Eve hohwieler material culture

MATERIAL CULTURE: ESSAY QUESTIONS (YEAR TWO, TERM TWO) Lecture 8 Question: Judging Ourselves -- When Good Taste Goes Bad Part One: What is the relationship between our cultural choices and tastes and the formation of our social and personal identities? In answering this question, critical evaluate whether our choices and tastes are formed through negation, becoming part of our identities after we have first eliminated things we dislike.

Part Two: Choosing two similar or contrasting objects, explore how your critical account and analysis of taste and identity can be applied to particular consumer choices

A critical evaluation on the formation of social and personal identies though cultural and consumer choices.

By Eve Hohwieler The stories of our lives are told very differently in every culture. These stories are created by the experiences and choices we make within the culture. Choice is so important to consider then, as it is an act of self-expressionism. We have been born with the tools to exercise and desire choice, and so it is an extremely powerful force in forming the authentic self. When it comes to culture there are many different opinions that effect choice and in turn your identity.1 There are two given identities that separate culture around the world. Collectivism and individualism. If individuals consider choice to be a reflection of themselves, they will want to convey a positive image.

The image can be of uniqueness or conformity depending, which is valued in a culture. “What you want, what will make you happy, or what is best for the people around you?” The choice of pleasure or duty is always considered. Every culture provides a sense of identity. In the art of choosing the author talks about how, in Japan (collectivist culture), He asked for Green tea with sugar, and it was not allowed, as it is not what the Japanese do in their culture, it is not valued. ( Iyenger Pg. 29) 1 Personal differences in regard to individualism and collectivism do not represent superficial differences in behaviour but more fundamental differences in human personality normally developed subconsciously as a part of an individual’s cultural upbringing in terms of the Family, personal experiences, educational systems and political structure. 2

We form our identity and tastes in our cultural choices. As humans our identity is very complex and multifaceted, but through our tastes we can show others aspects of who we are. Through establishing our own identities and learning about the identities of other individuals and groups, that we can come to know what makes us similar to some people and different from others. And therefore form social connections with them. Humans have a natural drive to create community and identity. ‘Taste’ is one way of doing that. Different groups tend to cultivate their own tastes to help differentiate them. Identity is so complicated a thing that some amount of collective grouping, or even stereotyping, is necessary for us to get any sort of grasp on it.

1. Sheena Iyenger The Art of Choosing, Little, Brown, 2010.

2. Persson, S. (2015). The Individual and the Collective A Comparison of Identity, Individualism, and Social Categorization in American and Chinese Students. [online] Available at: http://depts.washington.edu/jsjweb/wp-content/ uploads/2011/05/Pages-from-JSJPRINTv1n1.10-9-Persson-S.pdf [Accessed 9 Jan. 2015].

We’re a social species, because we’re pretty feeble as individuals compared to other animals. Looking into evolutionary biology Scientists think that our species’ intelligence evolved to meet the demands of being in big social groups more than anything.1 “It’s a trend that’s taken a troop of chimpanzees by storm: a blade of grass dangling from an ear. The “grass-in-ear behaviour,” as scientists have termed it, seems to be one of the first times that chimpanzees have created a tradition with no discernible purpose -- a primate fashion statement, in other words.” 2 One of the groups developed a form of fashion; they wore a plant or a leaf on their ear. But it was unique to one group of monkeys - that entire group started sticking leafs in their ear. That’s how they identified each other, when they had fights with other groups of monkeys.

