Analysis of Steven Meisel's State of Emergency

Cultural and Contextual Studies (CCS)

DE 1206A

Essay Question:

ʻThe clothing-fashion code is highly context-dependent” – Malcolm Barnard.

Choose one of the two images (refer to appendix) provided and use four to six

factors from the Model of Clothing in Context by Mary Lynn Damhorst and

theories raised in Ways of Seeing by John Berger to discuss how the factors and theories make up the main suggested meaning/s of the images.

Name: Teo Jia En

Class: FM4A

Student ID: 12565

Date of Submission: 25th February 2011

Lecturer: Lucinda Law

CCS Steven Meisel Essay By Teo Jia En FM4A 12565 2

Steven Meisel is famous for creating controversial work. His works

depict fashion and he gives them cultural resonance.

Meisel often creates controversial layouts by juxtaposing fashion and politics

and social standards. In the context of the given image, the September 2006

issue of Vogue Italia, Meisel adapted the concept of infringement of freedom

and rights post-September 11 America, with the models portraying terrorists

and highly trained policemen. It generated much press as the models were presented in violent compositions, which suggests them as being victimized.

Figure 1: Steven Meiselʼs Image taken from Vogue Italia 2006 titled “State of Emergency”

Perhaps the first impression that viewers gain from the given image

(Figure 1) is that the woman in focus is victimized. The woman in focus is subjected to the male gaze. John Berger (1972, pp. 40) observes,

“To be born a woman has been to be born, within an

allotted and confined space, into the keeping of men.” and “a

womanʼs presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and


defines what can and cannot be done to her. Her presence is

manifest in her gestures, voice, opinions, expressions,

clothes, chosen surroundings, taste - indeed there is nothing she can do which does not contribute to her presence.”

Viewers are under the impression that the woman in focus is of high

societal worth and status. The woman in focus is dressed in a very tasteful

dark dress and shoes that resembles a business womanʼs attire and her well

groomed long hair that is straight but slightly curled at the end and the smoky

eye-ed make up suggests that she is of a high social worth, one who has the

ability to afford such detailed personal grooming. The personal travel

documents such as the passport strewn on the ground also suggests that she

is travelling or about to set off on a travel. Mary Lynn Damhorst (1999, pp. 80) puts forward that,

“A wearer puts clothing, hairdo, accessories, and

grooming together to produce an appearance and may assign meanings to that assembled appearance.”

At the first glance, the image is confusing to the viewer precisely

because the seemingly flawless presentation of the woman contradicts with

the criminal position and situation that she is placed in. This is because

viewers do not expect a well-groomed, high society woman to be suspected

as a criminal and placed in duress; on her two knees with her hands on her head.

Flanked by two security guards with their muscular and hairy arms, the

aggressively barking dog and the strewn personal documents on the ground

suggest that the woman was taken on by surprise, possibly ambushed. The

positioning of the guards and dog is also too close for comfort. Joanne Bourke (2006) states,

“It is no coincidence that the security forces are shown

to be protecting us from a person who is neither male nor


obviously Muslim. Instead, the terrorist threat is an unreal

woman.”

However the dark dress and long hair that extends across the

shoulders with the dark smoky eyes also creates a subtle impression and

association of a woman dressed in the Muslim traditional garb. Nonetheless,

the contrast of the well-groomed woman and uncomfortable security

measures highlights the ill treatment of potential security threats, such as a terrorist.

In the same line of argument, Meisel portrays the males in picture as

aggressors. Berger (1972, pp. 40) puts forward, “A manʼs presence is

dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies.” And this promise

of power is carried in the physical muscular body, police uniform, baton and

accompanying dog in picture. (Figure 1) The muscular arms suggest the

ability to exert strong physical pressure. The police are identified as such by

their vests that are labeled with “Police”, baton and fierce dogs. These

suggest police security at cross-borders platforms. The dogs that sniff out

potential chemical threat such as bombs and drugs and the police guards that

catch and detain these threats, with the baton as a potential weapon to

subdue defensive threat. In the language of clothes, Alison Lurie (1992, pp.18) writes,

“No matter what time of uniform it is … to put on such

livery is to give up oneʼs right to act as an individual” and “The

uniform acts as a sign that we should not or need not treat

someone as a human being, and that they need not and should not treat us as one.”

Hence the police guards and guard dogs are typically seen as

representative of protector and security however in the given image

constructed by Meisel, these protectors are put to question as their aggression is against a helpless woman.


In an interview with 032c, Meisel says this of his work, “Everybody

interprets these things in their own way, but itʼs not my intended meaning. I

am simply holding up a mirror.” Therefore to title the fashion spread, which the

image is taken from, as “State of Emergency” suggests the post September

11 terrorist attack against the twin towers in New York global situation where

all around the globe, security is on high alert against potential security threats

and dangers particularly at cross-borders platform as an attack at such places

affects international tourists, thus international relationships and creates high press publicity.

Figure 2: Post September 11 Airport Security

Meiselʼs work is truly a keen observation at the current state of society.

A comparison with Figure 2, a photograph of post September 11 airport

security shows the similarity of police guards and security dogs that travelers

and citizens are familiar with from the imagery that is frequently featured on national news.


