The Clothed Body

Objects
was the ‘anatomical’ version with a metal frame that was supposed to
support it and keep it close to your body without causing back problems
(though it was actually incredibly uncomfortable to wear).
The origins of the rucksack are twofold: military and alpine. Both soldiers
and mountaineers have always needed a bag in which they could keep
things, while leaving their hands free to carry a rifle or grasp a safe hold,
depending on the situation. Carrying heavy loads on the shoulders is a
feature of many societies and cultures, in everyday situations which have
nothing to do with wars or mountains. Think of the peasants’ use of panniers,
bundles and sacks; or the tradition of the American Indians who
carry their children on their backs in a piece of material folded like a kind
of rucksack (called a papoose). This custom has been adopted by companies
in the West that specialize in baby products and that now make rucksacks
for carrying children.
Today rucksacks (whether for travel, school, the motorbike or the mountains)
have multiplied in shape, size and colour, as well as in their adaptations
and transformations, like those with a walkman incorporated. The
better brands are distinguished by their ergonomic and functional nature:
they have extra-light anatomical skeletons, are made of resistant, waterproof
materials, or fabrics which absorb sweat, with internal and external
pockets, a belt to fasten round the hips to help support the weight, and
straps made to carry snap-links, flasks, sleeping bags or walking boots.
These are all factors which have contributed to the success of the rucksack
and which allow many people, not just the young, to use this object in a
personalized way and yet to feel part of a group. The rucksack has become
another of those ‘multiform uniforms’ that characterize our age, a symbol
of cult and culture at the same time. The fact that it may contain a Greek
dictionary, a waterproof jacket or a snack is simply indicative of one of the
desires that characterize our age: to be able to carry on our shoulders
everywhere something like Mary Poppins’ never-ending bag.
The beret has never stopped being worn by young and old, male and
female alike, in many parts of the world. Typical of the time of fashion is
the idea of eternal return, the cyclical nature of which presents objects from
the past as if they were new and had never been seen before. In the 1990s
the beret changed its size and, especially in the female version, became
brightly coloured; and it was worn like the painter’s beret, or else in the
centre of the head to cover the hair completely. The rule was: once you
wear it, never take it off, keep it on your head in the restaurant, at your
friends’ house, in the cinema and even in the classroom.
This kind of head covering has a long history: its origins can be traced
back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, when it was held on by a wide
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