The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new exhibition 'Costume Art' features sculptural mannequins that are scanned from real bodies, including representations of corpulent and disabled bodies. The show uses 3D body scanning technology to create mannequins that accurately reflect diverse human forms, moving away from traditional idealized fashion mannequins.
This matters because it represents a significant shift in how museums and fashion exhibitions represent the human body, challenging long-standing norms of idealized proportions in display. By using real body scans, the Met is promoting inclusivity and body diversity in art and fashion presentation, potentially setting a new standard for how institutions approach representation in exhibition design.