Despite what sexed-up
vampire shows like True Blood try to tell us, there is nothing sexy about
death. The cold, grotesque reality of a corpse is something which strikes fear
and disgust into the heart of most – it is a cruel reminder of our finite
reality, our inevitable end. Fashion, however, mostly conjures up far more
pleasant images. From the location-based fantasies of fashion editorial to the
luxury fabrics and displays of extravagance shown on the runway, fashion is
designed to be aspirational. Gender politics and political issues occasionally
get mentioned (mainly thanks to Miuccia and Vivienne), but at its core fashion
is an industry built on aspiration. On the whole, we aspire to wealth and to
beauty, and the runways reflect these aspirations en masse.
However, in a recent
series entitled UGLY, Showstudio launched an investigation into the concept of
ugliness and how it can be rendered desirable in the hands of certain
mavericks. The series is also designed to explore the various reasons for the
social reluctance to accept ugliness – after all, society is informed by its
surroundings. The things that we see and associate as ‘ugly’ are not only
repulsive to us because of our own life experiences and our own perceptions,
but the perceptions of the age in which we grew up. The example that Lou
Stoppard cites as being “of our time” is the Harley Street generation, a legion
of men and women determined to bleach out any imperfection. We are often told
our imperfections are what make us perfect, but in a world of “Human Barbies”
and silicone experiments gone wrong, it seems that we are reluctant to listen
to this advice. It could be as simple as covering a pimple or as extreme as breast
enhancement, the concept remains the same – it is the concept of “self-improvement”
which we are shown to be technologically possible in the modern world.
Unsurprisingly enough, the importance of hygiene and cleanliness is also
related to these examples of aesthetic perfection. Decay, disease, dirtiness – all
of these are to be avoided at all costs. Instead, our bodies and faces should
be gleaming, free of blemishes, plastic, artificial.
