Fashion's Unhealthy Obsession with Body Image

[@Kinglystateof]

Clothing serves the purpose of covering the body FASHION serves the purpose of covering the body in a creative way. Where silhouettes could be achieved with different forms of padding now we want the actual body to serve as the accessory which can be dangerous because the same body type is given access

[@sudesconcierto2517]

2:25 as someone with a somewhat different experience of life (im a woman, 17) i feel like everyone's experience of oversized clothes is different in what the goal is. It does, essentially, hide the body, yet everyone does that for different reasons. Personally, ive experienced through my life that a big part of the value we have (at least women) is attached to our body. Weather your flat or curvy, skinny or overweight, what your defects are and what your assets are. Over sized clothes eliminates that variable, im no longer my body, i can de-attach from it.

[@alexandre724]

like Billie Eillish

[@goblinwizard735]

I love the oversize clothing trend because i have body dysmorphia from being an overweight kid in our culture, and i also have physical sensitivity issues from ADHD. The slim fit trend was abject hell for me, for many years i couldn’t find clothes i felt at all comfortable or relaxed in. I feel like there should be a wide range of fits available so people can build their own favorite silhouettes. Style over fashion. It’s absurd to me when fashionistas say a certain kind of fit (or body type) is ‘out’. I don’t expect designers to cover every fit every season but over time options build up. It’s bizarre for the entire clothing industry to produce just one fit for years, whatever that fit is. Make playfulness the trend.

[@Baalenciaga666]

I couldn’t agree more! That’s probably one of the reasons why I love Demna!

[@MartinMosqueda3]

It’s because it’s all about making money. They push trends because they keep changing, and people will spend $ to purchase the new trends in fear of looking “out” / “outdated”

[@More13Feen]

I have sensory issues due to ASD. But while I do like the oversized pants for genderambigious play, and for comfortable tummies, I STILL love the skinny fit on my legs cuz its les sensory imput to me. I am so comfortable in sports leggins, but its so hard to make them fashionable with out leaning in to the spirts element. So I am back to what Ibwore when I was 14 in the 2000 lol. Skinny leggins and oversized tops and shirt with doc martins 😅 I was freaking bullied for wearing docs in highschool lol.

[@PennonsFall]

No lengthy intro. Respect. There's too much to talk about on this one. Self-perception and comparative perception always compete with social perception and assumed social perception via bias and the individual experience. The human psyche is incredibly complex and depending on how we've internalized those beauty expectations encompassed by current or past zeitgeists it can be an incredibly antagonistic experience. Designers who refute those trends give room for permissable shifts but it takes the collective attitude for many to feel individually accepted (unfortunately).

[@iAnon666]

So many words. You’re right tho. Perspectives are as varied as the individual. It can be scary to step outside the bounds of accepted norms until others lead the way.

[@PennonsFall]

@@iAnon666 it's hard to be succinct in this. Though it is a text wall! Oops . . .

[@iAnon666]

@@PennonsFall I’m just messin with you. Very astute observations, my friend.

[@PennonsFall]

@@iAnon666 appreciate that :)

[@rachelmorra1970]

I am 76 years old…..so glad I found you

[@AshAhms]

I think a good and relatable analogy (for those curious) for Ma is the moment of suspense right before a jumpscare, or the pause before the dramatic swell of a musical ensemble - they just aren't what they are without the 'emptiness' in between. A similar tangent to that in western culture/psychology would be negative space in Gestalt Theory, a relationship between the presence and absence of a 'thing'.

