring still met opposition, but it became a classic that selves to everyone around us25. changed female evening attire19.

Boys don’t cry.

Will men ever wear a dress as wom- Despite having unisex fashion today, the claim of unisex is not fulfilled yet. Normative opinions en can wear a tuxedo?

Where female attire has changed, been reformed, taken in masculine attire, and constantly become more liberated through time, men’s dress has undergone relatively little change. Back in the 18th century men’s attire was the detailed, luxurious, adorned one, but over time this shifted to the female dress

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on gender roles still stand strong in society today, where men still stay away from feminine characteristics. Mental health and display of emotions are still a struggle for men, who for centuries have been brought up to believe “boys don’t cry’’ or to “man up”, thereby casting away these characteristics of

“So, you know, in five years when a kid goes to school wearing a skirt, he won’t get beat up and kids won’t get mad at him.” – Jaden Smith33

Photo by Sandra Jäger

being vulnerable and emotional126 Statistics even show that men in the US committed suicide 3.63 times more often than women in 201927, which might be ascribed to the pressure of fitting into normative masculine gender roles. In recent years, the term “toxic masculinity” has been brought up regularly describing these problems.

Toxic masculinity is the behaviour or belief that men should suppress their emotions or mask distress, maintain an appearance of hardness, and use violence to exercise power. Boys are taught that doing otherwise would make them “feminine” or weak28.

The values associated with femininity, which have been a clear symbol in fashion, was not desirable and maybe still is not for men. Today there are many ways to be a girl, but boys still feel they must fit this normative mindset of what it is to be a man29.

Even as these men face opposition, as Jaden Smith has from his father when he wore skirts for Louis Vuitton, they know they are making a change for the next generations to come and pave the way for them34. Jaden Smith, as a very young icon, has a lot of influence on the younger generation and therefore in fashion for the future.

Men in dresses on the red carpet.

In recent years the world of fashion has been focused on reforming menswear, with designers creating dresses for male celebrities on the red carpet as Christian Siriano has done for Billy Porter in 2019.

Christian Siriano, already an advocate for changing fashion stereotypes35, made this iconic tuxedo-dress for Billy Porter. This dress was not only about sexuality or struggles with homophobia. This was about self-expression and feeling free, clearly expressed in the following quote36: “We wanted to play between the masculine and the feminine. This look was interesting because it’s not drag. I’m not a drag queen, I’m a man in a dress.” – Billy Porter37 If Unisex were truly unisex, fashion should be simply

Men in dresses on the fashion scene. a woman in trousers or a man in a skirt. If this goal

In recent years, men have been trying to reform fashion and make feminine attire accessible for men by incorporating feminine pieces into their wardrobes.

Designers, socialites, celebrities, and other icons are promoting feminine attire by wearing and displaying it in the media; men are wearing heels to feel empowered30, male celebrities are seen in skirts or dresses31, and womenswear fashion magazines have male cover models - like Vogue did with Harry Styles in 202032. The overall focus on inclusivity and LGBTQ+ identity in fashion has reformed men’s

can be met, it is through the ongoing fight from these iconic persons who are brave to carry the torch and create an image where it is allowed. Even though they are paving the way, a change in general in society is needed. A change of how masculinity is viewed could take this unisex fashion from the runway and into the streets, as attire like Le Smoking did for women.

List of mentioned pictures is in references

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Artikel København Photo by Kat Sark

Rrevolver Fashion Trade Show

Photo by Kat Sark

Royal Danish Academy Show

by Kat Sark

CIFF 2021

Photo by Kat Sark

Royal Danish Academy Show

by Kat Sark

Rrevolver Fashion Trade Show

Photo by Kat Sark

Royal Danish Academy Show

by Kat Sark

LGBTQ+, Gender, Drag, LGBTQ+, Rupaul

The meaning of signs through the influence of gender performativity By: Agnes Ørum Ocaña In a world where masculinity and femininity are traits assigned to a person on the basis of their social circumstances and cultural context, expressing one’s gender identity and feeling at ease in one’s own body can become a difficult task. Our society assumes the gender roles that one takes on, men receive masculinity and vice versa, women receive femininity. However, women do not necessarily embody solely feminine traits, nor do men necessarily embody masculinity. The meaning of gendered signs can have an enormous impact on how gender is performed and the political implications of those signs.

Throughout this article, I will examine what semiotics are, how they influence an individual’s approach to gender and the way gender is represented. Furthermore, I will examine how specific clothing and accessorizing becomes prescribed to one specific gender identity, and how this affects the way gender is performed in drag performance. This article will take a closer look at how masculinity and femininity influences us individually and why these traits are often coded to a certain gender.

With this article I ask: Is there a thing such as being masculine and feminine coded, and can one only belong to one category? Who decides that one can’t have both masculine and feminine traits? Why are gender symbols important today, and is masculinity and femininity inherent from birth?

Semiotics

“The English word ‘semiotic’ means ‘relating to signs’ and it derives from the ancient Greek words, semeion meaning ‘sign’ and sema meaning ‘signal’. “Semiotic models of communication are also known as ‘structuralist’ models because they argue that structures make communication possible”. It is within these social structures that signs exist. “These structures are explicitly acknowledged in semiology as always pre-existing us and it is the interaction

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between the elements making up these two kinds of structures and ourselves that creates and reproduces meanings”1. “The goal of semiotic theory is to understand the nature, function and use of human signs in representation”2. There are different degrees of representation of gender through binaries, clothing, accessories, and physical stature. According to Roland Barthes is it also through the interaction “between the elements making up these two kinds of structures and ourselves that creates and reproduces meanings, that we construct ourselves as individuals and as members of cultures and societies”3. Semiotics is an investigation into how meaning is created, and how meaning is communicated through the usage of signs. To find out what semiotics is, Barthes decoded fashion magazines, images, and texts. “The study of sign and what is signified (their meaning) is used to decode the underlying meaning of cultural products”4. Through semiotics we as individuals read signs within the fashion industry that are not only linguistic, but are also communicated through dress. Fashion is a social and a cultural interaction that establishes individuals as members of various societies and cultures. Thus, when people are becoming a member of a culture and/or society, their membership depends upon how they learn the meaning of what they are wearing, the appropriate way to wear the clothing, and the appropriate context for the clothing.

Denotation and connotation in fashion, as Roland Barthes calls it, is closely linked to the knowledge one has. Barthes conceptualizes connotation in his 1977 essay ‘Rhetoric of the Image’, “Connotation is a shifting set of associations and feelings concerning the objects that are aroused in an individual as a result of their cultural identity or location5”Therefore the viewers’ social and cultural roots determine how semiotics play out in fashion and design. Additionally, semiotics then impact how people see and define gender. For instance, when looking at a picture

of a man dressed in drag, we as individuals have different perceptions of that drag artist and how they are performing gender and identity. Our perception depends on the culture we are tied up in. As such, Barthes says that what we need is some knowledge “bound up in our perception”.

Semiotics play a part in the origin of gender symbols. Gender symbols impact how we as human beings see others perform their identity, as well as how individuals express gender. We tend to place people into boxes of categories to make sense of everything, again depending on where and how we are raised in different cultures and social gatherings.

Thus, we are categorizing people and judging them by their gendered symbols, how they act in terms of masculinity and femininity. These symbols then risk making expression more difficult for individuals who do not see themselves matching the gendered categories available to them.

body is a gender from the start. We as individuals by acting as if being of a man or being of a woman is an internal reality, that something is true about us, a fact but it is according to Butler a phenomenon, that is being produced and reproduced all the time7.

Judith Butler mentions in a YouTube clip, that “there are institutional powers such as a psychiatric normalization and then there is the informal kinds of practices like bullying, which try to keep us is our gendered place”. The notion of gender performativity can change the way we look at gender by overcoming the gender norms that are being exposed to people. Gender is culturally formed, but it’s also a domain of agency or freedom and that it is important to resist the violence that is imposed by ideal gender norms, especially against those who are gender different, and for those who are nonconforming in their gender presentation of themselves.

