Dress, Adornment, and the Body in the Hebrew Bible

Dress, Adornment and the Body in the Hebrew Bible is the first monograph to treat dress and adornment in biblical literature in the English language. Beyond merely filling a gap in scholarship, the book moves beyond a description of these aspects of ancient life to encompass notions of interpersonal relationships and personhood that underpin practices of dress and adornment. I explore the ramifications of body adornment in the biblical world, informed by a methodologically plural approach incorporating material culture alongside philology, textual exegesis, comparative evidence, and sociological models. Drawing upon and synthesizing insights from material culture and texts from across the eastern Mediterranean, I reconstruct the social meanings attached to the dressed body in biblical texts. I show how body adornment can deepen our understanding of attitudes towards the self in the ancient world. In my reconstruction of ancient performances of the self, the body serves as the observed centre in which complex ideologies of identity, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and social status are articulated. The adornment of the body is thus an effective means of non-verbal communication, but one which at the same time is controlled by and dictated through normative social values. Exploring dress, adornment, and the body can therefore open up hitherto unexplored perspectives on these social values in the ancient world, an essential missing piece in understanding the social and cultural world which shaped the Hebrew Bible.

AGING BODIES IN PARADISE? AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF FANTASY FEST IN KEY WEST, FLORIDA

Dominant cultural constructions of aging bodies, particularly those of women, as unattractive and asexual may be challenged within politically and socially progressive leisure environments, like Key West, Florida, that promote out-group acceptance, collectivity, and cultural diversity. However, this possibility receives limited scholarly attention. Addressing this gap, our study employs observational and interview data (n=60) collected in 2017 and 2018 at Key West’s Fantasy Fest – an annual event marketed as a “10-day party in paradise for grown-ups.” The festival, drawing as many as 100,000 people, cultivates a relaxed atmosphere permissive of nudity and theatrical body adornment, including body paint and costume. This feature makes it an ideal site for examining the effect of inequalities, including age and gender, on body displays and social reactions to them. Data analysis revealed four themes centering on aging bodies – Judging Bodies, Limiting Body Displays, Displaying Bodily Difference, and Liberating Bodies. Age and gender inequality strongly influenced judgments of attractiveness and sexual appeal, contributing to older participants’ more limited body displays. Nevertheless, both young and old participants collectively contributed to creating a liberating environment that celebrates bodily difference and encourages cross-age interaction. While limited to one site with a unique political and social climate, our study suggests the potential of progressive leisure environments to broaden notions of aging bodies and encourage cross-age connections.

Decorated Women: A Sociological Approach to the Function of Cosmetics in the Books of Esther and Ruth

The use of cosmetic oils by the heroines of the books of Esther and Ruth is frequently interpreted as a means to enhance their beauty and allurement. Cosmetic use in the Hebrew Bible is routinely condemned, and yet Esther and Ruth receive no censure for their actions. By utilising a sociological approach to the function of cosmetics and body adornment alongside archaeological and textual evidence from ancient Palestine, in this article I consider the use of cosmetics akin to a speech act, able to communicate the social status and sexual intentions of the wearer to those around them. This perspective provides a new access to understanding the characterisation of Esther and Ruth, showing that their intentions in utilising cosmetic oils fundamentally differs in the two books. This has implications for understanding some of the narrative elements within the tales, as well as their reception at the hands of later interpreters.

‘She Made Herself up Provocatively for the Charming of the Eyes of Men’ (Jdt. 10.4): Cosmetics and Body Adornment in the Stories of Judith and Susanna

The use of cosmetics and body adornment in order to decorate and beautify oneself is an almost universal part of the human experience. This was also true of the ancient Palestinian culture that gave rise to the Hebrew Bible and early Jewish literature. Despite this, cosmetics and their function in the narratives in which they feature is an understudied subject within the academic scholarship of biblical literature. This article discusses the use of cosmetics in biblical and Jewish-Hellenistic texts, demonstrating that cosmetics were associated with immoral behavior and illicit sexual practices. Nevertheless, in the stories of Judith and Susanna, these characters apparently receive no such censure for applying cosmetic oil. By considering the use of cosmetics akin to a speech act, able to communicate something specific about one's social or sexual status, this article provides a new access to understanding these narratives and the characterisations of their female heroines.

Sisters and SaVAges: Putting the VA in th e Acti.VA.tion

Sistar S’pacific aka Rosanna Raymond is an innovator of the contemporary Pasifika art scene as a long-standing member of the art collective the Pacific Sisters and founding member of the SaVAge K’lub. Raymond has achieved international renown for her performances, installations, body adornment, and spoken word. A published writer and poet, her works are held by museums and private collectors throughout the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Making Research: An Analysis of Arts-Based Practices in the Academic Process, A Case Study of Methods of Inscription

Researching within the field of fashion and the body means working very closely with the artistic community including fashion designers, illustrators, and visual artists. Despite this, research on the subject rarely utilizes arts within the research project. This paper aims to analyze a successful application of arts-based research practices within scholarly research. The project in question, Methods of Inscription, utilizes an arts-based research approach to explore the tattoo experience within a Canadian context. The body of work, developed for exhibition, combines primary and secondary research with artistic exploration to visualize the collective experience of tattooed individuals. The ways in which we understand tattooing and body adornment are directly linked within the study of fashion. Both visual art forms change the appearance of the body, consequently effecting one’s interaction with the world around them. The study of both fashion and tattoos can only be achieved through the use of an interdisciplinary research method, which acknowledges both visual outcome and lived experience. This paper will outline the significant writings used to support and analyze arts-based research practices, the methodology used in the creation of Methods of Inscription, as well as an analysis of the created artefacts, and the knowledge that they embody.

Early Australian Anthropomorphs: Jabiluka's Dynamic Figure Rock Paintings

Early depictions of anthropomorphs in rock art provide unique insights into life during the deep past. This includes human engagements with the environment, socio-cultural practices, gender and uses of material culture. In Australia, the Dynamic Figure rock paintings of Arnhem Land are recognized as the earliest style in the region where humans are explicitly depicted. Important questions, such as the nature and significance of body adornment in rock art and society, can be explored, given the detailed nature of the human figurative art and the sheer number of scenes depicted. In this paper, we make a case for Dynamic Figure rock art having some of the earliest and most extensive depictions of complex anthropomorph scenes found anywhere in the world.