Prudence Black
The University of Sydney, Gender and Cultural Studies, Faculty Member
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... Header/Abstract download PDF. Book Reviews. Authors: Toni Johnson-Woods And Frenchy Lunning And Tanya Evans And Michael Austin And Sean Durbin. Page Start: 97 View Header/Abstract download PDF. 'The 80s are ...
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Special issue on Fashion Management In recent years, the topic of fashion and dress has exploded on the international academic stage. Australia has not been immune from this trend and the study of fashion and dress has proliferated across... more
Special issue on Fashion Management In recent years, the topic of fashion and dress has exploded on the international academic stage. Australia has not been immune from this trend and the study of fashion and dress has proliferated across the country in many disciplines and fields of study. This issue pays tribute to the growth of fashion theory in Australia by presenting a range of perspectives on fashion and dress from “down under.” While the focus of contributors is on the distinctiveness of fashion cultures in Australia, broader issues about establishing identities of nationalism through dress underpin the articles. In what ways is fashion distinctively Australian—and conversely, “un-Australian”? Is the issue of national identity in fashion and dress still relevant in the global context
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There has been a recent expansion of interest in cultural approaches to rural communities and to the economic and social situation of rurality more broadly. This interest has been particularly prominent in Australia in recent years,... more
There has been a recent expansion of interest in cultural approaches to rural communities and to the economic and social situation of rurality more broadly. This interest has been particularly prominent in Australia in recent years, spurring the emergence of an interdisciplinary field called 'rural cultural studies'. This collection is framed by a large interdisciplinary research project that is part of that emergence, particularly focused on what the idea of 'cultural sustainability' might mean for understanding experiences of growth, decline, change and heritage in small Australian country towns. However, it extends beyond the initial parameters of that research, bringing together a range of senior and emerging Australian researchers who offer diverse approaches to rural culture. The essays collected here explore the diverse forms that rural cultural studies might take and how these intersect with other disciplinary approaches, offering a uniquely diverse but also careful account of life in country Australia. Yet, in its emphasis on the simultaneous specificity and cross-cultural recognisability of rural communities, this book also outlines a field of inquiry and a set of critical strategies that are more broadly applicable to thinking about the "rural" in the early twenty-first century. Introduction only uploaded.
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Why is it that we watch Mad Men and think it represents a period? Flashes of patterned wallpaper, whiskey neat, babies born that are never mentioned, contact lining for kitchen drawers, Ayn Rand, polaroids, skinny ties, Hilton hotels,... more
Why is it that we watch Mad Men and think it represents a period? Flashes of patterned wallpaper, whiskey neat, babies born that are never mentioned, contact lining for kitchen drawers, Ayn Rand, polaroids, skinny ties, Hilton hotels, Walter Cronkite, and a time when Don Draper can ask ‘What do women want?’ and dry old Roger Sterling can reply ‘Who Cares?’ This essay explores the embrace of period detail in Mad Men finding it to be both loving and fetishistic, and belonging, like all period film, to the politics of the present.
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This report provides a brief commentary on the issue of lookism and the problems this may present for many women seeking employment both in Australia and overseas. It then presents research on the organisation Dress for Success undertaken... more
This report provides a brief commentary on the issue of lookism and the problems this may present for many women seeking employment both in Australia and overseas. It then presents research on the organisation Dress for Success undertaken during 2012 and 2013. For some time we have become aware that employee's looks are important aspects of recruitment and selection for firms, especially in the service industries, where presentation is quite literally part of the service. The academic literature, has already presented us with some important inroads to this phenomenon, often referred to as 'aesthetic labour'. In common parlance this term refers to the way firms employ on the basis of looks and general presentation rather than on more 'objective' skills and traits, such as technical or intellectual capabilities. We have also become aware of the potentially discriminatory aspects of this phenomenon. For example, in many countries there is no discrimination legislation based on looks and physical appearance. However, in Australia the state of Victoria has formally recognised that discrimination can occur on the basis of an employee's physical features and under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 1995 it is now unlawful to treat job applicants, contract workers and employees unfairly or discriminate against them on the basis of their physical features. While we won't assess the effectiveness of this legislation here, it is important to note that legislation is starting to keep up with the encroaching issue of lookism both in Australia and overseas. What we can do however is share our research about the role of organisations like Dress for Success who provide an important buffer for those who may face discrimination. The following report is divided into three sections. The first provides contextual analysis of 'lookism'; the second section outlines the research methods used for the study and the third section presents our primary research on Dress for Success as an organisation including interview material with global [...]
People who have served prison time experience a higher unemployment rate than other social groups. Australian law stipulates individuals must not face employment discrimination on the basis of criminal record if unrelated to the job’s... more
People who have served prison time experience a higher unemployment rate than other social groups. Australian law stipulates individuals must not face employment discrimination on the basis of criminal record if unrelated to the job’s inherent requirements, but discrimination remains significant. Female ex-offenders are particularly vulnerable to stigma and discrimination. Nicki’s (pseudonym) account airs injustices facing women seeking rehabilitation post-incarceration. Her experiences highlight structural barriers female ex-offenders face when seeking employment and marginalisation hindering social acceptance.
