The Unfashionable Human Body

by Bernard Rudofsky

Art, Sexual Studies, Physiology, Gender Studies

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion, History, Historical

281 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

From http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/...

Bernard Rudofsky (Austrian-American, 1905–1988) was an architect, curator, critic, exhibition designer, and fashion designer whose entire oeuvre was influenced by his lifelong interest in concepts about the body and the use of our senses. He is best known for his controversial exhibitions and accompanying catalogs, including Are Clothes Modern? (Museum of Modern Art [MoMA], 1944), Architecture without Architects (MoMA, 1964), and Now I Lay Me Down to Eat (Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 1980). He was also famous for his mid-20th-century Bernardo sandal designs, which are popular again today.

Reviews

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in my Freshman year of college and it changed my life.

[Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rudofsky theorizes that popular western ideology has deemed the body incomplete without the adornment of clothing, declaring our naked selves as unrefined, immoral, or even asexual-where clothing becomes the singular and fetishized sexual object. His tone is funny and smart. Sarcastic and often subjective, he peppers his observations with historical and objective analyses, which combine to make his work an enjoyable and informative read.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out his sandal designs. Tend to undermine his rant a bit, me thinks...

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slipped this one in this week. Interesting for the time it was written. It has some sound facts and a few myths.