https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/321 2026-04-20T22:33:08Z 2026-04-20T22:33:08Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145741 2026-04-17T14:11:03Z 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The Għonnella : a symbol of femininity, strength, and cultural continuity Abstract: There are symbols that transcend time, that carry within them stories, emotions, and identity. One of them is the Għonnella, the characteristic women’s garment of Malta, which for centuries accompanied the women of the island in their daily lives, in celebrations, prayers, and in their walks through the streets of Valletta and the villages. The Għonnella, with its black or dark hood that covered the head and body, was much more than a simple garment. It was a reference point of female dignity, social status, and inner strength. It was a way for women to stand with modesty, but also with pride, in a changing world. Today, through actions such as the TRACtion project at the University of Malta, we have the opportunity to revisit these cultural symbols not as museum objects, but as living expressions of identity, creation, and inspiration, and to give voice again to them, of the past, through the creativity of people today. [excerpt]

2025-12-01T00:00:00Z Arvanitidou, Zoi https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145740 2026-04-17T14:03:58Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Is the fashion industry inclusive for all? Authors: Arvanitidou, Zoi Abstract: The population with disabilities represents a quarter of adults and is an estimated $490 billion market in the United States alone. They seek equal rights, possibilities, and opportunities and have great purchasing power. Designers must develop products that fit this population’s body, needs, and skills, promoting autonomy, independence, and quality of life. Thus, they help disabled users and their carers when dressing and undressing (Brogin & Okimoto, 2019). New ideas are needed for a co-design platform dedicated to this population to create inclusive fashion. This platform can positively affect the well-being of millions of citizens with mobility/physical disabilities (Soares et al., 2016). The progress for inclusion in fashion is limited, as one’s abilities are rarely included. Has a designer ever wondered how their clothes would be used by someone with limited use of their hands or how a new pair of pants would work for someone with prosthetics?

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Arvanitidou, Zoi https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145736 2026-04-17T13:50:21Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Coded femininity : AI, beauty standards, and the commodification of the female body in fashion Authors: Arvanitidou, Zoi Abstract: The paper examines how Artificial Intelligence encodes the female body, transforming a historically fluid, culturally shaped concept of beauty into a narrow, digitally “measurable” ideal. Generative AI, trained on biased fashion industry datasets, reproduces the Western-centric model of young, thin, white and symmetrical femininity, eliminating diversity and establishing a normative aesthetic. Through virtual try-ons, filters, AI avatars and virtual influencers, the body is transformed into a digital asset and social currency, while users are pushed into constant self-surveillance, comparison and “optimisation”, with measurable consequences on self-image, mental health and consumer practices. The biases hidden behind algorithms, such as thinness, skin colouration and hyper-sexualisation, do not simply mirror existing social exclusions. On the contrary, they reinforce them, offering greater visibility and imitability, while deepfakes add even more complexity. Thus, artificial intelligence is transformed into a tool that disciplines and controls the image of women. It is imperative to have transparency, use multi-collective datasets, conduct ethical programming and implement regulatory interventions. Only in this way can we ensure that the use of AI in the fashion and beauty sector does not continue to reproduce aesthetic violence and commercialisation.

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Dibben, Andreana Debattista, Michael https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145733 2026-04-17T13:44:13Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Studies in Social Wellbeing : volume 5 issue 1 Authors: Dibben, Andreana; Debattista, Michael Abstract: Table of contents:; - EDITORIAL: Andreana Dibben; ARTICLES:; - NEET YOUNG PEOPLE’S PERSPECTIVES ON THEIR EXPERIENCE OF SCHOOL; Andreana Friggieri, Albert Bell, and Brian Belton; - MOTIVATIONS, BENEFITS AND BARRIERS AMONG OLDER MALTESE PERSONS PARTICIPATING IN HOSPITAL VOLUNTEER WORK; Rachel Xuereb, Roberta Sultana, and Maria Aurora Fenech; - NARRATIVE TRANSITIONS IN METHADONE MAINTENANCE TREATMENTS; Stephanie Cascun

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z