The human body has long had a relationship to what we put on it. Through piercings, tattoos, scarification, and, naturally, fashion, we’ve defined our vessels — and manipulated them. The most famous example in the Western world is, of course, the corset. In Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods, narrator Laura learns that her mother’s waist was once pulled in so tight that when Laura’s father wrapped his hands around her middle, his fingers met on either side. It’s a striking image, so much so that more than a decade after my literary travels with Laura, it’s still the first thing I think of at the mention of corsets — or the Kardashians. The 21st century ultra-celebs have brought back the concept in the form of their now-legendary (and always controversial) waist-trainers.
Other modern trends find their roots in more ancient aesthetic concerns. While high heels were first developed in Persia as a means of helping horse-mounted soldiers remain secure in their stirrups, they quickly made their way to Europe and onto the feet of aristocratic men looking for an intimidating height boost. Platforms originated in 16th- to 18th-century Venice, where noblewomen and courtesans towered over the working class in shoes called chopines that reached up to 20 inches in height and often required a maid’s support to walk in.
However, to focus solely on fashion’s (literally) uncomfortable history of bodily manipulation is to discredit its capacity for empowerment and genuine joy, a concept that’s grown in power since the advent of the internet and social media allowed tastemaking to extend past the purview of designers, retailers, and magazines and enter the hands of independent bloggers and ’grammers. Writer Leandra Medine, for instance, founded the fashion site Man Repeller in 2010 as a celebration of fashion’s absurdity, and to this day, her website and her Instagram remain visual and textual odes to an approach to dressing not unlike a child making a backyard “potion” out of sticks and mud: Throw together a lot of things that make you happy (and stir).
During my own stint as a fashion and beauty blogger, I conducted interviews with stylish friends, often asking them how skincare, makeup, and clothes tied into their image of themselves. One interviewee explained how fashion played a role in their recovery from an eating disorder, serving as a new, healthier source of self-confidence and allowing them to embrace their body as it changed.
Our photo-and-interview series explores the same line of inquiry: How do we shape and express ourselves through dress? What role does fashion play in allowing us to connect to, understand, or accept our bodies? Our interviewees speak from the vantage points of many diverse backgrounds and identities, and all have thoughtful takes on the power and meaning of fashion — plus some really, really cool looks.
Marisol Ramirez (she/her/hers) is the creative director, writer, and conducted interviews for this project