It’s arguably the greatest fashion invention of the 20th century and completely revolutionized how we dress, move, and grow our girth, in clothing. It’s a safe bet that synthetic fabrics, such as nylon and spandex, are on your body somewhere right now.
Nylon, developed by Du Pont chemicals in 1935, revolutionized women’s hosiery in the 1940′s and eventually led to the development of…Lycra, generally known as spandex. While celebrated in the eighties, most of us cringe at the mention of donning spandex today, unless that is, you shop at American Apparel. Synonymous with the flashy neon sheen of aerobic wear of the 1980s, the name “spandex” is actually an anagram for the word “expands”. Apart from fitness apparel, spandex is in almost everything we wear – bras, underwear, belts, socks, jeans, pants, dresses – you name it. Despite comfort and expandability, fitness fashion is often lacking in the “fashion” part of design. Thankfully, there are a few designers tackling well-tailored sportswear which is not an easy task. Stella McCartney creates gorgeous and functional athletic wear for Adidas, while Jeremy Scott, Yohji Yamamoto, Alexander McQueen, and the Japanese design house, Undercover have all attempted to elevate the look and feel of classic sportswear apparel, and the under appreciated reputation of spandex.
Funny how fitness fashion often leaves little to be desired…I mean, athletic wear might be a trend for Spring 2012, but I’ve yet to see Anna Della Russo sporting workout wear on the streets of Milan. And yet, despite its lack of fashion sense, women’s sporting wear has made major impacts on how we dress today, from work attire, to the perfect cocktail dress. Over the next few posts we’ll explore the impact of fitness on the fashion world. To get started, here are a few fun historical sportswear nuggets that make for interesting dinner conversation:
Leotard
The first skin tight bodices were crafted by Jules Leotard during the Victorian era of the late 1800s. The leotard was made solely for men, namely circus performers, while women performers kept to inflexible and rather dangerous corsets. While men still wear leotards, or “biketards”, for cycling, swimming, rowing, etc, the name will forever be synonomous with women and dance fashion.
Shoes
One of the first pair of rubber soled, canvas shoes was created by Charles Goodyear – yup, the same name associated with tires. In 1916 the shoes, called Keds, were mass-marketed as the first sneaker. The name “sneaker” was bequeathed by advertising man Henry Nelson McKinney, because the rubber sole made the shoe so quiet.
Golf
The fabric of choice for women who golfed in the early part of the 20th century was tweed. Hmmm…sounds heavy.
Tennis
While long layered skirts slowly became long wide-leg plants, it was until 1932 that Alice Marble made waves walking out onto the tennis court in shorts at Wimbleton. The world was aghast, but thankfully, we never looked back.
From the ethereal movements of a prima ballerina, to the jarring and awkward movements of a David Byrne video, all movements have a place in the human psyche and provoke some kind of emotion; be it awe, jealousy, embarrassment, or disgust. In Los Angeles, there is a group that isn’t too cool to dance it all.
I first heard of bodycity (all lowercase) through Ali Hyman, Archivist and Florist for The Museum of Jurassic Technology. We sat down for tea one day to discuss volunteering possibilities (I really went in hoping for my dream job), but with our similar movement backgrounds, the conversation quickly turned to movement and dance.
Ali is a dancer in bodycity, a democratic dance collective based in Los Angeles. Their dances live in the in-between spaces of conceptual art, life, traditional performance, and social event. bodycity is democratic in that no dance is the brainchild of just one person, each dancer must both choreograph and perform every piece – becoming both teacher and student in an ongoing, collaborative cycle.
Apart from the collaboration process, there are other unique qualities of bodycity worth mentioning. The level of dance training varies enormously; from formal education, to having only bopped in front of the mirror at home. There is no ideal body type or style. Only when every shape, size and movement pattern of each dancer is expressed together as a whole, does bodycity’s ideal become visible.
