The modeling and its social and cultural interpretations of the female body through silhouettes

an analysis of the changes that defined the female waist in periods of the 20th and early 21st centuries

Abstract

The study presented in this article elucidates the understanding and deepening of research on the variations and fluctuations of the silhouette in women's clothing patterns during several decades of the 20th century, and its comparison with the democratization of these patterns in the 21st century. Given that the study aims to present, investigate, and analyze some of the recent historical influences that permeate fashion, pattern-making, and the body, the objective is to analyze the social and cultural translations and the interpretation of pattern-making on the body, as well as the concepts of silhouettes. The zeitgeist reveals a cyclical nature and the connections in which fashion reflects the transformations, impulses, desires, and preferences in the way people dress, emphasizing and confirming the influence of the clothing silhouette on the body silhouette through the comparison of waistline shifts over the analyzed periods. It is observed that the silhouette of a garment influences the body silhouette and, in turn, the understanding of this relationship informs the construction of patterns, and vice-versa. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of a theoretical literature review to understand the bidirectional relationship between the garment silhouette and pattern-making, emphasizing how these aspects interconnect in the construction of identity and personal expression.