Julian Robinson, a noted fashion designer, author, lecturer, and historian, has put together a notable work that addresses the subject of why we dress (or package our bodies) as we do. Body Packaging is divided into the following sections: Introduction - Clothing the Psyche - The Historical Perspective - Signs and Symbols - Here and Now - and Changing Attitudes. There's also an extensive bibliography. Body Packaging is chock full of photos and illustrations that illuminate the text. Author Robinson pulls no punches and provides many photos that often show full nudity, genitalia, and a myriad of sexual customs--some appearing quite shocking and unusual to our sensibilities. I, for one, appreciate the candor. Where this book really shines, however, is in the area of the descriptions and explanations offered for why we act the way we do in regard to clothes. From earliest times, when people in warm climes wore little or nothing in the way of covering, they decorated various parts of the body to indicate sexual intentions. Robinson posits the theory that our clothing styles through the centuries are an extension of our human sexual display when we generally wore less clothes. By covering and revealing various parts of the body, we send varying signals to members of the opposite sex. The author also explodes a number of cultural myths concerning the origin of certain customs and conventions, like foot binding and lip plugs. After reading Body Packaging, I've discovered that people who practice social nudity are by far the most modest of humans, for they send far fewer sexual signals with their bare bodies than those who are dressed! Robinson's writing style throughout Body Packaging is casual and informative, eschewing the dry, stultifying style and jargon of the academician. This book is a must read, for it provides vital information in regard to clothing and dress--and how it has evolved over the centuries. It's also a wealth of photos, diagrams and illustrations of clothing (or lack of same) through the ages.
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