Shimmering Aesthetics: Breaking the Gender Binary

In this paper, I investigate shimmering materiality in the production of fashion images, the visual possibilities they produce and the positions those possibilities inhabit at the peripheries of fashion, technology and gender. Specifically, this study proposes a new conceptual model of shimmering aesthetics to deepen our understanding of gender embodiment in fashion. By focusing on the esthetic qualities of shimmering materials in gender performance and expression within fashion practices, I trace the formation of new meanings from the dynamic interactions between the body and secondhand clothing. I employ a thermostatic principle in my interdisciplinary exploration of shimmer, conceiving it as watery aesthetics that reimagine representations of non-masculine gender's monstrosity. This method combines artistic practice, visual analysis, and a new materialist perspective on gender performativity. Building on a case study, Shimmering Lukas (2022), I detail my own process of curation-with-care to create photographic images. Reflecting on this photo series, I underscore the role of visual and esthetic form in knowledge production, proposing that engaging with diverse esthetic experiences and curating with care offers insights into queer embodiments, inviting viewers to connect with the clothed body through touch, feeling, and thought.