In a Hippy group, you could not wear a tuxedo because the group identity sees value in tastes of natural, earthly things,natural fibres and beads and in things that don’t claim or advertise social status. Bankers have suits and high heels, and posh people have hand-made tweed that costs thousands of pounds because they want to look like they go shooting all the time. Forming an identity. Saying ‘this is me, and it is not you’. Building on Bourdieu’s (1983) theory of social distinction, 3finds that status is often communicated through expressions of dislike, with the rejection of particular commodities marking the rejection of an associated social category. When you go to say an Alt J concert, you get the idea that everyone likes Alt-J, and so you probably would get the idea that they have a few similar tastes as you. An ACDC concert crowd is possibly not the crowd for you. When one walks past a Dolce and Gabbana shop; one may get the idea those consumers are all just silly fashion victims who do not share the same values as yourself. Perhaps material tastes grow from what values people choose to hold and identify with. For hippies it might be naturalness and humbleness - hemp and wood. For posh people it is establishment, dependability, class status and order- wood, brass, tweed, silver and gold

When it comes to material objects what comes first the consumer or the designer? . Burberry is traditionally a very posh brand, very expensive. “Back in the days, people in Great Britain started associating the 156 years-old brand with the chavs, a particular ‘tribe’ of British teenagers that used to wear Burberry caps as a distinctive uniform. Who are the Chavs? They probably are the worst stereotyped category of people in the UK: violent soccer fanatics; low-class and poorly educated heavy drinkers, smokers and drug takers. The brand perception was so damaged that Burberry had to remove the baseball caps from sale, and they had to reduce the visibility of the brand’s distinctive pattern.”4 A few years ago it got to be popular among poorer/working class people. Poor people taking and wearing the posh people’s ideas and the brand actually became known as ‘chavvy’ for a while.

1. Nancysbraintalks.mit.edu, (2015). NancysBrainTalks. [online] Available at: http://nancysbraintalks.mit.edu/humansare-a-highly-social-species.shtml [Accessed 10 Jan. 2015].

2. The Dodo, (2015). For The First Time, Chimpanzees Are Making A Fashion Statement -- Sticking Blades Of Grass In Their Ears. [online] Available at: https://www.thedodo.com/for-the-first-time-chimpanzees-605888880.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2015].

3. Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, Harvard University Press, 1987.

4. Bibliography: Noguez, J. and Laurea in marketing a Città del Messico, p. (2012). Burberry: from a troubled perception to the Social Media stardom -. [online] Young Digital Lab. Available at: http://www.youngdigitallab.com/en/ young-digitals-en/burberry-from-the-perception-troubles-to-the-social-media-stardom/

With new technologies and exchanges of consumer goods, cultures are constantly growing around us so Identities will change over time. - “I think that the simple question of identity is probably the subject that interests me most often when looking for stories about people’s experiences. It always intrigues me that there could be any doubt about the inevitable mutability of human identity: that people encourage themselves to pick a shape of existence and stick to it, come what may, ad infinitum. It’s always occurred to me since I was very young that change is inevitable and that evolution depends upon it. I think that being resistant to one’s inexorable mutations, let alone one’s ability to live simultaneously multifaceted lines, is a serious and sad mistake. [Curzon No.19, p28]1 We have to question if people can construct their own identities, or if they are merely playing at Different roles, while their core identity remains fairly constant from their culture and values. We often become distraught and worried that we are drifting away from who we once were. Becoming inconsistent, constantly changing, can result in the “I don’t know you anymore” speech from friends. You are no longer recognizable to the people who have grown to know ‘you’ for ‘you’. The world is always changing so in being too consistent we risk being out of touch and inflexible.2 Stephen Colbort- comedian has made a comment about George W Bush“ The greatest thing about this man is he’s steady, you know where he stands, he believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday. No matter what happened Tuesday. “. He is a firm believer in one set value and is not influenced as such by the world around him resulting in a very one dimensional form of thinking.

Being part of a crowd sometimes does not feel great. We see ourselves as special and singular. Being to much like others is considered a flaw a from of laziness and lack of ambition, but more often then not it is a sign that the person had no character to begin with. Dystopias such as Wall E are used as a scare for not wanting to become part of the crowd, the fear that following a crowd ultimately destroys the authentic self that lies deep within you. The scene of the fat people when the voice over goes the affordable red is in- then everyone on the ship switches to red captures this fear. 2

1. Bridgesandtangents.wordpress.com, (2015). facticity | Bridges and Tangents. [online] Available at: https://bridgesandtangents.wordpress.com/tag/facticity/ [Accessed 11 Jan. 2015].