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Editorial by Chris Healy, Katrina Schlunke, Prudence Black, Stephen Muecke, and Catherine Driscoll.
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This article provides a context for, and introduces, the articles in the themed section of this issue, 'Dressing the Body'.
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ABSTRACT
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Stiletto heels, miniskirts, bobbed wigs, shiny new technology and exotic locations were all part of the cosmopolitan life style of the Qantas flight hostesses. The Flight Attendant’s Shoe is the story of the Qantas uniforms and the... more
Stiletto heels, miniskirts, bobbed wigs, shiny new technology and exotic locations were all part of the cosmopolitan life style of the Qantas flight hostesses. The Flight Attendant’s Shoe is the story of the Qantas uniforms and the uniforms of other airlines. It is a story about etiquette and protocol, about nationalism and internationalism, and the way the Australian fashion industry and international designers such as Emilio Pucci and Yves Saint Laurent created a range of designs for flight crew, from khaki military style, to burnt-orange miniskirts and on to the Indigenous boomerang print of the Morrissey uniform. Stitching together fashion history, social history and industrial history, this book celebrates an era when flying was truly glamorous.
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Mario Conte has had a tailor shop in King Street, Newtown since the mid 1960s. Taking an interview with Mario as its point of departure, this article describes the persistence of a skilled worker whose practices and techniques remain the... more
Mario Conte has had a tailor shop in King Street, Newtown since the mid 1960s. Taking an interview with Mario as its point of departure, this article describes the persistence of a skilled worker whose practices and techniques remain the same in a world that has long changed. While inattentive to what rules might be used to decorate a shop window, Mario continues to make and sew in the way that he learnt in post-war Italy. Mario’s persistence could be described as all the skills and other elements that need to be in place to keep him working, in particular the tradition of tailoring techniques he has remained true to over the last fifty years. The hand stitching of his tailoring is like a metronome of that persistence.
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In November 2010 a seminar was held at the University of Sydney to discuss the American cable television series Mad Men. Mad Men was in its fourth season at that time; contract negotiations put the show on a protracted hiatus and its... more
In November 2010 a seminar was held at the University of Sydney to discuss the American cable television series Mad Men. Mad Men was in its fourth season at that time; contract negotiations put the show on a protracted hiatus and its fifth season began and concluded ...
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In 2004, American businesswoman and television celebrity Martha Stewart was imprisoned for insider trading. By 2005, she was reinstalled in her television world of promoting domestic fantasy and class mobility through her products. Her 17... more
In 2004, American businesswoman and television celebrity Martha Stewart was imprisoned for insider trading. By 2005, she was reinstalled in her television world of promoting domestic fantasy and class mobility through her products. Her 17 February 2011 show titled ‘Redo, Renew and Recycle’ (as well as including ‘bathroom make-over ideas’ and a ‘leather handbag how-to’) promoted Dress For Success, a charity with over 125 affiliates across the world. Dress For Success is a non-profit organization that raises money with the aim of providing economic independence for disadvantaged women by dressing them for work. Stewart may not have needed the services of Dress For Success when she left prison, but for many women who have been incarcerated, are in refuges or are part of the long-term unemployed, Dress For Success becomes an important link in the preparation for reintegration into the workforce. Their major service is to supply women with a business suit to attend interviews or commence...
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In November 2010 a seminar was held at the University of Sydney to discuss the American cable television series Mad Men. Mad Men was in its fourth season at that time; contract negotiations put the show on a protracted hiatus and its... more
In November 2010 a seminar was held at the University of Sydney to discuss the American cable television series Mad Men. Mad Men was in its fourth season at that time; contract negotiations put the show on a protracted hiatus and its fifth season began and concluded ...
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... As it was coded through Mrs Peel's clothes this form of on-screen sex could also be relegated to subtext in the practice of viewing. Anthropologist Mick Taussig would describe such unspoken knowledge as a... more
... As it was coded through Mrs Peel's clothes this form of on-screen sex could also be relegated to subtext in the practice of viewing. Anthropologist Mick Taussig would describe such unspoken knowledge as a 'public secret': as the way of knowing what not to know, and keeping ...
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... The exuberance of the image is captivating, and one could pretend that Gisele did not say in response to the new campaign: We can all start ... with an eye out for Che Guevara iconography, spotted in a shop window a range of cashmere... more
... The exuberance of the image is captivating, and one could pretend that Gisele did not say in response to the new campaign: We can all start ... with an eye out for Che Guevara iconography, spotted in a shop window a range of cashmere sweaters selling for about 365 Euros each ...