Introduction

Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman in her "street clothes." Pretty Woman, Garry Marshall. 1990. Bustle. 

This exhibit examines the way in which throughout history, sex workers have used clothing to construct their identities either by choice or as a result of social or legal exclusion.  “Respectable women” have, in turn, been influenced by the clothing of prostitutes, emulating their style and making it their own. In Medieval Venice, the courtesan was able to fabricate her own personal style, which was then recorded in Alba Amicorum allowing her to both take control of her body and its perception, as well as to transmit this style and influence those abroad. In 19^th Century France, courtesans were often employed as grisettes, or fashionmakers assistants before they became courtesans, and would recieve gifts of clothing from their patrons. Finally, in the contemporary era, clothing traditional to sex workers and imbued with the aura of sexuality are often apropriated by the fashion industry allowing women to purchase the idea of sex work and wear it on their bodies.  In this exhibit, the purchase of sex and of clothing commingle to illuminate their effects on one another.