2. Sheena Iyenger The Art of Choosing, Little, Brown, 2010.

The World of Goods, Douglas and Isherwood (2000) suggest Consumption habits, were created from the human need to relate others, with goods acting as “mediating materials” for symbolising one’s position in society. I would now like to apply my evaluation to two objects of fashion design in consumerist choices.1The less a choice serves some utilitarian function, the more it implies about identity, which is why we pay special attention to categories such as music and fashion trends that serve no practical purpose.

Whether we do it consciously or subconsciously, we tend to organise our lives to display our identity as accurately as possible. Clothing is, of course, the most immediate and accessible means for communicating group affiliation and status.2 The hipster, ideally, feels their tastes to be un-self consciously unique, expressions of their true self, which goes against the mainstream. Society is ever changing and developing, the need to place value in uniqueness and the way the see this fitting is by opting in the choices that separate them from popular culture. Constantly drawing away from objects of popular consumerism and conformity. However Retailer’s have an ever-growing ability to track trends from street to runway and back again meaning that Punk, indie, hipster styles can be found in places like Primark and H&M. 3 In the late 20th century, perhaps to the idea of remaining attractive after marriage, and in part due to the late capitalist compulsion to buy something indiscriminately, Moms across western part of the North America, Europe) began wearing pleated denim jeans tightly belted above the navel, tucking in their shirts under the already constricting waistline.4 The ‘Mom jean’ has come back. The urban dictionary it states that norm care is a ‘subculture based on conscious, artificial adoption of things that are in widespread use, proven to be acceptable, or otherwise inoffensive. Ultra-conformists.’ The hipster would pair the ‘mom jean’ with a vintage individual top however In the world of norm core, your going to find those mom jeans paired with an inoffensive white turtleneck and maybe a pair of New Balance kicks in comparison. So to speak as a means of asserting themselves from the wide range of culture around them that is constantly changing they have decided to remain the same as a means to reveal their values through their consumer choices. Norm core takes on a conformist style saying ‘I have soul and intelligence. I’m unique and I don’t need to shout about it? On the vogue website is says “Norm core doesn’t want the freedom to become someone,” they announced in their Youth Mode report. “Norm core moves away from a coolness that relies on difference to a post-authenticity that opt into sameness. It’s a group in which has developed in identifying their values of not caring about sameness, making them somehow unique. Because being too interested in fashion can “mark you as a mindless sheep.” Unfortunately, now that the style is trending on Twitter, being all into #norm core can mark those not interested in fashion as mindless sheep, too.5 The mum jeans signify the act of the working mum and translating this into the normcare trend into fashion that they don’t have time for fashion so they feel this statement piece reveals this about themselves. 6

1.Mary Douglas and Baron Isherwood,The World of Goods: Towards an Anthropology of Consumption, Routledge, (1996 [1979]).

2. Sheena Iyenger The Art of Choosing, Little, Brown, 2010.

3. https://www.academia.edu/472161/The_Demise_of_the_Subcultural_Identity_Towards_a_Postmodern_Theory_of_The_Hipster_and_Hipster_Style 4 Bustle.com, (2015). Bustle. [online] Available at: http://www.bustle.com/articles/16682-normcore-boring-fashion-for-interesting-people [Accessed 11 Jan. 2015] 5. Vogue UK, (2015). Meet Norma Normcore. [online] Available at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2014/03/21/ normcore-fashion-vogue---definition [Accessed 11 Jan. 2015].

