Original story

Finnish News Media Relay - 27.11.2019

COMMENT

Ingrid in the raw in Miss Universe pre-competition telecast

The unfortunate disrobing of Miss Ingrid Mikkola has once again prompted discussion of that old favourite of the editorial columnists - digital skin. The very first graftskin constructs were developed at the end of the 1990s, and the colour shadings developed for cosmetic purposes came onto the market in 2002. In those days, artificial skin was heralded as a triumph of biomedicine.

As so often, the next phase was that the military got hold of the idea and developed its own applications, which were kept as classified information for many years. During that time artificial skin became equipped with such things as heating elements and fluid and energy collection and storage systems, for instance allowing wearers to operate under hostile battlefield conditions without support. Then a few years ago, the fashion houses and couturiers began to sit up and take notice, and artificial skin appeared on catwalks and in catalogues. At this point, we heard the first doomsday warnings of the sad decline of biomedicine. And yet, over the months and years public opinion slowly came around to the view that artificial skin was cool - especially when prices dropped to the level of household data- & multimedia systems or private cars.

One group has stood out against artificial skin from the outset, and has been equally outspoken in its criticism of the latest digital skin version of “the Emperor’s new clothes” - the Roman Catholic Church. In his Vatican Encyclical of September 2011, Pope William expressly stated that the manipulation of genes and the artificial alteration of the human form is contrary to the beliefs of the Church of Rome - whether the changes are made through wholesale genomic adjustment or only on those genes controlling the surface cell tissue.

Hannula I. & Linturi R. 1998: 100 Phenomena. Yritysmikrot Oy, Helsinki 1998. Copyright notices ISBN 952-9508-18-2

Toteuma-arvio 2026

Toteuma lyhyesti

  • Ilmiön toteuma: 4/5
  • Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: kyllä; arviointi-ikkuna on 2014–2024
  • Toteuma väljemmällä aikahorisontilla: kyllä, erittäin vahvasti
  • Ilmiön ydin: lääketieteeseen ja puolustukseen kehitetty kehoa täydentävä teknologia siirtyy kuluttajien, muodin ja identiteetin rakentamisen välineeksi.

Proteesit, puettavat sensorit, lämmitettävät ja mukautuvat tekstiilit sekä elektroninen iho liikkuvat lääketieteen, armeijan, urheilun ja muodin välillä. Kehitys herättää keskustelua luonnollisuudesta, yhdenvertaisuudesta ja kehon muokkaamisesta.

Johtopäätös: ydin teknologian siirtymisestä hoidosta ja puolustuksesta muotiin toteutui olennaisilta osin.