RCA MA fashion graduate Sinéad O’Dwyer channels her own and her loved ones’ struggles with body dysmorphia into her uniquely conceptual work, which explores the fragile, often tense relationship women have with their bodies.
In response to the narrow ideals of beauty outlined by the media, O’Dwyer is intent on creating ‘a new normal’ with her wearable silicone sculptures. Moulded around the bodies of many of her friends, the vibrantly-hued pieces, which sit somewhere between fashion and art, celebrate the bits women have been conditioned to hide. In O’Dwyer’s hands, drooping breasts, dimpled thighs, and ‘love handles’ are proven to be just as beautiful as a flat stomach and perky bum.
Having worked on creative projects with 1 Granary, Gareth Pugh, Danielle Emerson, and Sharna Osborne, and gained fans in the form of Arca, Björk, and Drag Race’s Aquaria over the course of the last year, now O’Dwyer is intent on disrupting the established fashion system from the inside. “I’m angry at the industry for its body elitism,” she explains. “I’ve seen it cause practically every woman I have ever known to view their bodies in a negative way due to poorly fitting garments, or comparison to the airbrushed imagery we’re surrounded by. I want to make sure that the system perpetuating the cycle changes: brands need to show as much consideration for larger bodies as they do smaller ones, and not just attempt to cash in on the body positivity trend with a few well-placed curvy models in a campaign.”
Emma Elizabeth Davidson