Gender is very complex and to find out what it is and how many people perpetrated it, “gender is Gender performativity Gender is an integral component of every aspect of seen as social and cultural”. Social constructionism the economic, social, and private lives of individu- is a social theory, about how meaning is being creals, and of the different roles ascribed by society to ated by and through the social interaction we do, men and women. Cross-dressing reconceived as a say, and have with other people. “It’s how your idendiscursive act, whether or not the intent is explicitly tity relates to society’s idea of what it means to be a political, highlights the fabrication of gender iden- woman, man, neither, or a mix of many genders” 8. tity by revealing the parody behind the essentialist categories of ‘male’ and ‘female’. Drag for Judith Butler is not only a matter of clothing or cross dressing, Drag, semiotics and performativity but is a “discursive practice that discloses the fabri- LGBTQ is an acronym which stands for: lesbian, gay, cation of identity through periodic repetition of the bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. heterosexual gender system”6. Drag questions the These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual myth of a stable self, that preexists culture codes of orientation or gender identity9. a signifying system.

RuPaul Andre Charles, also better known as RuPaul According to Judith Butler, when talking about is an American drag performer, an actor, a television gender performativity, it is one thing to talk about host, and a recording artist. RuPaul is known for apgender being performed and quite another to say pearing in movies, but most and foremost for being that gender is performative. When we say gender the host and judge for his own reality award-winis performed, it may sound like it is something that ning television series RuPaul’s Drag Race. RuPaul’s we act, or roleplay for others and the world. When Drag race is an American reality tv show, where describing gender as performative, it differs from “Mama Ru” and a panel of judges seek out “Amerthat because when something is being performa- ica’s next drag superstar” 10. Rupaul sees drag as a tive it produces a series of effects. The way that we radical way of interpreting who we are, coining the walk, talk, and speak expresses an impression of be- catch phrase “we’re all born naked, and the rest is ing a woman or a man. The feeling of being male drag. RuPaul shares what he believes is the authenor female is a construct that we as individuals enact tic meaning of “identity” which is to love yourself through actions or behaviors that indicate the gen- no matter what. It is the importance of self-love, der we see ourselves as. which should never be overlooked and if one can’t love oneself, how can can we as people expect that One of Butler’s more controversial claims is that no- others can or will? We need to see past the stereo-

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types and labels to discover true connection with those around us11. On the Super Soul Podcast, hosted by Oprah, Rupaul explains why drag resonates so much with people today. Rupaul claims that there is a new breed of young people emerging, who are overcoming the challenges that is with the gender identify which are trying fit into society, thus being a minority, especially on RuPaul’s Drag Race. He talks about doing away with the expectations that doing away with the expectations that inform one’s sense of self. He asks the question “Are we becoming a more accepting society in this culture?” To which he answers, some are, that there is hope for the young people of today. There is a low amount of people watching and performing drag - you are born naked, and the rest is drag. RuPaul asserts that drag does not hide who you are, but rather that drag reveals aspects of oneself. Every day, frustrations occur and has been going on for the past 20 years.

And these frustrations are still here - some people deny themselves tones, colours and seeing themself, and drag opens up these possibilities. Everyday people help understand who Rupaul is in a human body. “It is so fragile, but we are still here” he says 12.

Semiotics is also known as a sign and something that communicates meaning. The meaning can be intentional, such as a word like drag. When one is dressed up in drag, it is not only a makeover and a transformation from male to female for a performance. It is much more than that, it is a form of expressing one’s gender identity.. Individuals are pressured to demonstrate their gender and gender identity as an expression of their true self. The way gender is represented visually is often bound up with the gender performativity that one wishes to explore and moreover to express to the world.

The socially constructed nature of gender performativity is most prominently shown through drag performances, which offer a fundamental understanding of gender binaries and the significance of identity in gender performance. When doing drag, it is a performance and a way to reify aspects of both gay masculinity and hyper feminine traits, that are otherwise rejected by the hegemonic gender order.

There are connections between social experience, appearance, and gender identity that occur among

gay men who cross-dress in public while not trying to replicate cisgender women.

Looking at drag queens today and then at gender symbols, some might not identify with either masculine or feminine symbols. One might identify as feminine when in drag and then as masculine when out of drag, while others may identify with both at the same time. But why do semiotics define how gender is seen? Are they even defining it?

ing on what trait one is exposed to.

Masculinity VS femininity

Masculinity is something that is inherently and that can be inherent from birth. Men are then associated with traits like being able to fix cars, a propensity for lawn care, and grilling (despite cooking being seen as feminine). However, these are just a glimpse of signs that are labeled as masculine. Men and women are biologically seen as their sex assigned at birth. The activities that we do are being coded as masculine or feminine because of societal norms.

Masculinity and femininity have been conceptualized as opposite ends of a single dimension. “Fashion, beauty and cosmetics have been more closely associated with women and femininity than with men and masculinity since the beginnings of fashion”18. But looking at drag queens in 2021, we have come a long way. Fashion, beauty, and cosmetics no “Separating performativity from performance is longer only belong and are being associated with crucial to understanding Butler’s argument that women. In drag men are using the same cosmetics we cannot just put on any gender performance we as women,blurring the line between masculine and please, as if donning or doffing a new dress or be- feminine traits. spoke suit”13.

Kameron Michaels is another drag superstar, also As claimed by Judith Butler, copying signs and sym- known as Dane Young, competed on Season 10 bols of the dominant norms may, depending on of RuPaul’s Drag Race where she placed as a runits stylization, reinforce, that there is a “right” and a ner-up. Kameron explores both hyper femininity “real” way on being either masculine or feminine14. and masculinity in her drag, earning her the repu“Important to note, however, is how it uncovers im- tation of being a “muscle queen”. (See picture 6).. plicit assumptions in the order of being, assump- Kameron’s way of distinguishing herself in her drag tions that, once revealed might be interrogated. artistry is with an approach of just doing it, despite Reducing the concept of gender performativity having a body different from the norms of society. to cross dressing misses a crucial aspect of Butlers’ Not everything is fabulous when it comes to perunique contribution to fashion studies”15. So in- forming in drag for Kameron. She began drag not stead of doing drag or cross-dressing as a form of feeling like she belonged due to her more mascustepping out of the norms of the heterosexual ma- line traits, but later learnt to embrace and express trix there is, to be seeking a deeper meaning and herself through combining these with femininity., understanding of the performativity, also means to becoming a ‘muscle queen19. investigate the roles that fashion, and society plays upon us and which creates the “bodies that matter” Individuals like Kameron Michaels are performing 16 . To form identities, fashion gives the possibilities gender with their own perspective and therefore, to make bodies capable of being understood and the way that drag queen dresses and uses heavy comprehended. Thus, we become part of a reality makeup are a visual expression on their self-choin fashion, there are binaries of what is acceptable sen appearance and their way of communication and what it not. “While the simplest interpretation their gender identity. By that, we can look at Kamof performativity points merely to the idea that the eron Michaels and Miz Cracker, two individuals who body is used to perform gender as we make choic- both has become drag queens and are doing it for es about what to wear”, Judith Butler’s ideas in fact a living, but also both appeared on RuPaul’s’ Drag “question the idea of the sexed body as something Race, men dressing up as women and performing that exists outside the practices of wearing clothing femininity through themselves and through their itself17. masculinity.

Gendered stereotypes in society dictate that men are to be masculine and women feminine. Male performance that one grows up with might go on to be the male traits, that one ends up portraying in life later which ends up with a gendered performance that is reinforced over time. When these traits and behaviors are repeated and ritualized over and over, they become more feminine or masculine depend-

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Drag

Photo by Pexels

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Moreover, culture has a large influence on who says gress. The fight for human rights is a constant strugand decides what’s masculine and feminine. gle.

