ABSTRACT
The Body: Fashion and Physique exhibition looked at the ideal fashionable physique as a cultural construct, one that has shifted throughout history to emphasize different shapes and proportions. The fashion industry has historically treated the body (particularly the female body) as malleable, something that can be molded and changed with the cut of a garment, sculpting underwear, diet, exercise, and even plastic surgery, depending on the period. Indeed, the exhibition began with a display of historical dress forms from the nineteenth century, in order to demonstrate how the shape of mannequins is also a cultural construct that has changed drastically over time.
