Brayham Contemporary Art: September 2010

It has been some time since I wrote my last blog post. I have been meaning to get back to writing as I really miss it, but it has been a busy few months. Instead of blogging I have been doing lots of reading and writing about the experience of blogging and taught a course at the University of Waterloo this summer, where I had my students blog. Blogging is an interesting phenomenon. Most blogs exist in this liminal space - a space that is seemingly private, but at the same time very public. You write for yourself, but also for anyone that happens to come across your blog. Your readers could be everyone, or no one at all.

One of the reasons I have not been blogging is that I am in the midst of my PhD comprehensive exam. In my department this is a a four month process. You get three questions, four months to read and write your responses and then two-weeks later, you have your oral defense. I feel fortunate to have an amazing committee and together they crafted three questions that are interesting and inspiring, but at the same time challenging and thought-provoking.

However, it is my question # 2 and three different experiences that I have had over the past 24 hours that has inspired me to start blogging again.

#2 - Discuss the basic tenants of feminist theory. How might these ideas contribute to an understanding of fashion, clothing, and women's identity? Explore how these ideas inform a research project on the meanings, images, stereotypes, and symbolism of "the dress" in leisure settings?

A month ago a friend and colleague invited me to accompany her to go see the Toronto production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore. I have to admit that I am a bit of a theatre snob and typically prefer alternative and experimental theatre. Despite my initial reservations, I figured, why not? The reviews seemed positive enough, and who knows maybe it would inspire me or at least give me a popular culture take on my topic. And of course, it would be a nice break and a chance to get together with a friend.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Cover Art, Written and Illustrated by Ilene Beckerman

Algonquin Books 1994

Image courtesy of Ilene Beckerman and http://www.amazon.com

Once I got over the pastel frosted cookies, strawberry daiquiris and the sparkling wine they were selling at the concession and in the aisles of the theatre, I actually really enjoyed this production. (I am still wondering though, when exactly did they start selling refreshments inside the theatre as it somehow cheapens the entire experience, making it feel like a baseball game rather than theatre.) Delia and Nora Ephron created a smart, witty, poignant and funny script based on the images and text from Ilene Beckerman's charming illustrated book, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, interwoven with recollections and personal stories collected from their friends. I didn't want to like this play - but I did.

The play opens with the line, "These dresses tell a story" and finishes with "The story of my life ... that is personal to other people too." The story woven by the five female actors is one that many women, and many men with sisters, wives, or girlfriends, can relate to. It is the story of the perfect dress; the "outfit" that your mother thought looked fabulous on you, but made you the subject of ridicule at school; and the bulging closet that contains nothing fit to wear. It is a story of memories, fashion, relationships, mothers and daughters, and our struggle with identity and body image. It examines our subconscious, while poking gentle fun at many of the stereotypes associated with shopping, fashion, friends and family.

As I have been reading and thinking this past month, my thoughts kept returning to the script of this play. About how much of what was said echoes what I have been reading in the academic literature and plays with my own thoughts, images, insecurities, and ideals. So, as I finished reading Fiona Blaikie's article Knowing Bodies: A Visual and Poetic Inquiry into the Professoriate this afternoon, I asked my husband if he would be willing to go see Love, Loss, and What I Wore with me this evening, as somehow I felt I needed to see it again.

I wanted to return, this time with a notebook and pen, to capture some of the lines, the images, the thoughts, and the ideas that are shared between art, popular culture, research and life. I thought back to the line in Blaikie's article "I stand on my record and my high heels." About how loaded the messages carried in certain items of clothing are. "Everyone looks gorgeous in high heels" stated one of the actors. Followed by the statement "Heels or think?" Why do we feel compelled to have to make this choice? Is it really that impossible to be a smart feminist and still wear heels, dresses and lipstick?

While the focus of much of the dialogue of Love, Loss, and What I Wore focused on the relationship women have with their clothing, body image was a strong underlying theme. More specifically how most of us are not satisfied, happy or accepting of how we look. We are either too fat, or too thin. We can not gain weight or find it impossible to lose weight. And then there is the subject of our breasts!

Last night I went to the Canadian National Exhibition for the first time since moving to Toronto six years ago. I actually really dislike these large scale exhibitions or fairs. The idea of crowded midways, bad food, hawkers trying to get you to try your luck to win some giant stuffed object, and buildings filled with objects that you really do not need or even want, just does not appeal to me. However, there we were making our way through the crowds to see Cheryl-Ann Webster's exhibit The Beautiful Women Project. Webster embarked on this project after her thirteen-year old daughter came home from school and announced that one of her friends was saving up money for breast implants. As a mixed-media sculptor, she decided to create a project that would not only celebrate women's bodies but also their individual spirits.