[@brooks1700]

nothing short of legislation is going to make designers reject the sheer industrial practicality of dressing slim people first. the dolls/avatar thing is really pertinent since models basically aren’t treated as or expected to be real people either

[@mikeletaurus4728]

The clothes don't feel as "aggressive" to me as much as they feel protective. Noir Kei Ninomiya's brilliant spiked jacket at 4:22 reminds me of the protective spikes on horned lizards, or the armored plates of the pangolin. They don't say "I'm going to hurt you." Rather, they say "Stay away. If you try to hurt me, you will get hurt." It's different. That feels like one theme running through current fashion. Another, related theme is the literal protection that volume provides. It prevents others from entering our personal space. Today's cultural backdrop for fashion is comprised of pandemics, frequent climate disasters, weekly mass shootings, and existential dread caused by the possibility of a global nuclear military catastrophe. As a result, fashion is both reflecting and answering the enormous dose of PTSD sloshing around in the current zeitgeist.

[@LauraVolpintesta]

I was born in 72 and dreaded nuclear war every day since I was a kid, so I wonder if the “current” is any different now than then!?

[@nero9978]

Ironically just had started to feel shit because of my size, and clothing sizes, and then bliss blesses me with this

[@jennifer__e]

learning about fashion always leaves me feeling a pit in my stomach, kinda like how watching vsauce makes me feel (good stomach pit to be clear). yh jts “just clothes” but the way the clothes impact and are impacted by the world around us is insane djdnsjd i wanted to be a designer when i was 10, not knowing how to design anything, and now im 22, still not knowing how to design, and having more of an interest in alternative fashion generally, im learning i can still engage with fashion without being a model or designer. this channel is awesome

[@unite1770]

Just curious because I am interested in fashion amd desing too, but I am a liitle put pf by the industry behind it and dont really know path I want to take especially, because I think it will be hard to endure amd I havent found anyone who represents fashion out of the mainstream industry in a way thag would interest me, I wanted to ask how do you think you'll engage with fashion?

[@jennifer__e]

@@unite1770 i wear styles im interested in, and im part of small communities of people who wear similar fashion (jfashion in this case). i also follow a bunch of people in and out of jfashion circles, and i consume a fair amount of fashion criticism content on twitter, instagram, youtube, etc. i’m mostly a spectator to be honest. high fashion (?) isn’t really my thing beyond the storytelling aspect. i wish i could help you better here but i went a completely different route in my studies (engineering lol). i am currently looking into how i can work in industry with my degree at least, possibly on textiles and whatnot. time will tell. don’t be afraid to look into more underground groups, vintage styles, alternative communities etc. i wish you luck on your journey :)

[@StefanSte]

0:33 Not to be that guy, but im not into desinger clothing. Im into Art Theory. All sorts of art and what ppl think about it. And all the fun cross links that you can only notice when you know enough kinds of art theorist

[@megfletcher1294]

My graduate collection concept surrounds this! The curated self vs your true self ❤️ great video x

[@agatheescalier5838]

Ery grateful to live in a century where it's possible to have access to those sharing thoughts, absolutely free. This is pure food for the soul, thanks again!

[@owentate6018]

I'm just finishing my first semester in fashion school and have been watching your videos since I was preparing for my application. Love your work!

[@joselinvilla5805]

I'm glad you finally talk about Simone Rocha's work. She's one of my favorites too. Please, please make a video for her.

[@joylox]

I have unusual proportions due to a medical condition I have, so I spent a lot of time trying to either wear things that didn't fit right, or wearing things that were too big so it didn't matter if it fit right. It's always interesting to see how clothes will fit, and what works, especially when I make it, but also just comparing mannequins to people, you never know what it will fit like. Initially I didn't understand why some stores catered more to petite or plus sizes, but it's because of those proportions being different from standard sizing where you can't just size up a pattern and have it fit. It seems to be a challenge for quite a few men I know as most men's clothes in stores are made for that slim straight body shape, and not everyone fits that. And where women will often have a curvy or plus option, I've never seen that with men's clothes.

[@janie9355]

a video that had me immediately trying to think of everybody know remotely interested in fashion so i can force them to watch it :)

[@o.o5152]

Will you talk about the Balenciaga campaign controversy? I would love to hear your opinion on it

[@hypersynesthesia]

Well now I know what I'm doing when I'm in Antwerp this Christmas! This exhibition looks so compelling and intriguing. I can't wait to see it. Ok, lemme STFU and watch the rest of the video.