The themes of bodycity dances are often time and site-specific. One example is Summer Solstice Session. The dance took place at the exact time of the Summer Solstice. No matter where they were, each member performed and chronicled a five-minute dance outside, sans music. The result was a collaborative dance, performed together at the same time all over the world. The videos were collected and shown at the California Film Festival in September.
Ali, told me about her favorite piece called Over Passages, which was performed last year. The dance converged at one of the busiest transportation intersections in the United States, between the 110 highway, the 5 freeway, the LA River, and the Los Angeles railroad tracks. Each holding a position throughout the odd wilderness, “in-between”, spots they communicated to each other by relaying energy and movement.- like a telephone game across great expanses of cars and trains and life on the go. It literally brought traffic to a halt. A two-minute video of the performance will be viewable through the Metro Arts program. So, if you happen to ride the LA bus system, look for it!
Their most recent bodycity piece took place this past weekend. End Trails was performed in the High Desert Test Sites of Joshua Tree. The site was a dry lakebed, exploring; the space between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, the journey into the desert, the transformation that takes place once we’ve abandoned the city and are surrounded by the desert’s alien perspective, and then the road back home again.
With their democratic, site-specific, dance collaboration for any body, bodycity is not only changing traditional notions of performance dance, but pushing forward the idea of what social dance can be, by kind of going back to its roots. Social dance is tribal by nature, celebrating a time and place, celebrating a community and celebrating ourselves. For whatever reason, dance fulfills a human need to creatively and physically, self-express, and we shouldn’t deny ourselves this instinctive and inherent desire. bodycity reminds us dance is for everyone, at any time and anywhere.
KISS might have been the final blow that killed dancing as a socially acceptable thing to do. Noting the temporary outcroppings of dances surrounding music videos and movies, we still never fully recovered from the backlash against disco. And only a few years later were computers born, keeping us complacently docile and more susceptible to head bobbing as a form of musical appreciation.
It’s a shame we don’t dance in America. We tend to view it as a spectator sport.
Breaking it down into two categories, we have the art of dance and social dance. Over an extended period of time, I’d argue, social dance has all but disappeared, while perceiving dance as an art form, reserved for those with skill, has grown…mainly through reality show competitions. And no doubt it is an admirable and beautiful thing to behold, but socially, as a nation we don’t embrace dance as something we all can do. Blame it on KISS, blame it on technological evolution; blame it on the Puritans; blame it on a lack of rhythm; whatever the reason, we generally scoff and say, “Yeah, right. No. Way.”
From an evolutionary perspective, dance let us show off to potential mates. Like peacocks strutting their feathers, it displayed physical capabilities and breeding skills, the remnants of which can still be unearthed in dance clubs today, however, online dating is taking the opportunities and fun away. The most colorful peacocks today have 1000+ friends and a killer Facebook profile.
From a social perspective, dance is a way to celebrate, congregate, and enjoy community. Almost every culture in the world has a social dance that is crucial to their heritage. In plenty of places, dancing is still an important way of getting together and letting loose in everyday life. Brazil has it down, as does India. There is no dancing like in a Bollywood film, and it only mirrors the societal importance of dance in celebration for men and women, young and old.
Finally, from the physical perspective, dance is a way to stay healthy and in shape, getting the heart pumping, and the brain lapping up all those feel-good neurotransmitters. Dance helps balance intrinsic muscles and joints, and our mental capacities in ways we now use somatics, pilates, and yoga, to try and do. Researchers at Washington University have even found evidence of dance helping to control movements in patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
So we get it. Dance is good. It all makes sense, but we still can’t help but cringe at the thought of jumping up moving around. Generally, the places one feels safest dancing are – the hidden underground belly of a dance club (with the aid of alcohol or recreational drugs), at a wedding, (with the aid of alcohol or recreational drugs), at home with the XBox game, or regulated to a sterile gym fitness class.
