Certainly Lupita Nyong'o was not there to receive a statuette, this June 11 at the Tony Awards, but she had enough to bulge the torso. Invited to the ceremony that rewards theatrical creations in the United States, the forty-year-old actress presented herself in a unique evening outfit. She wore a black suit adorned with a silver breastplate in the shape of a woman's bust. And not just any: the piece was cast on his own body by Pakistani-born artist Misha Japanwala.
"It creates a realistic and faithful record of a person's body and makes it an act of resistance and celebration, which highlights the fact that we are allowed to exist freely in our bodies," the Mexican-Kenyan actress explains on her Instagram account. An artistic and militant approach that has already seduced other celebrities.
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Work of resistance
Misha Japanwala has not yet reached her thirties, she has already immortalized the curves of Julia Fox, those of Cardi B during her pregnancy and developed an anatomical costume worn by Lil Nas X in the clip of his title Montero. Born in London, the artist grew up in Karachi and studied at the prestigious Parsons fashion school where she graduated in 2018. Her work, on the border between clothing and plastic art, explores through the representation of the body the notion of shame, which she opposes to that of modesty. A reflection that echoes the strict religious policy of her country of origin, which notably hinders the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people. But it is also part of a more global trend, which has been observed among celebrities in recent months.
The daring Loewe jumpsuit worn by Beyoncé during her tour, the Dior dress representing a's body chosen by Chiara Ferragni at the Sanremo Festival, the topless bikini signed Jean Paul Gaultier worn by Kylie Jenner... The outfits that dress the body by giving the illusion of revealing it have the wind in their sails. Behind this game of hide and seek is a desire to reclaim its image. The challenge of an era on the skin.