Title

Proceed with Caution: Fashion and the Case for Media Literacy

Author

Stephanie SilvaFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2023

Author's School

Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Author's Department

Graduate School of Art

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