Unfortunately, our motives are deeply ingrained, and “cold dancing” is a tall order. The larger the group of people dancing, the easier you’ll find it to be….that’s why it’s social. Try releasing a hangup or two, grab a bunch of friends, and in the immortal words of Swing Out Sister “Break Out”. It could become infectious. And if it’s not, who cares, you and your friends will feel great. Maybe we need office Spotify dance breaks, where every few hours a song comes on, encouraging movement within the entire office, from receptionist to CEO. I like that picture. You’d be surprised what camaraderie will ensue when dancing next to your boss or the IT personnel. Until then, I dare you to try and bust a move this week.
Next post we’ll look at a dance troupe breaking down the barriers between, social and artistic dance. Until then, I leave you with Bollywood:
If you are in Los Angeles, I highly recommend catching the Beauty Culture Exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography before it departs on November 27th. And if you aren’t so close to Los Angeles, you can still experience the viewpoint of photographers and some of their images on the Annenberg website. It’s thought- provoking, stunning, and horrifying, all at once. In a word – intense. Photographer Lauren Greenfield created a 30 minute documentary for the exhibit which runs in a loop in the center of the gallery. It displays the highs and lows, the grace and pain, and everything in between that is modern beauty. I only hope Greenfield is able to publicly showcase the documentary after the exhibit. Beauty is so intertwined with our lifestyle and society, it can neither be all good or bad, and Greenfield does a great job walking the line between both extolling its virtues and being all too aware of its devastating traps.
In conjunction with the exhibit, throughout the month of October there is a great speaker series, discussing the topics of beauty and society. Here are the dates and schedules, but for more information, click here.
Thursday Evenings 6:30 to 8:00PM
Thursday, October 6, Peter Fetterman and Lizzie Himmel -”Women In Photography“
Thursday, October 11, Randall Slavin with Charlize Theron -”The Making of 24 Portraits“
Thursday, October 13, Lauren Greenfield
Thursday, October 20, Mona Kuhn -”Beauty Without Apologies“
Thursday, October 27, Elaine D’Farley and Philip Gefter – “Beauty: The Real vs. the Ideal“
Funny how words and meanings change overtime. For example, the term salon more commonly referred to a gathering of intellectuals to discuss issues of the day. Although the website, salon.com alludes to this meaning, most of us can’t help but think of a salon as a place to go for haircuts.
A kind of similar fate befell gymnasiums. From ancient times up until even the past 50 years, gymnasiums were considered higher institutions of training the body, mind and spirit. Think of it as the Western equivalent of the Shaolin temple. Gymnasiums encompassed not only fitness but; philosophy, community, the arts, and social and political change – all things we don’t attribute to health clubs today.
The word, gymnasium, even once referred to public run high schools in Germany. But if you go back far enough, to ancient Greece, the meaning gets closer to the modern vernacular, where gymnasiums were the training grounds for athletes. The original Latin gymnos literally means “naked”…cause that’s how they would show off their athletic prowess in ancient Greece…in the buff. Of course we all know this, as they publicize it on all their vases in the museums.
Getting back to the Germans, gyms as we know them in the United States evolved from a political movement in Germany during the early 1800s. These early German gym rats exercised not just to look fit for the next social, but to instill patriotism and belief in liberty. They were called Turners (meaning: one who does gymnastics). Turners believed a nation of healthy minds and bodies would help unify Germany into one country. it We can thank the Turners for the parallel bars, horizontal bar, the sidehorse, and most gymnastic events still popular in the olympics.
Large numbers of Germans emmigrated to the US in the mid 1800′s, The Turners included. Once here, the Turners took up arms and chose to fight with the Union army against the Confederates. Bringing their philosophies to the United States, The Turners began establishing Turnvereins, community centers that mixed social conciousness and fitness. In areas with historically large German immigrant populations, you can still find some Turnvereins existing today. Organizations such as the YMCA, inspired by the Turnvereins, are the closest remaining bastions.
The Turner’s political edge – their main driving force in Europe- soon faded in the United States. But with the Industrial revolution and a growing economy, Americans liked the idea of fitness, leisure exercise, and clubs with which to belong. Gyms and fitness clubs continued to evolve and grow and change, until we finally have Equinox…and places of very little social or political importance, but major on the fitness and fashion side.