But as Judith Butler says, “gender only becomes something when in the practice of gendering”. And why should someone like Michaels, not be able to or allowed to express what they fully stand for, in case of expressing the exact perception on gender.

To be able to express oneself in drag in and out the public sphere, where judgments are not happening. The freedom to be expressive of what is on your mind, heart, body, and soul.

Conclusion

The way we as individuals approach signs and symbols depends on our social and cultural context.

Drag gives a voice to people of all gender identities using dress as a way to push for societal acceptance.

Drag Race creates space for people to perform using a wide variety of gendered signifiers outside of conventional societal norms. A television sensation, Drag Race incorporated the talent of individuals within the makeup and drag industries to perform their gender identity. Drag queens are seen as representatives for the LGBTQ+ community.

Drag is political. Drag breaks away from the norms of society that dictate what is the right or wrong RuPaul’s Drag Race is proof that no matter what way to dress up. Drag demonstrates that in society gender one identifies as, dressing up and exploring today there are norms and stereotypes that need to oneself is empowering. be broken down to allow minority groups to pro-

Drag

Photo by Pexels

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Drag

Photo by Pexels

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LGBTQ+, Gender constitution, Måneskin, Counter-normative

Review of Måneskin’s Fashion Statements By: Sandra Jäger This year’s winners of the Eurovision Song Contest is an Italian rock band with a Danish name: Måneskin.

Their award-winning single “Zitti E Buoni’’ has become a massive hit in Europe. The band consists of singer Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis (half Danish), guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio. The group is not only iconic in their music, but also their style, performance, and overall way of presenting themselves. This causes both joy and hatred, especially in their home country, as Italy still has very conservative norms. Måneskin chooses to push the limits and gender norms in their appearance, as they support the LGBTQ+ community, inclusivity and self-love1.

Their Instagram posts2 include many representations of counter-normative performativity of gender. According to Judith Butler: “Gender reality is performative, which means, quite simply, that it is real only to the extent that it is performed.” This suggests that the construction of gender is social, performative, and open to change3.

This is exactly what Måneskin does - with the male band members always wearing makeup, nail polish, and long hair, and the lead singer Damiano often wears high heels, dresses, and other traditionally “feminine-coded” clothes and objects. At the same time, the female bassist Victoria often wears “masculine-coded” attire like shirts, suits, and trousers.

Picture 2 - Photo of punk-rock clothing, stocking and ripped clothes, inspired by the style of Måneskin, by Mia Petersen.

One of their Instagram posts highlights exactly this opposition of the normative gendered fashion. A black and white photo of Victoria in a black suit with buttoned up white shirt, black shoes, and a belt at the waist accompanied by Damiano wearing lingerie, stockings, high heels, and a pearl necklace. The description of the photo is a phrase from one of their songs: “I wanna be your sex toy, I wanna be your teacher,”4 not only playing with the fashion-related performances of gender but also the sexual ones. Another post illustrates their support for LGBTQ+ rights during their performance in Poland, where two of the male members kissed, opposing some of the political decisions against the community in the country.5 In another post, Victoria wore a see-through shirt with the words “Queer Revolution” written over her collarbones.

The band’s style consists of a mix of old-fashioned punk-rock culture, inspired by the 1980’s and 90’s and more recent fashion with lots of pastel colours and bold fabrics. Måneskin challenges the gender binaries in fashion, as well as what gender really is or if it exists. As Butler claims, gender is constructed by the series of acts “renewed, revised, and consolidated” through time. These acts create the idea of gender and can thus be molded and shaped by the way Måneskin represent themselves6.

Måneskin are currently tapping into a cultural pulse that is collectively renegotiating the role of gender, identity, and performativity of fashion. This performativity of gender by rock stars is not new, but is has a significant influence on mainstream pop culture, as Måneskin themselves hope to have with their music and performance7.

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Punk

Photos by Mia Petersen

Måneskin 31 of

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Screengrabs by Sandra Jäger

Yayoi Kusama Exhibition, Gropiusbau Berlin, 2021

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Photo by Kat Sark

Yayoi Kusama Exhibition, Gropiusbau Berlin, 2021

33 of 66 Photo by Kat Sark

Fashion in – and non inclusivity, Fashion Photography, Punctum, Provocative

Fashion photography and its power to provoke By: Mia Petersen Looking at what is understood as provocative in the fashion industry, reveals to us how non-inclusive fashion truly is. By doing so we can take a greater step away from the fake body ideals fashion pushes on consumers. Instead we may understand the importance of having different bodies to aspire to, rather than simply the Western body image ideal. We need to have a bigger focus on what is “provocative” to see what is wrong with the fashion industry today.

The fashion industry has been, and still is; toxic in the way they photograph bodies and, we as consumers need more inclusivity from the industry1. To investigate this, I used the photography Bodybuilder by Nadia Lee Cohen as the case study with applying Susan Sontag’s theory of photography as a powerful communication tool and Roland Barthes theory of the Punctum.

Within this article, I will explore how fashion photography can be used as a powerful tool, to interrogate the ideal body image constructed by the fashion industry. Through investigating how fashion photography portrays bodies and communicates body image ideas, I investigate if and how it also affects how we understand our own bodies. I will analyse the editorial Bodybuilder by Nadia Lee Cohen from her book Women that was released in 20202. Cohen is a British photographer, filmmaker and self portrait artist based in Los Angeles. Her works portrays women in a more inclusive and consequently respectful way3. I will analyse how she, as a photographer, is bringing more inclusivity into the fashion world.

Fashion Photography as a communication tool

According to Sontag, photography is a powerful communication tool11. A photography may be more memorable than moving images because of the neat slice of time that holds the image still for the viewer to remember12. I will argue that this is the reason that photography is used to communicate to consumers. Photography is a particularly persuasive power of communication because it is more truthful and reliable than any other media13.

Camera Setup Photo by Mia Petersen

images promote a fake body ideal that disempowers people, making them want to buy products or treatments to achieve that false ideal.

These images promote a fake body ideal that disempowers people, making them want to buy products or treatments to achieve that false ideal.

We see this non-inclusivity in advertisements and in editorial photography, but the industry is changing.

According to Bernard6, the fashion industry now depicts more body diversity and hires more plussize models. This is in response to a current trend of people advocating for more inclusivity throughout fashion, so as to profit from advertising larger Inclusivity in the fashion industry bodies as “real” bodies7. The demand for more incluToday, the “perfect” Western female body is tall, thin, sivity in the industry, has contributed to the Body light skinned girl4. But what really set the idea of the Positivity Movement8. Through this the body be“perfect” body is not only the fashion industry, but comes a political statement against harmful body also our culture5. Through images and photos we s ideals within our culture. However, both the idea of ee what society considers the “perfect” body. These a “perfect body” and the idea of body positivity, in-

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dicates that our understanding of bodies is formed by our culture. According to Bernard9 we want to modify our bodies to make them look like the ideal body type , but the idea of what is ideal is formed by our culture. Both Hoskins and Bernard, argue that the reason we have this understanding of our bodies is because we live in a capitalist culture10.

So, with understanding that society is making the ideal of the perfect body and the fashion industry adopting it, we as people need to have a critical eye to the industry and how they portray the body.

But we can also get a better understanding of why something is seen as provocative to the industry, because it is affected by the culture we live in. We understand something as provocative because we see it through the eyes of our culture. We see it as a controversial idea.

Photography is a particularly persuasive power of communication because it is more truthful and reliable than any other media.

The fashion industry uses fashion photography as a communication tool to express their commercial and editorial photos, while also constructing an image of brand identity. The identity they show is what they want you to believe the industry is concerned with, and what they think is the right way to exist.

