She is a Statuette

Abigail Towler

The hyper-sexualisation and treatment of the female body within the fashion industry reflects patriarchal standards seen in the wider public, and perpetuates ideas of the male gaze as the ‘ideal’. Many campaigns, such as the ‘Round the Clock’ campaign in 1988, unnecessarily cater to this male gaze by using the female body as an object of desire.

In response to this, I have created a series of images which use symbolism to connote traditional, patriarchal, Christian ideas of ‘purity’ and ‘virginity’ in order to represent the female body when placed under the contradictive male gaze.

This series aims to highlight the damage of allowing the male gaze to determine the ‘worth’ of the female body, particularly in the fashion industry. The title “She is a Statuette” alludes to this, comparing the female body to a lesser, smaller version of a statue – an object to be seen and desired.