Kitsch Femme BodiesThesis Proposal DossierIsabela Tellez
CDGD-402-03Pratt Institute Fall 2024



Synopsis


What:


My research has explored the intersection of camp and kitsch aesthetics in graphic design, focusing on how these concepts are expressed through typography on the female body. It examines how typography—particularly on clothing like graphic t-shirts—serves as a medium for self-expression, cultural commentary, and queer subversion. The study investigates whether these elements function as vehicles of empowerment or are diluted by the mass production and commodification inherent in consumer culture. Central to this inquiry is the question: Can text and typography on clothing embody camp and kitsch in a meaningful way, particularly in the context of women’s bodies and beauty standards?





Why:


Camp and kitsch are significant cultural lenses for understanding excess, nostalgia, and subversion in design and fashion. Historically linked to queer and trans subcultures, camp offers a platform for resisting mainstream ideals through exaggerated, performative aesthetics. Kitsch, by contrast, celebrates the sentimental and “bad taste,” often tied to mass production and consumer nostalgia. The rise of Y2K internet nostalgia and the resurgence of text-based fashion bring these themes into contemporary relevance. Investigating these aesthetics provides a fresh perspective on the relationship between fashion, identity, and cultural memory, particularly as it pertains to feminine beauty standards and the commodification of queer cultural symbols.

How:


This research will integrate cultural observations with practical experimentation in design. It will include a historical contextualization of camp and kitsch as they relate to graphic design, typography, and fashion, referencing theorists such as Susan Sontag and Gillo Dorfles. The study will examine and collect modern examples of text in fashion within the contexts of queer culture, fast fashion, and mass consumption. Additionally, it will create and curate visual representations of typography that either challenge or embody camp and kitsch aesthetics, particularly through the lens of the woman’s body as a canvas. All findings will be compiled into a comprehensive book, supported by a website and an environment for the book to reside in, presenting both theoretical insights and visual experiments. This thesis aims to explore how design choices and fashion trends mediate societal values, identity, and empowerment in an era characterized by both ironic and earnest forms of kitsch.