According to Bernard14 , they show the image of an ideal or desired look, shape, size, or kind of body.

This, I will argue, can be combined with Sontag’s15 theorization about how capitalist societies require culture-based images that communicate body ideals through photographic techniques. Within photography the studium refers to what the image is made up of; i.e. the figures, faces, actions, gestures and setting. Punctum is an element that breaks the studium16. The punctum breaks the photo, as it breaks the studium. Disrupting the setting of the photo’s punctum is what the viewer will notice. It is what can seem out of place. It can be an element of

surprise, ironic or unusual, but it causes the viewer to question what is happening in the photo17. This is the main technique I will focus on in my case study.

Provocative or not?

By applying a punctum to a photography, the photographer can make a provocation prompting people to ask themselves: why do we find this provocative? This needs to be done more, to question the inclusivity of the fashion industry. In applying punctum one can raise the consumers awareness of what is wrong in the fashion industry so they can demand change. After all, why do we still think that some body types can be provocative? In Bodybuilder, upon first glance the setting would seem rather normal. However, upon closer inspection, you see what is amiss. The two models have very masculine bodies, as well as three breasts. Their bodies are the punctum, they disrupt the whole setting of the picture. The studium of the image consists of the beach background and the two women with their faces fully made up and hair nicely set (See picture on website). In doing so, Cohen raises a question: why do the models have three breasts? As well, I, as a viewer, question my own assumptions; why do I see their “masculine” bodies as also being a punctum when alongside the make-up and hair? This is because of my own cultural impacts on me as a consumer, forming the idea of what a “perfect” body is in my imagination.

This is because of my own cultural impacts on me as a consumer, forming the idea of what a “perfect” body is in my imagination.

The fashion industry is not inclusive of neither size, colour, nor shape of the human body, thereby making the three breasts and the masculine body a punctum18. These elements are provocative to use because we do not see them as part of the perfect body, effectively disrupting the photo. This reflects how our culture forms how we see body ideals19.

The idea of the “perfect” body is constructed by our culture, especially through the fashion industry, and then we strive for it. The fashion industry pushes the idea of us having to make improvements to our bodies20. This is expressed in Cohen’s photos, but in a more provocative way. The three breasts on the ladies is an ‘improvement’ that has been done but it looks surreal, because it does not depict our natural body (See picture on website). Also, the three breasts emphasize that this photo is not from our shared reality and does not share our beauty stand-

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In Cohen’s work we see the power of communication through photography. Her photography communicates the issue of body standards today through a creative narrative that provokes the viewer. I will argue that using punctum in the photo helps provoke people to question their own cultural ideals and realise what is wrong with the idea of having a perfect body. Bodybuilder shows us that this ideal can never be obtained, because the perfect body depends on one’s culture and on the subjective interpretation of that ideal.

Capitalism affects our understanding and interpretation of photographs. To create a more inclusive fashion industry we need to question the impact that our culture has on our interpretation and understanding of the image we see as consumers. We see things as provocative because our culture has affected our understanding of images and ideals.

This can be explained by bio-power and a broader understanding of what a capitalist culture is22. Capitalism informs the material culture of the west, and therefore the fashion industry. The capitalist culture is described as an material culture because of a economic focus23. Bio-power informs what is normal or abnormal, what is socially acceptable in thoughts and behaviour, and bio-power is influenced by capitalism24. Bio-power uses different discursive practices to influence people. One of which is representation25. I will argue that bio-power affects consumers when the fashion industry utilizes representation in fashion photography. From this representation we as consumers form our understanding of what is normal or abnormal.

As Hoskins mentioned, we see many photos of bodies, so this is a strong communication tool that influences people within capitalist cultures26. In my case study of Cohen’s photography, I have investigated how she tries to break away from what the society think is the perfect body27. She uses the power of photography as a communication tool to express what is wrong with the fashion industry. Fashion lacks focus on inclusivity and instead prioritizes making money by getting consumers to buy into the idea of false diversity.

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Pictures

If you want to see the photography I’m describing in this article please go to the artist website: http:// www.nadialeecohen.com/ or to https://www.papermag.com/gcds-transformation-beach-2630180527. html?rebelltitem=8#rebelltitem8 where it is the second picture in the photo show.

Photo by Mia Petersen

The idea of the “perfect” body is constructed by our culture, especially through the fashion industry, and then we strive for it.

The fashion industry has begun steps toward becoming more inclusive. Advocates for diversity have been demanding change, pushing for an end to discrimination within the fashion industry28. But we need to know our culture better to gain a better understanding of how we can take even bigger steps to ensure more inclusivity in the fashion industry.

Economics and material culture influence the fashion industry. Therefore, we need to learn how to interpret fashion photography and how to see when brands or platforms are showing false inclusivity solely to make money, and when they want to make actual changes in the industry. According to Glaviano - visual director at Vogue Italia - fashion reaches a larger audience, making it effective at advocating for change. With the communicative power of photography, one can reach a wide audience and push for people to question the fashion industry.

With the use of punctum in commercial and editorial photography we can help the public see through false inclusivity in the fashion industry.

Camera

ards21. Such a cosmetic “improvement” would only alienate one from their own body.

Yayoi Kusama Exhibition, Gropiusbau Berlin, 2021

39 of 66 Photo by Kat Sark

40 ofFashion 66 Week 2021 Copenhagen Photos by Mia Petersen

41 of Week 66 2021 Copenhagen Fashion

Photos by Mia Petersen

Fashion week, Sustainability, CIFF, inclusivity, Activism

Review of Copenhagen Fashion Week and CIFF – August 2021 By: Mia Petersen and Kat Sark A year after Copenhagen Fashion Week launched its sustainability pledge (in February 2020), a shift in practises is already apparent in many of the events that comprise Fashion Week, including the fashion trade shows, public talks, events, launches, and the invitation-only designer catwalk shows. Last year, most of the events took place at the newly opened Villa Hotel because of COVID restrictions, with only a limited number of designers showing live shows and most shows moving to digital presentation formats. This year, it was almost back to normal. Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) at the Bella Center (figure 1) was very well attended again by international buyers, and the runway shows were all over the city, with many taking place outdoors, on rooftops, or in very spacious halls and structures to allow for social distancing and COVID safety. For more digital content distribution, CPH Fashion Week launched its own YouTube channel.

CLFF 2021

Photo by Mia Petersen

CLFF 2021 CLFF 2021

Photo by Kat Sark

Photo by Mia Petersen

ready to prove and showcase how they work sustainably through transparency and circularity was simultaneously hopeful and frustrating. Yes, it is a good start, but we need to do better. How many years will it take until every single brand admitted to CIFF and other fashion trade shows can demonstrate real standards of circularity, ethics, and sustainability?

The gigantic Bella Center convention space, the fact that only 26 brands were ready to prove and showcase how they work sustainably through transparency and circularity was simultaneously hopeful and frustrating.

CLFF 2021

Photo by Mia Petersen

One of the main sustainability initiatives at CIFF was the “Circular Fashion Days” exhibition (figures 2-4) organized by the Circularity Team of the Lifestyle & Design Cluster organization (funded by the Danish government to promote Danish fashion and design businesses and research). The exhibition featured 26 brands that presented how they work with circularity in their production of clothing, shoes, and accessories; from design to the production, and even to post-consumption.

The Circularity Team of Lifestyle and Design Cluster worked with a curator to set up the exhibition and help showcase each brand’s work. They designed a circularity pie diagram that indicated which areas of circularity the brand placed their focus on (figure 2, 3) and how they worked with circularity in their production.

Every day of the trade show, the Lifestyle and Design Cluster team organized guided tours to meet the brand representatives who prepared a short presentation about their designs. It was especially inspiring to see smaller brands showcased as leaders in their approach to circularity.