[@hypersynesthesia]

Oh shit I just saw that the show spans Antwerp and Ghent, and I will be staying in both cities. Awesome.

[@lauramason5667]

And I thought you were going to be talking about the thin standards of the modeling industry Still, a good show!

[@aldogoegan3091]

So much depth 🙌🙌🙌

[@artSFCA]

WVB had a cool store in Antwerp. The entrance was a garage door. LOVE Antwerp!

[@eduardowolf8890]

If there was one weak point it would probably have to be the avatar it doesn’t feel like the end of the exhibition but a continuing even when it’s ending. That’s why I feel Bliss didn’t talk about it much cause it was very surface level and didn’t have much to say.

[@stevezytveld6585]

I am slowly coming around to oversized clothing. As a teenager in the 80's, dress was all about revealing your form. And about that form being judged - usually as something not acceptable. In my graduating class about 12 people were diagnosed and in treatment for eating disorders (worst. trend. ever.). The idea of women taking up space hasn't really been seen in modern fashion since the Dior fit'n'flairs of the 1950's. In the 1800's and earlier - women took up a significant amount of space. Between the paniers and the bustles there was literal space between the person and anyone else in the environment. Optical illusion and silhouette trumped your natural body lines and fashion became about form. It became about the proportion of your waistline to hip flair and bust line. On the whole, the fashion was fit to your body, as opposed to the present day where your body is dictated and any deviation viewed as a personal failure. The question that arises for me is 'when did taking up space in a room become almost revolutionary in its aggressiveness (& why is that perceived as aggressive)'. In the 1940's, as America entered the war, the War Department took measurements of fighter piolets (plenty of different plot points) to try and design a 'standardized' flight cockpit. Only problem? Humans don't standardize. Just because you have long legs doesn't necessarily dictate a long arm reach... In other words - mannequins lie. They are an idealized representation of the human body that only loosely relates to reality. And mannequins are so ubiquitous in society that they are hardly ever examined to suss out what message they are speaking. Who is left out of that three dimensional representation - and why. In the 1700's 'fashion dolls' were used as a way to convey the latest fashions from France & Europe. Just like a 3/4 mannequin for dress design it's a way to experiment and communicate ideas in a smaller, more affordable form. The 3D motion capture representation of clothing is astounding. One of the 'fall down, go boom' moments in fashion history is trying to recreate what these delicate articles would have looked like when they were in movement on a human body. Fashion isn't static - it's interactive with its environment. Thanks Mr. Bliss. Good talk. Have a good week. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi

[@bonniekweenie880]

With ‘ma’ I assume it’s 間 in Japanese. It’s a typical character and concept derived from ancient Chinese. In transformation between languages, it lost 2 aspects in meaning: it could also refer to the secrecy of a gap, as an unexpected little area between two gates, or the gap in communication. This part of the meaning came from the earliest form of this character on the oracle bones inscriptions, in the hieroglyphs it means a piece of moon shining through two panels of doors.

[@Lyvit]

Amazing video, thank you for your work !

[@BlissFoster]

Our pleasure! We love what we do 💫💫

[@forcastfascistfuture]

This is incredible! So many next-level ideas being presented here. The thing about women being presented as pieces of attractive things really makes me think. Also your shoes are amazing Bliss!

