Fashion Quote by Susan Sontag
““Twentieth century women's fashions (with their cult of thinness) are the last stronghold of the metaphors associated with the romanticizing of TB in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Illness as Metaphor, Susan Sontag, 1978
The quote critiques how modern fashion idealizes thinness, echoing historic romanticized metaphors of tuberculosis as a symbol of artistic sensitivity.
In simple terms: Fashion’s thin ideal mirrors old TB romanticism.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge harmful beauty standards.
Themes
beauty standards
historical metaphor
health
culture
gender
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
social commentary
When to use this quote
- fashion industry
- media representation
- personal body image
- health discourse
Key Concepts
romanticization
metaphor
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does thinness become a cultural metaphor?
- What impact does this have on women's health?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overlook the complex social factors influencing body image.
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
