Fashion ... What have you learned from the fashion world? By Odilia Rivera-Santos

The beauty of art and design

I appreciate the creativity and artistry of designers. For years, I've taken pictures of beautifully designed objects -- everything from combs to shoes to buildings. As an artist, I love to see other artists expressions of virtuosity. However, I don't look at fashion magazines unless they're lying around at the gym or dentist's office. Looking at people walking the streets of New York City is more fascinating because people take elements from different designers and create their own look. Individuality is big in NYC.

Advertising dissatisfaction and fads

Advertising seeks to make women dissatisfied with themselves. Certain body types are classified in a static way. My 34GGs and size 8 dress combination is highly sexualized, and the wiry, small-bossomed woman is presented as asexual. Hence, the ads to 'enhance' the small bossom and 'diminish' the big bossom. And the message is if you want to be taken seriously as a professional, your breasts must look smaller, and if you want to be taken seriously as a sexual being, your breasts must look bigger. 

If your hair is thick and curly, they tell you to make it straight and decrease volume, and if your hair is straight and thin, they tell you to make it curly and full. 

Is is an attempt to make a quick buck and to make you think you MUST change something. Love yourself the way you are. Fashion is creativity and play, not law. 

Fads, Look-at-Me Outfits and the theories of British Zoologist Desmond Morris

Leaving nothing to the imagination means being approached by men with no interest in you as a person; you will attract the guy who's looking to get laid that night -- this is a bit boring to me.

Super-short skirts with very high heels has never been a look I cared for -- these outfits appear to be a performance for the benefit of men. Women toddling around in heels and barely able to move their legs because of the tightness of a skirt seems ridiculous. 

Being pretty and sexy in a conventional sense means appearing helpless -- your heels are so high that you need to hold on to your boyfriend's arm to step off the curb. To me, making yourself temporarily less able-bodied is strange. 

If you thrive on having men check you out and being the belle of the ball, you might try bright lipstick -- it's an evolutionary trick according to the British Zoologist Desmond Morris: red lipstick signals a female is ready for mating and this will always catch a man's eye. Consider wearing shoes you can walk in and red lipstick and you may get that attention you crave.