Date of Award
Spring 5-10-2023
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Illustration & Visual Culture
Degree Type
Thesis
Abstract
This essay shows how one can further one’s media literacy by examining episodes of fashion as a cultural phenomenon and not an insular art practice. These episodes include Martin Margiela’s tabi boot and cultural appreciation; a Björk album cover and its potential yellowface; and the Rick Owens Spring 2014 show and the question of who gets to profit from representation in high fashion. This essay also confronts the role the Internet plays in educating the masses about fashion, both as a tool and as a distraction, and questions how a platform like Diet Prada affects fashion culture. Finally, this essay explores my response to these issues through my MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture thesis project, a newspaper titled Beneath The Fold hereafter referred to by its title.
Language
English
Program Chair
John Hnedrix
Recommended Citation
Silva, Stephanie, "Proceed with Caution: Fashion and the Case for Media Literacy" (2023). MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture. 22.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mfa_illustration/22