In all the Turners brought to the states, most importantly, you have them to thank for all of those scarring PE class moments. They staunchly advocated for physical education in schools, and much of what we remember from our childhood PE classes, can be attributed to the Turners.
With the economy the way it is, gym memberships are often the first thing to go. And with education cuts going deep, physical fitness is all but out the door. Perhaps it’s time for a new localized movement building community, creativity, knowledge, and physical health all in the name of a stronger America. Can just we pick a new name though?
Sidenote: If you happen to be in St. Louis, MO, there’s a memorial to Frederic Jahn, The Father of the Turner movement, within Forest Park. It features a large bust of Jahn in the center of an arc of stone, with statues of a male and female gymnast, one on each end of the arc. The monument is on the edge of Art Hill next to the path running north and south along the western edge of Post-Dispatch lake. It is directly north of the St. Louis Zoo.
All those hours at the gym, healthy food choices, cutting back on the alcohol, quitting cigarettes… might not help you live longer.
…but, don’t stop trying, just in case it does.
That’s the message from researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Their findings indicate many centenarians have plenty of bad habits, and yet they keep going, making a case for genetics over lifestyle choices.
Keep in mind, currently only 1 in every 4,400 Americans makes it to 100. And although there is a strong case for genetics keeping these people going strong, the life expectancy in the US has jumped almost 10 years to 78.7 since the 1960s. This overall prolonged life is, in part, due to modern medicine and current health knowledge and prevention.
So, while the lucky genetic mutants may have bet the house and won, until researchers can figure out exactly why and apply it to the masses, they recommend you keep on that healthy eating and exercise regime. Damn.
In the wake of both natural and environmental disasters, Japan is struggling with its lack of energy resources. Attempts to conserve are both large and small, down to making an energy savings fashion statement. Last month, the Japanese Government launched Super Cool Biz 2011 – the summer fashion campaign to keep people cool while keeping air conditioners at a minimum during Japan’s most sultry months.
The Super Cool Biz fashion campaign, respectfully suggests the Japanese “Salary man”, known for conservative grey or black attire, put down the ties and step away from the suits – just for the summer – in the name of energy savings. In other words: The Japanese Government is asking its workforce to lighten up!
The fashion campaign started several years ago as an effort to fight global warming. But this year, with air conditioner temperatures regulated to 82 degrees fareinheit, the campaign’s necessity is obvious. Super Cool Biz encourages a departure from the heavy suits, and opts for office wear like polos, t-shirts, hawaiian shirts, and sandals.
Interestingly, classic Japanese fashions are being promoted to beat the heat as well. It is encouraged to carry around the traditional uchiwa hard fans, for men to wear contemporary suteteko (basically slim fitting capris), and women to don the traditional summer yukata. Generally, jeans are considered too informal, and would make most people feel “uncomfortable”.
While it makes sense, the fashion altering campaign faces an uphill battle. Work life definitely outweighs personal time. Wearing casual clothing to work previously would have meant inevitable firing. Many workers feel they would not be taken seriously sporting a t-shirt in the office, as well as risk standing out apart from their peers. The preference is to suffer a bit more and maintain the status quo. Luckily, the Super Cool Biz campaign not only offers fashion tips, but other energy saving and carbon reducing suggestions as well, including working only in the morning and (my personal favorite recommendation) taking longer summer vacations. The need for flexibility and adaptation could help Japan usher in a more balanced approach to home and work. Only time will tell – as the summer heat and energy crisis continues – if Japan is truly ready to start shedding suits for sandals.
Lycra, generally known as spandex. While celebrated in the eighties, most of us cringe at the mention of donning spandex today, unless that is, you shop at American Apparel. 
Synonymous with the flashy neon sheen of aerobic wear of the 1980s, the name “spandex” is actually an anagram for the word “expands”. Apart from fitness apparel, spandex is in almost everything we wear – bras, underwear, belts, socks, jeans, pants, dresses – you name it. 
