Although nude fashion might not be an everyday clothing choice - especially for those of us suffering British weather and with a decided lack of glitzy award shows to attend - nudity can certainly make a statement. The style exudes a sense of daring and rebellious sexuality, from Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 diamante nude dress to Vivienne Westwood’s raw, deconstructive street fashion which centred on and celebrated the human body as a work of art and a politicised statement.
Nakedness, however, also comes with vulnerability. The fashion world is, unfortunately, rife with harmful ideologies (yes, I’m looking at you, male gaze) so at what point does nudity simply leave the body vulnerable to capitalist and patriarchal consumption? Kate Moss’s iconic sheer slip worn to a model agency in 1993 remains a highlight of nude fashion, but in interviews surrounding the risque choice she admitted not knowing the extent to which her body was on display, raising the question: is nudity just another way for others to exploit the body?
And yet nudity can also be used to challenge social structures and their exploitation. Halle Berry’s 2002 Ellie Saab Oscar dress used her nakedness to celebrate her identity as an African-American woman, the first to win best actress. Berry purposefully used her body as a politically-charged fashion statement on a public stage, choosing to be naked. And what is fashion if not making a statement? It exists as a portable form of expression, liberation and art - a choice to express both our individual and collective identity, whether that be in the exposure of the body or in its concealment.
To be naked or not to be naked, then, is certainly a powerful choice.