6. SNL, (n.d.). [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aVxNH6iN9I [Accessed 10 Jan. 2015].

In contrasting the ‘mom Jeans’ to an established brand item The Louis Vuitton speedy bag. The chocolate-brown leather canvas emblazoned with quatrefoils and the LV monogram is immediately recognizable as the international symbol of globetrotting luxury. Because materialistic things display status and wealth, the easiest and most common way to display someone’s stature is through designer fashion goods. People, who know nothing about the Louis Vuitton brand, know that the bags are pretty indestructible, and historically very well made. If the consumer choice were truly authentic people would buy the bag because they have an appreciation for the design, the tradition and craftsmanship of the brand, and everyone also knows that the bags are exclusive. When one walks past a Louis Vuitton store, it displays such a grand gesture, one could not walk into the shop wearing a black rubbish bag over their body, and the reason for this is because that is not something that the brand values. The rubbish bag symbolizes an everyday consumer product (also grubbiness). The Louis Vuitton bag symbolizes perhaps that they are above popular culture in the sense that they have piece that symbolizes luxury that not everyone can get. Celebrities establish this idea more by wearing the bags accompanying their apparent exclusive lifestyle. From what I can tell Reality shows such as made in Chelsea, and keeping up with the kardashians, show that they form certain social identities and groups with the people who share the same so called ‘elite tastes’. Shopping in the same designer stores to eating out, it is a lifestyle that many people outside these values consider superficial. However to them it makes them happy, and this represents a certain value they wish to reflect. Women who buy fake designer bags will often begin to notice the inferior quality of the fakes–and envy the real thing. Why buy something that everyone else has, when it’s not the same quality of craftsmanship. . If their purchases are fake then what does that same about them as an individual. The people who buy a product will judge themselves and they think everyone will judge them accordingly. Having the expectations that people will judge them in the same way that they do. 1234

1.“WHAT WEARING THESE 12 LUXURY BRANDS SAY ABOUT YOU. - Destination Luxury.” Destination Luxury.

N.p., 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 2.“Counterfeit Labels: Good For Luxury Brands?” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

3.“Fashion & Leather Goods.” Louis Vuitton, Fashion and Leather Goods, Haute Couture. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

4.“Charting the LV Logo.” Harper’s BAZAAR. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

5.“Five Reasons Everyone Should Own a Louis Vuitton Speedy - Page 6 of 7 - PurseBlog.” PurseBlog. N.p., 20 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.

Changing our behaviour purely for the sake of appearances may seem to conflict with the need to be authentic consistent, but in many ways it is a result of those needs. I agree with the idea “ we are all individuals in sheep’s clothing”.1 Even when we do follow the crowd, we believe we are still exceptional because our decisions are driven by independent thoughts rather than conformity. Every single person has a mind of their own, and we interpret the world around us in many different ways, not one individual can think the same as the other, when we make decisions of following a crowd, or standing out it’s a person’s choice. When we make consumerist choices it all comes down to our values and what we want to be as a true reflection of ourselves. No individual can be the same, we grow from our experiences and if we are wise we understand that the world is a large place and as such there will be a vast difference in tastes and attitudes. Who has the right to determine what good taste is? Taste is our way of breaking down the chaos on the world around us, and we can interpret in any way we like. “Everybody can wear rings in their ears, but you have to come to the idea to do it.” (As pointed out in the chimpanzee article.)

2 we must embrace uncertainty and contradiction. It does not look the same to all eyes, nor can everyone agree on its purpose. We may choose to adopt the collective identity around us or on the contrary “show ourselves eccentric”. We are social creature, the point is that we all seek to belong somewhere.

When we choose something we are ultimately saying something inturn about ourselves. Associations, supporting the same football club, political party, tastes, music, why do the hipsters live in shore ditch and not in Putney? Its because we have a Tendency to go for like-mindedness. Our lifestyle choices reveal our values, or at least what wed like people to perceive as our values. We are all fundamentally desire to belong and therefore we find unique groups that share the same values.

1. Sheena Iyenger The Art of Choosing, Little, Brown, 2010.

2.The Dodo, (2015). For The First Time, Chimpanzees Are Making A Fashion Statement -- Sticking Blades Of Grass In Their Ears. [online] Available at: https://www.thedodo.com/for-the-first-time-chimpanzees-605888880.html [Accessed 10 Jan. 2015].