Compared to the thousands of the brands that set up pop-up shops for national and international buyers across multiple floors of the gigantic Bella Center convention space, the fact that only 26 brands were

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The Lifestyle and Design Cluster Circularity Team did a great job raising awareness and provoking an important conversation. According to one of their Project Managers, Lone Haumann, their goal was to inspire other brands, and to educate the buyers who have the biggest influence on consumers. Another Project Leader in Sustainability, Johanna Stenstrup, hosted a series of panel talks with diverse industry experts and asked them tough questions about how to change the fashion industry through actionable steps and regeneration, rather than merely continue the vague conversation about sustainability (which means different things to different people).

During runway shows, we noticed that more diversity has been introduced to the runways of CFW since last year. There were more models of colour, more inclusivity in size and age, as well as more gender non-conformity than ever before. As the mindful and conscious consumers of the Millennial and Gen Z generations demand more and more diverse representations and inclusivity, and put more pressure on brands and organizations through social media platforms, it is great to see that the brands and organizers are responding accordingly.

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Doing runway shows, we noticed that more diversity has been introduced to the runways of CFW since last year.

Perhaps the most innovative runway shows at any fashion week in any city, are the graduation collections organized by the local fashion schools. This year, The Royal Danish Academy showed some of the most inspiring and avant-garde collections, entitled “Last Pieces” created by 16 talented graduates of the MA Fashion Class, focusing on the main themes being diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability (figure 6). Each designer focused on challenges facing the fashion industry. Many of them used leftover (surplus) or second-hand materials, while others have strong political agendas incorporated into their design aesthetic and philosophies. One of the highlights of the runway show was Milan Flíček’s “F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES” collection of menswear that stood out - both for its provocative activism as well as the aesthetic innovation of a deconstructed tailored suit with piping that makes it look like it is both on fire and melting at the seams (figure 5).

Perhaps the most innovative runway shows at any fashion week in any city, are the graduation collections organized by the local fashion schools.

While fashion weeks are still a very elite and mostly restricted constellation of events organized according to visibility, privilege, and importance, it is always good to see more and more educational events and panels that push research and development forward. Some fashion events that coincided with World Pride, which Copenhagen and Malmo were hosting this August that celebrated diversity and inclusivity, were listed only in the Pride events calendar but not on Copenhagen Fashion Week website. For example, The Bearded Queens of Copenhagen exhibition curated by Anders Larsen and Maria MacKinley Valentin, featured profiles of three Copenhagen-based drag queens known for their special relationship to fashion.

A panel talk, entitled “Clothing, Identity and Gender,” moderated by Moussa Mchangama, a diversity and sustainability consultant of In Futurum (the consulting firm that designed the sustainability agenda for Copenhagen Fashion Week in 2020), took place at the Glyptotek atrium, and was also invisible for fashion week attendees. Overall, we are happy to see the changes CFW has initiated but would like to see the event continue to develop more in the direction of research, education, ethics, and inclusivity.

CLFF 2021

Photo by Mia Petersen

CLFF 2021

Photo by Mia Petersen

Artikel København Photo by Kat Sark

Artikel København Photo by Kat Sark

Gryptotek

Photo by Kat Sark

Artikel København

Photo by Kat Sark

Fashion Week 2021 Photo by Kat sark

Fashion Week 2021

Photo by Kat Sark

Need for change, Overproduction, Designer, Collection

Milan Florián Flíček, Photo Essay By: Milan Flíček

Artist statement:

I used to work as a volunteer firefighter when I was younger, so some people call me a Fashion Firefighter now because I want to put an end to brands burning overproduced clothing! I founded my activist brand that carries my name in the Czech Republic, where I was born, and trained as a tailor, inspired by blending the post-Soviet style with sustainable fashion. I continued my fashion design training in England and in Copenhagen. In my manifesto, I noted that I want all my future projects to meet my three basic principles, which I compiled during my Master’s collection at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen.

“Maruška” - is an elegant outfit that consists of a fitted checkered waistcoat with embroidery on the front pocket, which is the same on the extra pocket of the pants. The pants are the same style as the outfit jacket, with piping in the side seam. The turtleneck has embroidery on the biceps evoking badges.

I want to: 1. Create change and educate other about the need for change 2. Connect my inspiration with my origin and heritage - I believe that the Czech Republic has a rich history that not everyone is aware of, and I want to be a mediator of that trough art 3. Make it personal by being inspired by my family, friends, acquaintances, conversations, lovers, muses, etc.

Collection statement:

My graduation collection at the Royal Danish Academy is called F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES. I developed the conceptual framework for it during the research I conducted for my MA thesis, investigating how the global fashion industry burns 94 million tons of clothes every year. I also researched how in 1969 in Prague, the Czech student Jan Palach set himself on fire in protest against the “peaceful” invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Warsaw Pact armies to suppress Czech independence. He stated that “people must fight against the evil they feel equal to at that moment” (Palach 1969) and sent letters to the president, the prime minister, and others, calling for change and warning that if nothing would change more people would publicly self-immolate themselves. Unfortunately, he forgot to stick a stamp on the letter to the prime minister. This detail moved me and I found ways to incorporate it into this project by using my father’s stamp collection for prints and embroidery. My collection was inspired by these investigations and serves as my first activist act to stop the unsustainable and wasteful practice of burning overproduced clothing. The provocation in the title of the collection to F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES poses an even more provocative question because not many people are aware of this unsustainable practice, so in order to raise awareness “does one have to also self-immolate to make you aware?” (Flíček 2020). The collection calls for change and awareness. Inspired by a style called Soviet Brutalism, it plays with colours to invite further debate.

“Martin” - is a tracksuit because it evokes Czech culture. I combined colours, but above all different types and colours of piping. The design cut of the sleeves is in the emblem of the Czech flag, although it is not visible in the final outfit. It also serves as an example of what fire piping can be used for lighter “sports” fabrics.

Statement about sustainability:

My intention is to use this collection as a reminder of the challenges of sustainability and the problem of overproduction. In this collection, I used a technique that I developed and called “Fire Piping.” It applies piping to connect residual fabrics to create the impression and shapes of fire. Special attention is paid to the quality of the materials and the high-end tailoring process with an emphasis on long-lasting details, fabrics and patterns. Additionally, 90% of the fabrics used in the collection are deadstock materials from larger companies.

F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES

Photos by: James Cochrane / Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

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“Vašík” is a Soviet-style jacket with creative pattern cutting, which is inspired by army badges on the shoulders to create original sleeves, with elastic fit and four pockets, zipped front. The trousers have an embroidered portrait of Jan Palach on the front and a webbing with text is placed on the back and around the waist.

“Jan Palach” is a large Soviet-style coat processed in the fire piping technique. Under this coat, there is a lace shirt with original pattern cutting, trousers with stamps embroidery, gloves and a headband also made of lace, due to the fact that Jan Palach had third-degree burns on 97% of his body, so I found it interesting to use lace as an evocation of burns.

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F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES

Photo by: James Cochrane / Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

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F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES

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Photos by Milan Flíček

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F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES

Photo by: James Cochrane / Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week

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F*CKING STOP BURNING CLOTHES

Photos by Milan Flíček

Drag, Queer, Powerful, Gender bending, Performance

Interview with Anders Larsen, one of the creators of the exhibition “Bearded Queens of Copenhagen”

Mia Petersen: Where did the inspiration come from to do this exhibition?

