This week I have been completing further research into identity, this time looking specifically at models. After researching Alexander McQueen’s 2000 London show ‘Voss’ last week, I wanted to go into further depth regarding the model, Michelle Olley, who was revealed at the end of the show lying nude on a chaise lounge. This moment of the show was shocking for many and remains a historical moment in fashion history.
I found through my research Michelle Olley’s diary entries from when McQueen proposed the idea to her up to the aftermath of the show, which she comically regards as the ‘after-moth’, and these entries are incredibly humanistic and eye-opening. She writes about her thought process when she is first approached to be included in the show, “a short, fat bird in his latest evening gown? Get outta here…”, and her attitude towards her body throughout the entries is comically relatable. She questions what she has signed up for in a frenzy of disbelief and shock “reeling from what I had just agreed to do “for art”.” She goes on to question what or who she is doing it for, “did I represent freedom or oppression, death or rebirth, or just dusty, ample flesh?”, and speaking on turning herself over to be used for someone else’s idea, which at that point, she did not fully comprehend.
She details the process of preparing for the show and fully coming to terms with what has been asked of her, even including in her panic of realisation that she is due on her period the week of the show. In her description of the events of the show, she details being stiff and uncomfortable in the box, having to stay still so as not to damage the intricate mask and moths that are in the box. She also writes about there being air-conditioning in the box to keep the moths and butterflies placid which meant she was freezing and covered in goosebumps during the run-up to the show, which was around two hours; “I’ve got at least an hour and a half alone in here, and that’s if the show starts on time, which of course they never, ever do.” Despite her worries concerning the fluttering insects being in the small space with her, she writes in her diary “having all those beautiful butterflies and moths flutter around me was unworldly and exciting”. It is easy to perceive the conception of the show as other-worldly, but to think that even being stuck in a cramped box for multiple hours, nude and surrounded by insects, Michelle Olley still felt the effect of the show she was about to be a part of, is captivating.
It falls. I’m bathed in light. Not a sound from the audience. I’m thinking of nothing but the last thing Lee said to me before the walls went up—my stage directions—“Head down, tubes forward, left arm grips the cow horns” (the horns are the sofa’s back). Still thoughts. No flinching. The glass falls fat and heavy; none bounces back from the white tiles. The moths are free. The wall behind goes a couple of seconds later, causing a collective gasp from the audience that echoes ’round the former bus depot. All I can see through my piggy eyes is the empty moth net on the ground. I can hear the applause now though, spreading through the venue like a wave of thunder.
To be able to read a first hand account from Michelle Olley as she made her mark in fashion history is truly eye-opening and a reminder of just how human she is, and how incredibly brave. It is not hard to guess that many people proposed with this concept would say no, but she explains in her diary her reason for agreeing to be a part of ‘Voss’.
“I want people to know what I just went through wasn’t a breeze and I did it for art. Yes, art. Because I believe it’s worth going through that much palaver if it creates a strong image that conveys an important idea. And I believe that the idea that we are trapped by our “civilised,” socially approved identities is massively important. It causes women so much suffering. Fear of ageing, fear of not being thin enough. Fear of not having the right clothes. Fear of our animal natures that we carry in our DNA—fish, bird, lizard, insect, mammal. We’ve never had it more techno, we’ve never needed it more human. We humans living now still cannot turn ourselves into perfect beings, no matter how long we spend at the gym, beauty parlour, shops, etc.”
Her quote “we are trapped by our “civilised”, socially approved identities” really interests me as throughout my research I have been researching the theme of identity and who we are when the layers we build up to create our perceived identity are stripped bare to leave and show who we are at our core, in our most vulnerable form. The concept that we have a socially perceived identity that is not truly authentic which can go on to cause mental health issues as we are not living our truth is going to underpin my magazine that I will go on to create. Finally, Michelle Olley states “You know what? At the end of it all, I think that’s what I take away from this. I’ll never be ashamed of my body again. I’ve pushed my belly out to meet the world.”
This feeling of accomplishment and the positive change in her relationship with her body is what we should all be aiming to achieve, I will research other stories of models finding peace with their bodies to further this research.
