Pretty Exposed

  • Raya van der Kroon
  • Cedric Maurice Wiegel
For my graduation project I researched the balance between sexiness and empowerment in female nightlife clothing. My research started with the question: ‘Is female nakedness in nightlife clothing a result of sexualization or female empowerment?’
 I dove into the history of unclothing, the growth of new feminism, and the use of nakedness as a tool for either protest or attraction. Engaging into highly revealing sceneries, the nightlife of Amsterdam and of Rio de Janeiro, I concluded that my vision on contemporary femininity is a fusion of both places and their characteristics. Whereas Amsterdam is trying to re-incorporate femininity into feminism, Rio is striving for more social equality within their sensual culture: both are longing for a balance between sexiness and empowerment. 
The balance and combination of the terms is the core of this work: the visualization of the sensual feminist, the combination of Amsterdam and Rio. This idea is translated into a nightlife clothing collection, presented by an immersive performance, a magazine and expo.