Anders Larsen: The inspiration for this exhibition came through my lived experience. I am a queer person. I am interested in both fashion but also queer practices. I was asked [by Kat Sark] to write a chapter for a book about Copenhagen fashion and I was asked if I wanted to write about gender. For me, the most obvious thing of course would have been to write on girls’ flowy dresses and gentlemen with beards, but that was just too easy, and to me it didn’t catch the full spectrum of what gender and/or what fashion gender practises of Copenhagen are about. So I wanted to maybe go into a niche and talk about something that was important to me. I decided to write about bearded queens in collaboration with Maria Mackinney-Valentin. We talked a lot about why a beard is interesting, and why a beard is interesting as a queer practise. I started to do some research and found out that, at least since the 1970s, queer activists of Copenhagen have used beards as part of a political performance, and for me suddenly everything came together. I wanted to look at the way beards are used by queer performers today, and then I looked at who do I have around me, who inspires me, who are the movers and shakers of the drag scene in Copenhagen.

I selected three drag queens that at first glance are very different in their aesthetics and their practises, but who all share one thing that is changing/bending gender: keeping their beards. When I was doing this project it was very important for me to interfere as little as possible with them, so I really tried not to do too many interpretations, trying to take the role of a journalist, who becomes the medium through which they speak. That is very much what you see in this exhibition. Maria and I have tried not to put too much academic text on the podiums. Whenever we have text, it is text that has come from them, so that they get to explain why they do the things they do.”

By: Mia Petersen

During Copenhagen Fashion Week and World Pride 2021 a new exhibition opened to visitors inside the library of the Royal Danish Academy. Curated by Anders Larsen and Maria Mackinney-Valentin, the exhibition “Bearded Queens of Copenhagen” is based on a research project they collaborated on for a chapter in the forthcoming book Copenhagen Chic: A Locational History of Copenhagen, edited by Kat Sark. We went to the official opening of the exhibition and interviewed Anders Larsen about the objects and multimedia presentations on display, but also about how the fashion and drag worlds have been inspiring each other.

The exhibition will run from August 11 until September 17, 2021, open Monday to Friday 9:00-19:00.

Bearded Queens of Copenhagen Photo by Kat Sark

Bearded Queens of Copenhagen

Photo by Mia Petersen

M.P.: So, why the beard?

A.L.: When you ask me why the beard, I ask “why not the beard?” When you think about it, it is such an obvious way to ask a question. Putting a beard on the face of a drag queen is like putting a question mark on your face. We have these expectations about femininity: it is supposed to be big lips, big eyes, big tits, and then suddenly you add something that is associated with masculinity and realise, my goodness, there’s something that challenges our expectations and our norms. So just by tweaking the performance a little bit, you get such an effect. I mean to so many people, seeing a bearded queen is extremely provocative, and I find that so interesting because it’s just hair. But apparently when hair grows in the face of a drag queen then it is not just hair, it is so much more. And that is what I wanted to explore.

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Bearded Queens of Copenhagen

Photo by Kat Sark

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M.P.: And why these three queens? Or do you have more queens in the chapter of the book?

A.L.: So the chapter focuses on these three queens. There are more bearded queens in Copenhagen, but I wanted to limit myself. And also, some of the bearded queens only have moustaches so I wanted to select three queens who consistently perform with a beard and who are known as the bearded queens of Copenhagen. I think if you asked anyone who goes to drag shows to point out bearded queens they would mention at least two of the three queens we have here, so I just wanted to work with the best.

M.P.: Is there a hierarchy within the queer, drag, bearded queens’ scene? What does that scene look like?

A.L.: That is a very good question. Of course there is a hierarchy- there are hierarchies everywhere. As long as there are humans we will have some kind of social distinction. First of all, there is not just one queer community in Copenhagen - there are actually several. Some of them overlap and some of them do not.

The three queens I have selected do not necessarily operate in the same spaces. Some operate in more subcultural spaces and some of them more on mainstream stages. I would say that all three queens that I have selected are very well regarded and all three queens are people to look out for. I would say they are going to make it big.

M.P.: Are these queens already big outside of the queer scene?

A.L.: Jaxie is currently on a TV2 show and it is the most downloaded show on TV2 Play. So I would say yes they are pretty big. Brynhildr used to host one of the biggest queer podcasts in Denmark. Maj Mokai was just accepted at the Royal Danish Academy of Art. So they are all people to look out for. They are all people that should be on your radar.

M.P.: You’re also an award-winning drag performer yourself. Do you work with them? Do your worlds overlap? Do you perform together?

A.L.: Yes, but mainly I love hosting panels. My personal drag is talking drag and I actually give lectures in drag. I also do an event every year during Copenhagen Pride with Brynhildr called “Drag for Beginners”, where we have people from the audience come up and we give them a makeover while we are talking about the potential of gender bending.

M.P.: This is one of the events that overlaps with World Pride that Copenhagen is hosting this year and Copenhagen Fashion Week. Do you see yourself as bridging these two worlds? And is drag a useful tool for bridging these two worlds?

A.L.: I think that drag is a great tool for bridging these two worlds. Drag and fashion share many things.

They are both visual, but they are also both embodied practices. The drag costume becomes an extension of your body and that is also the case for fashion. I think that fashion very often is written into another logic – one of status and mainstream- whereas drag is often seen as subcultural. But I think that the two engage in a wonderful conversation with each other. Historically, drag has drawn a lot of inspiration from high fashion and today we see designers draw inspiration from drag. A number of fashion houses have put drag queens, non-binary, and transgendered people on the runway. So yes, there is a mix where the two worlds meet and that is a beautiful meeting.

M.P.: Do you think that the fashion scene/world can learn something from the queer scene, specifically in Copenhagen?

A.L.: Of course they can. They can learn just how expensive it is to look cheap.

M.P.: When people come and experience the exhibition, what do you hope they will take away from it?

A.L.: I hope people will leave this exhibition with more questions than when they entered. I think that that is the power of drag. That drag makes you question everything, it makes us question how we are in the world, and it makes us question when something is surreal – the intensity and the nature of gender. And it makes us aware that everything is a performance. That we perform every day. From the time we open our eyes to the time we go to bed- we stand on a stage. When we get that awareness, then we start asking ourselves questions; and that is what I want people to do. I want them to ask; how am I in the world? How do I exist? Who am I, when I perform? And what does it do to my surroundings and to myself?

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Photo by Kat Sark

FIXING MOLLIS: THE BOUNDARIES OF GENDER FOR EIGHTTEENTH CENTURY MOLLIES 1 - Foucault, M. (1990). The History of Sexuality. Translated by Robert Hurley, New York: Vintage Books. p. 101| 2 - Bray, A. (1982).

Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men’s Press. p. 14 | 3 - Bray, A. (1982). Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men’s Press. p. 20 | 4 -Bray, A. (1982). Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men’s Press. p. 17 | 5 - Kavanaugh, D. (2017). Effeminate Years: Literature, politics, and aesthetics in late eighteenth-century Britain. Pennsylvania: Bucknell University Press. p. xxii | 6 - Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the Body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. New York: Basic Books. p.36 | 7 - Trumbach, R. (1998). Sex and Gender Revolution: Heterosexuality and the Third Gender in Enlightenment London, vol. 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p.6 | 8 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p.104 | 9 - King, Thomas A. (2004). The Gendering of Men, 1600-1750: The English Phallus, vol. 1. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. p .67| 10 - Connell, R. W. (2005). Masculinities, 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. p.186-189| 11 - Connell, R. W. (2005). Masculinities, 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. p.189 | 12 - King, Thomas A. (2004). The Gendering of Men, 1600-1750: The English Phallus, vol. 1. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. p .67 | 13 - King, Thomas A. (2004). The Gendering of Men, 1600-1750: The English Phallus, vol.

1. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. p .67 | 14 - Kinsman, G. (1996). The Regulation of Desire: Homo and Hetero Sexualities. Black Rose Books Ltd. p.53 | 15 - McFarlane, C. (1997). The Sodomite in Fiction and Satire 1660-1750. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 20 | 16 - Bray, A. (1982). Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men’s Press. p. 97 | 17 - McFarlane, C. (1997). The Sodomite in Fiction and Satire 1660-1750. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 68 | 18 - Connell, R. W. (2005). Masculinities, 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press. p.188 | 19 - Bray, A. (1982). Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men’s Press. p.92 | 20 - Greenberg, David F. (1988). The Construction of Modern Homosexuality. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. p.333 | 21 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 17001830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p.13 | 22 - austo-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the Body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. New York: Basic Books. p.378 | 23 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p.96 | 24 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p.96 | 25 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p.98 | 26 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p.99 | 27 - McFarlane, C. (1997). The Sodomite in Fiction and Satire 16601750. New York: Columbia University Press. p.65 | 28 - Greenberg, David F. (1988). The Construction of Modern Homosexuality.

Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. p.333 | 29 - McFarlane, C. (1997). The Sodomite in Fiction and Satire 1660-1750. New York: Columbia University Press. p45 | 30 - Bray, A. (1982). Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men’s Press. p.88 | 31 - Bray, A. (1982). Homosexuality in Renaissance England. London: Gay Men’s Press. p.88-89 | 32 - Trumbach, R. (1998). Sex and Gender Revolution: Heterosexuality and the Third Gender in Enlightenment London, vol. 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p.7 | 33 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p.104 | 34 - Foucault, M. (1990). The History of Sexuality. Translated by Robert Hurley, New York: Vintage Books. p.101 | 35 - Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the Body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. New York: Basic Books. p.36 | 36 - Trumbach, R. (1998). Sex and Gender Revolution: Heterosexuality and the Third Gender in Enlightenment London, vol.

1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p.7 | 37 - Norton, R. (1992). Mother Clap’s Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830. London: GMP Publishers LTD. p102 |

THE FASHION INDUSTRY DEMANDS CREATIVITY AND BUSINESS KNOWHOW: A REVIEW OF THE MINISERIES HALSTON ON NETFLIX. 1 - Rotten tomatoes. (2021). Halston: Limited series. Hentet fra Rotten tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/halston/ s01 | 2 - Feldman, D. (24. May 2021). Despite The Mixed Reviews Netflix Limited Series ‘Halston’ Is Definitely Worth The Binge.

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Retrieved from Musée YSL Paris: https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/premier-smoking?fbclid=IwAR183W25cN-jmBJqobZo1LwTCRz6SLAG97jh07wIaKBVOHPiRDuaMhFAybg | 18 - Bannerman, S. L. (2018, August 6). How Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking Defined an Era of Change in Fashion. Culture Trip. Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/ yves-saint-laurent-le-smoking-tuxedo-suit/?fbclid=IwAR0L1yE91tPmOXFfkWvE4YnO9dsbUG--YEJJv3vJKqLKC9gNinz7S46npw8 | 19 - Cooper, C., North, S., Weber, T., & Blanco F., J. (2011). Chapters 4,5,6 and 7. In L. Welters, & A. Lillethun, The Fashion Reader (2 ed., pp. 53-111). New York: Berg. | 20 - Koga, R. (2002). 20th Century - second half. In A. Fukai, The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, Fashion a history from the 18th to the 20th century (pp. 509-516). Köln: Taschen. | 21 - American Style (Director). (2019). Fra chic til hip - 70 års modehistorie: 60’erne og 70’erne - Born to Be Wild [Motion Picture]. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.dr.dk/drtv/se/fra-chic-til-hip-_-70-aars-modehistorie_-60erne-og-70ern e-_-born-to-be-wild_142243 | 22 - Berry, J. (2018). Architects of Dress Reform. In J. Berry, House of Fashion: Haute Couture and the Modern Interior (pp.

79-98). London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. | 23 - Jenkinson, J. (2010). Unisex Fashion. In P. Tortora, & J. Eicher, Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: Global Perspectives. Oxford: Berg. | 24 - Durante, A., & Ellison, J. (2010). Body and Dress. In P. G. Tortora, Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion: The United States and Canada (pp. 171-182). Oxford: Bloomsbury Academic. | 25 - BBC - Support. (n.d.). Boys don’t cry (and other lies about mental health). Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc. co.uk/bitesize/articles/zmvbpg8 | 26 - AFSP. (2019). Suicide statistics. Retrieved June 12, 2021, from American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/ | 27 - Salam, M. (2019, January 22). What is Toxic Masculinity? Retrieved June 12, 2021, from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/toxic-masculinity.html | 28 - Miller, C. C. (2018, September 14). Many Ways to Be a Girl, but One Way to Be a Boy: The New Gender Rules. Retrieved from The New York Times - TheUpshot: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/upshot/gender-stereotypes-survey-girls-boys.html | 29 - Zachary, C., Calahan, A., & iHeartRadio (2019). Men in Heels: a His (and Her) Story, an Interview with Elizabeth Semmelhack [Recorded

by E. Semmelhack]. [Spotify Podcast]. Dressed: The history of Fashion. | 30 - Bright Side. (2020). 15 Celebrity Men Who’ve Worn Skirts and Dresses and Looked Fabulous in Them. Bright Side. Retrieved June 11, 2021, from https://brightside.me/wonder-people/15-celebrity-men-whove-worn-skirts-and-dresses-and-looked-fabulous-in-them-799927/ | 31 - Bowles, H. (2020, November 13). Playtime With Harry Styles. Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/harry-styles-cover-december-2020 | 32 - Blair, O. (2016, July 7). Jaden Smith explains he wears a skirt so future generations won’t get bullied for not conforming to gender stereotypes. Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/jaden-smith-skirt-gender-fluid-future-generations-bullied-not-conforming-gender-stereotypes-a7125291.html | 33 - Randolph, E. (2020, October 17). Why Jaden Smith Decided To Wear Skirts Against Will Smith’s Wishes. Cheatsheet. Retrieved from https://www.cheatsheet. com/entertainment/why-jaden-smith-decided-to-wear-skirts-against-will-smiths-wishes.html/ | 33 - Prant, D. (2018, June 13).

Christian Siriano talks embracing Plus-size Models, Mass Collaborations and forgetting “Project Runway”. Fashionista. Retrieved from https://fashionista.com/2018/06/christian-siriano-92y-talk | 34 - Allaire, C. (2019, February 24). Billy Porter on Why He Wore a Gown, Not a Tuxedo, to the Oscars. Vogue. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/billy-porter-oscars-red-carpet-gown-christian-siriano?fbclid=IwAR03YFjwMp0-RX8R874RNKbNNb-P07Utpp0JPcUT0b0VPUtUUIKJaU4-SBc | 35 - Allaire, C. (2019, February 24). Billy Porter on Why He Wore a Gown, Not a Tuxedo, to the Oscars. Vogue. Retrieved from https://www. vogue.com/article/billy-porter-oscars-red-carpet-gown-christian-siriano?fbclid=IwAR03YFjwMp0-RX8R874RNKbNNb-P07Utpp0JPcUT0b0VPUtUUIKJaU4-SBc |

List of mentioned pictures: 1 - Original sketch of the tuxedo 1966, https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/premier-smoking?fbclid=IwAR183W25cN-jmBJqobZo1LwTCRz6SLAG97jh07wIaKBVOHPiRDuaMhFAybg. | 2 - Original sketch of the tuxedo 1966, https://museeyslparis. com/en/biography/premier-smoking?fbclid=IwAR183W25cN-jmBJqobZo1LwTCRz6SLAG97jh07wIaKBVOHPiRDuaMhFAybg. | 3 - One of Helmut Newton’s photos of Le Smoking for Vogue in 1975, https://www.thecodemag.com/style/le-smoking-helmut-newton/ | 4 - Harry Styles, singer, wearing a skirt and dress on the cover and article in Vogue magazine, which created much debate. https://www.vogue.com/article/harry-styles-cover-december-2020. | 5 - Jaden Smith in a campaign for Louis Vuitton womenswear, wearing a skirt in 2016, https://www.vogue.com/article/jaden-smith-louis-vuitton-campaign | 6 - Billy Porter on the red carpet to the Oscars in 2019, wearing a tuxedo-dress by Christian Siriano, https://www.vogue.com/article/ billy-porter-oscars-red-carpet-gown-christian-siriano?fbclid=IwAR03YFjwMp0-RX8R874RNKbNNb-P07Utpp0JPcUT0b0VPUtUUIKJaU4-SBc

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THE MEANING OF SIGNS THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER PERFORMATIVITY 1 - Barnard, M. (2014). Semiotic models. In M. Barnard, Fashion Theory An introduction. New York: Routledge. | 2 - Peck, L. M.

