Reckoning with Highland Rape: Sexuality, Violence, and Power on the Runway

Abstract

Alexander McQueen’s Fall 1995 show Highland Rape was a turning point in his career. The title of the show, in conjunction with the models’ appearance on the runway in ripped, revealing clothes, was undeniably provocative, and the controversy raised his profile considerably. Several reviewers criticized the show, labeling it “misogynistic.” McQueen consistently objected to this characterization, saying that the phrase “Highland Rape” referred to England’s historical “assaults” upon his ancestral homeland of Scotland and drew from witnessing the abuse that his sister suffered at the hands of her ex-husband. Because of this, some fashion scholars have dismissed the idea of McQueen’s misogyny as merely a failure to fully understand his oeuvre and his biography. While critiquing McQueen’s use of sexual violence, it is necessary to find a middle ground between the idea that either McQueen’s work is too complex and authentic to be criticized or that his sometimes-troubling approach to race and gender politics should condemn him to wholesale dismissal. However, examining Highland Rape through its authorial intent and a close reading of the garments themselves, while considering the power dynamics between model and designer, reveals a performance that reinforces the glamorization of rape and the manipulation of women’s bodies.