[@juliettedemaso7588]

“Cool people who don’t care about trends” are the people who make the next trends. I mean the things that come up organically from people’s lived experiences, not just access to resources and connections granted from a hoard of purchased and passed-down privilege. This isn’t just about fashion, but let’s use that for simple context.. if you are affluent, have come through western academia, are a certain demographic, size, shape, class, age, willingness to pander to institutionalized establishment etc, you are trying to create movement and meaning for the purpose of serving capital. This causes social engineering, manufactured culture, via gatekeeping. It’s transgressive, because it often stands solely on provenance, prior success and struggles of others , referencing tradition, but it’s more just adherence to “brand”. Which is heavily confined by consultants and data analysts: who again, will so rarely be able to bring anything other than xerox copies of copies of copies. Their lived experiences, material conditions, are too narrow and identical. We’re now at the stage where we appropriate the appropriations. The emphasis on “brand” and “promotion” has obfuscated the reason anything became a label or a thing of fresh excitement to begin with: meaning. Everything is so decontextualized from broader material reality the entire industry feels like a simulation. If they couldn’t keep displaying the originators work, claiming proxy value for themselves, they would only be able to stand on their own craft, skill, insight, experiences, vision, and creativity. And this is especially true for any conversation about body image.

[@yoginella]

Great video as always! If you take your idea about the childlike aspect of volume in Molly Goddards' work further you could add that at the beginning of life humans don't differentiate between themself and their surrounding environment and see everthing as an extension of themself. By recognizing themself in a mirror the child moves his egocentric perspective and his world shrinks while the environment grows in relation to them. So you could argue that by taking space and increasing your bodily volume the boundaries between the ego and the outside world blur and maybe disappear.

[@Gilbertify1]

I wish the video were more focused on weight, body dysmorphia, etc. Can you make a topic on how fashion and modeling is unhealthy? And advertising effect on public body image? It’s not an innovative topic but could be fun. Great video Bliss!

[@casperaaron5530]

I feel like the digital section was just… super shallow? Like damn why do all the digital avatars look like people? Go on VR chat for 30 seconds and you’ll see three furries a slime ball a Cheeto bag and an amorphous cloud of fog having a perfectly normal conversation lmao

[@joylox]

Makes me think of Gary's Mod, where there were so many different things you could be. Especially with prop hunt, where it seemed pretty silly to be a moving water bottle. There are all sorts of ways to do things, and I wish I had more time to play with stuff like that when I took courses about things like human-computer interaction. I'd love to learn more about why people chose what they do when it comes to the realm of presenting yourself as something that's impossible in the real world. And I say that as a cosplayer who has made some costumes that didn't always seem possible or wearable.

[@madelinegrudens]

You're so interesting and your commentary is smooth 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@elenanina]

This was so incredibly interesting!

[@tiagofaustorosa3564]

Best intro ever❤!

[@MaddyBlackbart]

It looks like they only looked at "influencers" in the avatar section mostly is what I'm getting from your video.I think the avatar section was a missed opportunity to interview/show fashion designs from actual virtual world fashion houses. IE the former Stiletto moody who made 1 million real world dollars selling virtual shoes in early 2010s in second life ( believe they make phone apps now though). There's more examples (In SL alone blueberry, Maitreya, Azoury, ETC. The list goes on) as well as even virtual world fashion magazines, models, photoshoots, fashion shows ETC. I only know of SL ones off hand but I guarantee there's more in other virtual worlds. It really is such a HUGE missed opportunity that they could have looked into and might have added greatly to there exhibit.

[@MaddyBlackbart]

SL= the virtual world second life BTW should have made that clear. Other virtual worlds exist that are even older of course as well as VR worlds like virtual chat that all have different styles and ways of expressing self through there avatar's body and style. They could have really explored what it means to look and be fashionable in a world where there is no real limits on what the physical body can be/look like and how that effects how you view the self in those worlds.

[@athena2824]

Brilliant video Bliss

[@sawsaga]

Great stuff as usual Bliss 🎉

[@vitaminj664]

Thoughts on the balenciaga scandle?

[@royceharvey5894]

Do you know if this exhibition had a book release with it????

