Fashion, identity & diversity in Hasselt’s museums
Trends & sense of self : how to be comfortable in a society influenced by a collective thought and mass movement? Two exhibitions in Hasselt’s Fashion museum and art museum Z33 give you a hint.
Identity is a complex concept in the humanities and social sciences. Indeed, it relies on our experiences, relationships, values and memories that make one’s identity, in other words one’s sense of self. Throughout the time, humans are evolving but these changes remain one’s identity and a constant sense of who one is.
Fashion plays a significant role in the journey of searching for ourselves by constantly constructing and reconstructing our identity to the world. Indeed, this notion of showing up to others through our clothing means a lot in the process of identity. Our way of dressing directly shows our personality to other people and so, who we are but also who we want to appear and how society wants us to fit in. Thereby, this outlines the question of identity; in a time of social media and the internet, are fashion and identity compatible?
Dress Undress
“To conceal or to reveal?” — Modemuseum in Hasselt
In the region of Limburg in Belgium, Hasselt offers exhibitions on these questions of identity and how to find ourselves in a society following common trends. The exhibition Dress Undress from the ModeMuseum tackles the idea of fashion trends and their reflection on our values and norms. “It’s a great time to think about what fashion arouses in people, both the wearer and the viewer”. It approaches a quick glance at fashion history and how nudity, concealing and revealing, is influenced by trends through ages.
This exhibition is organized by Murielle Scherre, the founder of the sustainable lingerie brand La fille d’O and guest curator. She offers to the visitors throughout the exhibition her way of showing and accepting ourselves and our differences because every body is beautiful.
Indeed, her vision of fashion is not only based on the clothes but also on bodies which play an essential role. Therefore, during the visit, we are surrounded with videos in the corridor and on the second floor from real people, a way for Scherre to show bodies in motion with their own experiences with genderness and individuality and cast an intimate lens on societal issues. Scherre invites us to think and question the prevailing ideals of beauty and mechanisms of control of concealing and revealing in the world of fashion and society.
“Is she naked or not?”, let surround yourselves with questions on gender, differences, identity and freedom in this exhibition until November 20th.
“What would change about the way the female body is portrayed in general media? uh… everything hahaha. I think we need to get rid of the image we should comply to and that is completely impossible” — Annelore, a 26 years old professional body piercer.
Fitting In
“How can we, without losing ourselves, become part of a larger entity?” — Z33
From social science articles and surveys, identity work relies on four main bases, the surface self such as your gender, age and race, the personal self relying on your family, friends and attributes, the thinking self working on values and politics and finally the doing self focusing on your lived experiences.
Here, Z33 invites you to immerse into this question of identity and individuality among mass movements and trends.
Discover in this exhibition involving all of your senses with music, sounds, textures, colors and lights this question of a classical but porous concept of ‘identity’ within diversity.
#BodyPositive
“I feel slightly comfortable. I know photoshop exists and I sometimes compare myself with those people that use photoshop, however I’m okay with who I am in this society and I feel good” — Luna, she/her, 18 years old
“I feel comfortable when I wear clothes I feel good in” — Lisa, she/her, 23 years old
Appearance style becomes a way of expressing ourselves and what we are standing for. These quotes from Belgian young women testify that clothes can help us in our journey of identification within society or on the contrary can lose us among trends and mass movement. Altogether, clothes and appearance take a huge place in our lives and so, we should take advantage of it.
So, ready to express yourself?
