orange cat energy

Victoria's Fashion & Philosophy 2023 notes

[vickyfashion]

Fashion & Philosophy Q2 notes

(these are just a part of them)

[vickyfashion]

Models|Actors

During the lecture given by Preston Chaunsumlit, Preston discussed the role of models in the series of VFiles. One of the ideas was this: "They were trying to act. It was cheapening their image."

In the show, models were "super aware of the camera." They were thus trying to look good. Why was this cheapening their image? It is interesting that models are always expected to be themselves. They are expected to act naturally. But is it really possible for models to be themselves when they are acting all the time?

Models always perform in front of the camera. And even when trying to be themselves they are not actually being themselves but rather acting to be themselves. How to act in a way so that it will not "cheapen your image" is a different question that I struggle to give answer to.

Class 15.12.23

[vickyfashion]

Milan as an empty city

Lodovico Pignatti Morano in the book "Nicola, Milan" names Milan an empty city. Why?

Milan is a city that "exists only as much as the name of a city stamped on luxury brand shopping bags exist." Milan has lost its importance as a geographical location, as a place on the map. It lost its geographical identity via replacing it with the globally recognized brand. The city has become a brand itself.

I think this idea resonates with the role of fashion in the 21st century. The flipside of fashion is exactly that sometimes it can replace someone's identity with a fashion label. I think a good analogy can be seen on the example of fashion models. When we see fashion models on the podium, do we see their real identities? Probably not. We see them as objects, as pieces of brand. This is exactly what happened to Milan - fashion has replaced the emphasis from its real identity to its fashion identity.

Class 11.12.23

[vickyfashion]

The Devil in Pink

One of my favourite TV series when I was small was "Hey Arnold!". Looking at this series now, I realize how many contradictions there are in this cartoon which can become an amazing object for research.

Helga Pataki is a character that I find to be the most interesting. This girl is a complete opposite to the usual female behaviour. She is violent, tough, and bossy. She often bullies her classmates and takes advantage of her best friend Phoebe.

In contrast to that, Helga is fond of the pink color. She always wears a pink dress and a pink bow on her head. How come a girl with such a rude and unfeminine character is wearing something that is stereotypically female?

I find this contradiction fascinating, since the creators of the cartoon dressed the girl in pink for purpose. As we find out later, Helga actually has a soft side. She can be very emotional, loving, and gentle. Hence, her attachment to the pink might be regarded as a breakthrough of her inner soft character.

[vickyfashion]

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Intro takes a special position within the concept of seriality. SpongeBob 1999 intro song has never been regarded as a boring or an outdated one.

What makes people rewatch the same intro each episode, be it the 5th or the 25th one? Intro - is an integral part of any series, a part that makes a series a series.

Intro tells us about a circulation of the plot in a series. SpongeBob may die in the end of each episode, but be reborn in the beginning of a new one. The plot becomes circular. The intro exaggerates the role of destruction and circulation in a series, it makes us forget about what could happen in a previous episode and perceive a new episode as an independent one.

Seriality does not have an end. In fact, it can be stopped at any point and episode. Intro is thus a vital element that contributes to the structure of seriality, which makes each episode seem important and interesting to watch.

Class 4.12.23