[@BlissFoster]

Absolutely, and it’s great. If you search “MOMU Antwerp Mirror Mirror book” it should come up 💫💫

[@marvinraphaelmonfort8289]

ugh issey! would love to wear one of those under a comme paperdoll coat

[@sp_ce2737]

I don't want to be rude or anything but it would be great if you could add designer and season with images you show. I still love your videos and most of the time you mention the designer anyways or its obvious but it still would be great. Critique on a veeeeeery high level so I don't expect it in your next videos if you think it's not worth the effort:)

[@karinasarsenova7275]

hey! i bought the membership, how come when i click join discord server, i cant seem to join?

[@BlissFoster]

Send me a message on Patreon. Usually it’s because you’re trying to join on your phone. It’s waaaay easier to connect to the discord using desktop 💫💫 Either way, send me a Patreon message and I’ll get you sorted 🦾

[@dellplummer5173]

Ma is the one thing I head Rei talk about in english, years ago.

[@umyum1895]

Also I forgot about the margiela doll clothes. So that's why I thought moral oral had a clean fit.

[@RUGGENGRAATKWIJT]

Damn im early, i love it

[@EduNauta95]

Video idea for you Bliss: These recent weeks the world of high fashion has broken into The Mainstream Discourse (tm) (ie the normie part of my twitter feed) concerning Balenciaga and the pedophilia stuff. Leaving aside the schizoridiculous aspect of the conspiracy theories, i do think there is space for a conversation about the abnormal tendency of high fashionistas over the last half century maybe, to focus on anorexic and childlike body types. Maybe some sort of neopseudofreudian psychohistorical analysis of the whole situation would be fun to make.

[@sarahwatts7152]

Yeah, I agree. Children in fashion is crazy problematic, partially because of the ethics of child labor and sexualization, but also because high fashion clothes for children isn't practical in terms of wears per use, and in terms of the messy activities that children like to get into

[@yoginella]

...or simply: Dirty eyes see dirty things. (As one part of Dolce&Gabbana once said)

[@MEGAlarfy]

@@yoginella Tenatively agree. It's pretty clear why and how younger people are getting in to fashion, as, while it has been an often youthful practice, the prevalence of social media in youth culture and social as well as commercial dynamics it empowers. However, I don't think there is anything close to "wrong" with children enjoying and consuming fashion. I also find the connection to children unwarranted as the only real relation they have is being slim, which itself is no new element of discourse and result from numerous alternative influences and reasons.

[@yoginella]

@@MEGAlarfy Yes, the 'scandal' about the current Balenciaga add shows the deeper thoughts and associations in the minds of some people. It reminds me of similar reactions for the works of Balthus or the (intentional?) misinterpretation of 'Lolita'. Unfortunately you'll find predators and scumbags in any profession. But to assume that everybody who works with children is a childmolester, is unfair and delusional. When I saw the infamous add for the first time, not a single thought crossed my mind that something amoral or criminal might be implied, although I'm pretty invested in eveything BDSM.

[@daniellohse8673]

None of these words were in the bible

[@maxorcism]

yeah

[@gggutinho]

Best intro

[@marvinraphaelmonfort8289]

wait, so walter made the giant hat for/with the artist who made the fat car?

[@makeup_onhermind]

As a woman, oversized clothing for me has been a certain emancipation from dressing my body to impress others - to "showing off" my shape - and often being uncomfortable or cold in the process. It feels like freedom for me, freedom to look stylish without having to compromise my wellbeing or to stylize myself into an object of desire. It's honestly a big part of self-care for me! That's not to say I never wear things that are tight or show some skin, but oversized is my total comfort zone. AND it look so cool :D

[@shura_stone]

Balenciaga please ❤

[@millasart7664]

12:43 - Magalu 😂

[@wednesday9436]

Brbrbrbr

[@Xinxanm]

😯

[@flowerboy2338]

Thumbnail craig mcdean for jil sander wohooo

[@RimaTouya180]

large clothes is so comfortable, look effortless yet trendy.

