The Lucky Dress:

Through a designed garment, this research project analyzes and challenges the representation of Black womanhood in American media created by the white colonial gaze. To reclaim the richness of Black womanhood and challenge the perception of the Black female body and Black womanhood, this project challenges the caricatured stereotype of the ‘Jezebel’: an alluring overly sexual stereotype of a Black woman. The project draws ideological and inspiration from the Black Feminist scholar, bell hooks’s ideas of  ‘the oppositional gaze,’and  methodical inspiration from Black women textile artists such as April Bey and Faith Ringgold. The research resulted into a sustainably designed modern interpretation of a bustle dress. During the late Victorian era, an undergarment called a bustle was commonly worn by women, strapped around the hips, to enhance the shape and size of the bottom (Paskin 2022). The bustle was a way to enhance the body to please the male gaze while maintaining the racial purity of white women. It is theorized that this fashion developed from the societal fascination and exploitation of Sarah (Saartje) Baartman, a South African woman who was forced on European tours placing her body on display due to her large butt (Paskin 2022).

I came across the Lucky Fishing lure, while researching the Jezebel caricature. The blank stares of these small yet strikingly uncomfortable fishing lures was intriguing. Although there is little formal research of these fishing lures, they were nevertheless prevalent in 20th century American life. The packaging of these lures, having been stamped with locations from all over the country, were most likely sold as souvenirs at lakes and parks. The packaging of lures were often accompanied with Confederate imagery. I found these lures represented both the commodification of the Black female body and the American tendencies to commodify and use nature. These ideas are only possible through the limited yet predominant white gaze. Through the oppositional gaze, I chose to revisit and expose this imagery to assert my agency as a designer, and artist. 

Paskin, Willa. 2022. “The Butt and The Bustle.” Decoder Ring, SLATE. https://slate.com/transcripts/dzZEMGF1Wks5SURvVzFnN0tvRXlBZmpldnBXTlZMUzFtTko4SE1VUjNFdz0=.