Where is Every Body
This student-curated exhibition looked at the mannequins that are used to display garments in a museum. The history of mannequins was examined as well as their use in the present, and the notions of beauty, normativity, and aesthetics that they reflect back at the viewer.
The first exhibition in the Richard Blackwell gallery after the museum was re-opened post-COVID closure.
When viewing the mannequins in this exhibit, how many of them look like you? How many body types are represented? How many different races and ethnicities? Though mannequins are made in the image of humans, most people don’t find any semblance of themselves in these models on display in stores or exhibits.
Mannequins are useful, especially in a museum setting, because they allow curators to share textiles and clothing with the public. Mannequins themselves showcase history as they have evolved as fashion, use, and popular styles have changed.
Though they seem harmless, mannequins are not neutral. They can perpetuate harmful body standards, exclude race and ethnicity, and enforce gendered norms. They represent the ideal, not the real.