[@papersculptureslooklikesta2793]

Mama i aint never been this early

[@evemuresan3802]

Please talk about Balenciaga!

[@umyum1895]

Someone give fat car the EpiPen please

[@akiraasmr3002]

Will you talk about the whole Balenciaga controversy? I think ppl have gone crazy with over blowing things while there are things that are disgusting like the document thing other things were making things something they were not like how the harness is seen as solely fetish BDSM gear when ppl like Matthew Williams and others have taken stuff like leather harnesses and made them more accessible to regular ppl and allowed regular ppl to incorporate leather harnesses in their wardrobe. So the bear wearing the harness is something that modern fashion ppl wear like Matthew Williams also they wore alot of Goth culture things as well and they were even labelled Goth bears. But a lot of conspiracy theory ppl have made things to be that these fashion companies are just satanic pedos who want to turn their kids gay or trans. While I admit Balenciaga should have been monitoring their ad campaigns better if they are going to let 3rd parties get involved but a lot of ppl have overblown things. Even Kanye has defending Balenciaga now saying ppl are doing a witch hunt and ppl are partaking in cancel culture by cancelling Balenciaga.

[@jamesscalise4990]

I don't really understand what's "disgusting" about the document. To me that is very clearly just a super unfortunate coincidence that would be extremely easy to overlook, but of course the conspiratorially minded there's no such thing as a coincidence. For what it's worth, it's not a "pro" child porn court case lmao, it's the opposite.

[@casperaaron5530]

Yeah Kanye defending them is an indication that what they were doing was fucked up. He’s hardly a moral authority right now

[@lilym2134]

@@jamesscalise4990 No there is no coïncidence here. I don't bélière complotists but Iam sûre everything in this campaign Washington Washington under DA contrôl.

[@jamesscalise4990]

@@lilym2134 lol yeah you definitely seem like you don't believe in conspiracies

[@joylox]

I didn't have as much of a problem with the bears as such (at least the white one seemed fine, the purple was a bit more questionable), but there were other items in the background that didn't seem to make sense with the references and ideas for the images. Like a beer can with a candle, and some of the items on the white table one didn't seem age appropriate (wine glasses, the way the child's legs were spread apart over a straw?). There were some wrong choices made that could have been easily edited out, as I've edited out things from images before using free software, and they have access to professional photo editing and set designers.

[@giannicalderon315]

LET’S TALK ABOUT BALENCIAGA

[@Aluenvey]

Oh wait, you could start out designing clothes for dolls first.

[@miguelpadilla5582]

8th

[@gregdahlen4375]

bliss has quite a few gods ha ha polytheist

[@kong00000]

First

[@BlissFoster]

Third 😔

[@kobicho]

I thought he was gonna talk about fat people in fashion

[@joshme3659]

This video doesn’t speak to me

[@undsnation]

just get swole

[@cinar2]

first

[@BlissFoster]

Second 😔

[@tinarieck322]

“Girly” is a very problematic adjective, please reconsider your use of it.

[@sarahberney]

In the context of describing the mood of Molly Goddard's designs, it's accurate. No?

[@user-rr5lj8nu3n]

Very rude to judge someones use of words and then follow it up with a demand.

[@atefless]

Talk about Balenciaga

[@MEGANLILYTHOMAS]

MOMU. Mode Museum Antwerp, Mirror Mirror fashion and the Psyche - emphasis on how humans perceive their body - We are seen by other people but also by ourselves - Does fashion help with that problem?^ - Volume and unexpected proportions - How silhouettes can manipulate perceptions of others or yourself, to yourself - Clouding perception - Taking up space is such an aggressive proposition - In oversized there’s no perception of what your body looks like - The space, or lack of between the clothes and you - MA, Japanese - FASHION AT THE EDGE Pieces that tie in with the reflection theme: 1. Comme des garçons SS/97M ”Body meets dress dress meets body” 2.