Figure 3: Abu Ghraib Torture Imagery

A comparison with Figure 3, an image of the torture at Abu Ghraib

prison revealed in 2004 shows a striking similarity through the use of framing

and positioning of the guards and dogs. The images released in 2004 were

highly sensationalized by international press all over the world because of the

highly controversy content of the unjust treatment of the prisoners by the

American soldiers. It is also noteworthy that the soldiers have used dogs as a

form of aggression against the prisoners who were Muslim and fearfully

against dogs. Naturally these images created uproar internationally against

the ill treatment, cruelty and religiously insensitivity towards the Abu Ghraib

prisoners, citing an infringement on their basic human rights. The release of

this series of images on Vogue Italia also coincided with the Milan Fashion

week as well as the week commemorating the 5th anniversary of the

September 11 attacks in New York, hence fashion writers have identified Meiselʼs work as a critique on Bush administration (papermode.trendland.net).

Meisel is well known for creating fashion imagery that also serves as

social commentary. Notably in July 2008ʼs all black fashion spread that

touched on racial bias as well as campaigning racial equality. (Cathy Horyn,

2008) Essentially, working for Vogue Italia, it is Meiselʼs responsibility to

create publicity for Vogue Italiaʼs partnering brands. To quote Berger (1972,


pp.125), “Publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour.” Thus ultimately Meisel is in the business of manufacturing glamour. Berger observes that

“Publicity … recognized nothing except the power to

acquire. … All hopes are gathered together, made

homogenous, simplified, so that they become the intense yet

vague, magical yet repeatable promise offered in every

purchase. … The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as she will become if she buys the product.”

Figure 4: Beauty in distress. Another image from Steven Meiselʼs “State of Emergency” fashion spread.

Therefore no matter what position the model in focus is placed in,

whether as a potential threat or aggressor in the fashion spread of discussion,

she is depicted as a flawless individual, highly styled and glamourized. A look

at Figure 4, another image from Meiselʼs “State of Emergency” fashion

spread, we see that the woman in focus although in a position of great

distress, she is still impossibly beautifully poised in the red dress. This is


because she is someone the average individual can aspire towards. Berger (1972, 134) also suggests,

“Publicity needs to turn to its own advantage the

traditional education of the average spectator-buyer. What he

has learnt as school of history, mythology, poetry can be used in the manufacturing of glamour.”

Perhaps that is why Meiselʼs work is so intriguing and famous. He has

the ability to use associations that the public that are familiar with and the use

of such controversial topics – and subverting them - for his fashion feature

that in turns brings great publicity for. Bourne (2006) says this in her review of Mieselʼs work,

“Torture has not only become normalised, it has been

integrated into one of the most glamorous forms of consumer

culture - high fashion. In our current moral state of

emergency, torture imagery has become fashionable.”

In conclusion, Meisel is undeniably an outstanding photographer and

image-maker. He has repeatedly shown great talent and excellence in

bringing social issues of note to the fore whilst featuring beautiful and

fashionable clothes to the public. As Alison Lurie puts it, “Fashion is free

speech, and one of the privileges, if not always one of the pleasures of a free

world.” Meisel has used this right greatly to reflect the glaring injustices of a free world.

Word Count: 1540


Book References

Berger, J., 1972. Ways of Seeing. BBC and Penguin. London.

Damhorst, M.L., 1999. The Meanings of Dress. Fairchild Publications. New York.

Lurie, A., 1992. The Language of Clothes. Bloomsbury. London.

Online References

Bourke, J., 2006. A Taste for Torture?. The Guardian, [Online]. 13 September

2006. Available at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2006/sep/13/photography.pressandp

ublishing?INTCMP=SRCH [Accessed 12 February 2011]

Horyn, C., 2008. Conspicuous by their presence. The Guardian, [Online]. 19

July 2008. Available at: Published: June 19, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/fashion/19BLACK.html?pagewanted=1&_

r=1

[Accessed 12 February 2011]

Alexandre, P. A., 2008. Who is Steven Meisel. 032c, [Online]. 2008. Available

at: http://032c.com/2008/who-is-steven-meisel/


State of Emergency by Steve Meisel for Vogue Italia 2006.

Paperland.trendland.net. [Online]. Available at: http://papermode.trendland.net/state-of-emergency-by-steven-meisel-for-

vogue-italia-2006/ [Accessed 12 February 2011]


Image References

Figure 1: Steven Meiselʼs Image taken from Vogue Italia 2006 titled “State of

Emergency” [Online] (Updated 20 June 2009) Available at:

http://trendland.net/2009/06/20/state-of-emergency-by-steven-meisel/


Figure 2: Post September 11 Airport Security [Online]

Available at: http://www.airuntukrakyat.com/avoiding-waisting-of-time-in-the-

airport.html


Figure 3: Abu Ghraib Torture Imagery [Online] (Updated 11 August 2009)

Available at: http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/abu-ghraib-

torture.jpg


Figure 4: Beauty in distress. Another image from Steven Meiselʼs “State of

Emergency” fashion spread. [Online] (Updated 20 June 2009) Available at:

http://trendland.net/2009/06/20/state-of-emergency-by-steven-meisel/ [Accessed 12 February 2011]

Analysis of Steven Meisel's State of Emergency

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