Fashionable flesh

Society’s fascination with women’s bodies is well known, so it is therefore unsurprising that many people strive to articulate and draw attention to the pervasive objectification of women. Dresses made of animal flesh have been variously fashioned by a diverse group of figures including activist Ann Simonton, punk musician Linder Sterling, artist Jana Sterbak, and singer Lady Gaga. The effectiveness of these works is only achieved through the collaborations between celebrity and designer, artist and press, and activist and media. Dependent upon each other, these works thrive on controversy and public attention. The audience is needed to fully objectify both the model wearing the clothing and the clothing itself, doubling the objectification. By exploring the societal implications and scandals that these works provoke, we can examine the way that these meat dresses have the ability to push the viewer to consider how women’s bodies are actually consumed in daily life.

Advertising · Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Business · Celebrity culture · Clothing · Flesh · Media studies · Objectification · Political science · Punk · Sociology · Visual arts · Crafts, Textile, and Design · Fashion and Cultural Textiles · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Law

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