(2021, June 10). Journal of Intercultural Communication. Retrieved from SexIER Symbols Examining the Effects of a Content Analysis of Gendered Visual Imagery in Cross Cultural Road Signs: https://immi.se/intercultural/nr47/motel.html | 3 - Barnard, M. (2014). Semiotic models. In M. Barnard, Fashion Theory An introduction (p. 79). New York: Routledge. | 4 - Welters , L., & Lillethun , A. (2011). Fashion Theory, Structuralism. In L. Welters, & A. Lillethun, The Fashion Reader 2nd Edition (pp. 117-121).

Oxford & New York: Berg. | 5 - Barnard, M. (2014). Semiotic models. In M. Barnard, Fashion Theory An introduction. New York: Routledge. | 6 - Wissinger, E. (2016). Judith Butler Fashion and Performativity. In A. Rocamora , & A. Smelik , Thinking Through Fashion (pp. 285-299). London & New York: I.B Tauris. | 7 - Youtube, Big Think. (2021, June). Retrieved from Judith Butler: Your Behavior Creates Your Gender | Big Think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo7o2LYATDc | 8 - (AHS), A. G. (2021, June 10).

Gender, gender identity, and gender expression. Retrieved from MyHealth.Alberta.ca : https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/ Pages/gender-ID-expression-LGBTQ.aspx | 9 - What is LGBTQ? (2021, June). Retrieved from GayCenter.org: https://gaycenter. org/about/lgbtq/ | 10 - Drag Race Wiki. (2021, June ). Retrieved from RuPaul : https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/RuPaul | 11 - Super Soul RuPaul Charles: We’re All In Drag. (2018, Jan 16). Retrieved from Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict. com/?id=91808527&fbclid=IwAR0X2RI58_Z6jjNxnEpJTUs51-IHxTF-4nx4M6e4ERfi6U7qIF5MCvqBU3M | 12 - Super Soul RuPaul Charles: We’re All In Drag. (2018, Jan 16). Retrieved from Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/?id=91808527&fbclid=IwAR0X2RI58_Z6jjNxnEpJTUs51-IHxTF-4nx4M6e4ERfi6U7qIF5MCvqBU3M | 13 - Wissinger, E. (2016). Judith Butler Fashion and Performativity. In A. Rocamora , & A. Smelik , Thinking Through Fashion. London & New York: I.B Tauris. p. 289 | 14 - Wissinger, E. (2016). Judith Butler Fashion and Performativity. In A. Rocamora , & A. Smelik , Thinking Through Fashion. London & New York: I.B Tauris. p.290 | 15 - Wissinger, E. (2016). Judith Butler Fashion and Performativity. In A. Rocamora , & A. Smelik , Thinking Through Fashion (pp. 285-299). London & New York: I.B Tauris. | 16 - Wissinger, E. (2016). Judith Butler Fashion and Performativity. In A. Rocamora , & A. Smelik , Thinking Through Fashion. London & New York: I.B Tauris. p.291 | 17 - Wissinger, E. (2016). Judith Butler Fashion and Performativity. In A. Rocamora , & A. Smelik , Thinking Through Fashion (pp. 285-299). London & New York: I.B Tauris. | 18 - Barnard, M. (2014). Fashion Theory An introduction. New York: Routledge. p.138 | 19 - Kameron Michaels. (2021, June ).

Retrieved from Drag Race Wiki : https://rupaulsdragrace.fandom.com/wiki/Kameron_Michaels |

REVIEW OF MÅNESKIN’S FASHION STATEMENTS 1 - Ellegaard, C. (2. July 2021). ‘Eurovision-vinderne Måneskin er blevet verdensstjerner - men møder modstand i hjemlandet:

‘Der er rigtig mange, der hader os’. Retrieved from dr.dk: https://www.dr.dk/musik/eurovision-vinderne-maaneskin-er-blevet-verdensstjerner-men-moeder-modstand-i-hjemlandet-der | 2 - Måneskin. (2021). maneskinofficial. Retrieved from instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maneskinofficial/ | 3 - Butler, Judith. (1990) “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and Theatre. Ed. Sue-Ellen Case.

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP. |

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY AND IT POWER TO PROVOKATE 1 - Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 109-127). London: Pluto Press. p.120 | 2 - Cerbarano, D. R. (2020). WOMEN - A book by Nadia Lee Cohen. Vogue, https://www.vogue.it/fotografia/article/women-a-book-by-nadia-lee-cohen. | 3 - Cerbarano, D. R. (2020). WOMEN - A book by Nadia Lee Cohen. Vogue, https://www.vogue.it/fotografia/article/women-a-book-by-nadia-lee-cohen. | 4 - Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 109-127). London: Pluto Press. p.110 | 5,6&7 - Barnard, M. (2014).

Fashion Tehory. New York: Routledge. ch.8 | 8 - Wiseman, E. (2020, January 12). Body positivity has had its day. Let’s find peace

with ourselves. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/12/bodypositivity-has-had-its-day-lets-find-peace-with-ourselves | 9 - Barnard, M. (2014). Fashion Tehory. New York: Routledge. ch.8 | 10 - Barnard, M. (2014). Fashion Tehory. New York: Routledge. & Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 109-127). London: Pluto Press. | 11&12 - Sontag, S. (1973). In Plato’s Cave. In On Photography (pp. 3-24). | 13 - Sontag, S. (1973). In Plato’s Cave. In On Photography (pp. 3-24). & Summers, F. (2012). Photography and Visual Culture. In I. Heywood, & B. Sandywell, The handbook of Visual Culture (pp. 445-463). London: Berg. | 14 - Barnard, M. (2014). Fashion Tehory. New York: Routledge. ch.8 | 15 - Sontag, S. (1973). In Plato’s Cave. In On Photography (pp. 3-24). | 16Barthes, R. (1981). Camera Lucida: reflections on photography. New York: Hill and Wang. p.26 | 17 - Barthes, R. (1981). Camera Lucida: reflections on photography. New York: Hill and Wang. | 18 - Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 109-127). London: Pluto Press. p.110 | 19 - Barnard, M. (2014). Fashion Tehory. New York: Routledge. ch.8 | 20&21- Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 109-127). London: Pluto Press. | 22 - Marshall, G. (1988, June). The Culture of Capitalism. Work Employment and Society, pp. 247-260. & Buchanan, D. A., & Huczynski, A. A. (2019). Organizational behaviour. Pearson UK. | 23 - Marshall, G. (1988, June). The Culture of Capitalism. Work Employment and Society, pp. 247-260. | 24 - Buchanan, D. A., & Huczynski, A. A. (2019). Organizational behaviour. Pearson UK. p.766 | 25 - Marshall, G. (1988, June). The Culture of Capitalism. Work Employment and Society, pp. 247-260 | 26 - Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp.

109-127). London: Pluto Press. | 27 - Barnard, M. (2014). Fashion Tehory. New York: Routledge. ch.8 & Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 109-127). London: Pluto Press. | 28 - Hoskins, T. E. (2014). Fashion and Size. In T. E. Hoskins, Stitched Up, The Aniti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (pp. 109-127). London: Pluto Press. |

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