Fashion

Joseph Campbell once commented that the female had mythic power within herself, but the male had to adorn himself—as king, priest, warrior—to gain that same power. Culture has gone from Venus of Willendorf  (earth mother) to the Greek Venus (ideal woman) to Virgin to seductress to the contemporary buffet of choices for women to be women.

Since so much of this journey has taken place in a patriarchal society, it is reasonable to think about how this impacts the balance of mythic power related to gender. Many of the most revered designers of women’s clothes are men. Men traditionally dressed themselves in conservative garb. The women they dressed with excessive jewelry, makeup and clothing that dispatched their mythic power and simply sexualized them.  Was this simply a means to diminish women’s power and take charge of their sexuality? Did women consciously select this often uncomfortable and revealing fashion? Did women feel this was the way to take back their own feminine nature?

The NY Times women’s fashion issue is an interesting resource to consider some of these issues. Some fashion presents the seductress. Some fashion presents the woman as man. Some presents the woman searching for identity, much like I think is the case in the real world. In one image a coutured female leans against a naked male, reversing gender roles and mythic balance.

These excursions into fashion image have not been lost on men. Men are increasingly choosing cosmetic surgery. Hair style, clothing style, make up and jewelry are now a part of the image for men.  Men’s wardrobes steal from women’s in flair, color, fabric and diversity. The search for identity in gender, power, sexuality and mythic meaning continues.

On oddity beyond the anorexic male and female models and the hypermale models is the fact that none of these models ever smile. They all seem grim, glum, emotionless, humorless. This I don’t know what to make of.