A Critical Lens on Drawing the Body: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Size in Fashion Illustration Textbooks
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The first national meeting of textile and clothing professors took place in Madison, Wisconsin in June 1959. With a mission to advance excellence in education, scholarship and innovation, and their global applications, the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) is a professional and educational association of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education.
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Abstract
Scholars have extensively studied representations of race, gender, body, and size in visual imagery circulating in the fashion system. Our study extends Reddy-Best and Kane's (2015) study and examines representations of gender, race, and the body in fashion illustration textbooks. We asked (a) what body sizes are present?, (b) do the illustrations have diverse racial representation?, (c) and how are bodies positioned?. This study is informed by intersectionality theory, in that we critically examined multiple subject positions in relation to systems of oppression (Shields, 2008). Using content analysis, we analyzed 3622 individuals in textbooks between 2006 and 2013. The fashion illustration texts are lacking mostly in racial diversity. Additionally, Black individuals were more often pictured with lighter skin colors continuing the issues of colorism. These findings highlight the reflections of racial hierarchies present in our society, and support the need for more diverse representations in fashion illustration texts.