“ but the flannel that gives heat, as well as the leggings are essential under jeans that have been torn after years of continued use. Long pants, long-sleeved shirts underneath short-sleeved shirts, wool hats, gloves, or boots are used in Seattle (as in so many northern cities) for something as simple as protecting yourself from the cold. When the Washington state capital began to shine with its own light on the music map, it wasn't just the record scavengers who would bait on the invention; the fashion world began to sell the 'grunge image' [...]: all the material described above to fight against inclement weather appeared in luxurious reports by specialized magazines; models with forced mohines of rebellion? They posed for reputed photographers while wearing carefully torn jeans with silver scissors [...]. The best came when those pants, king size jerseys and printed cotton T-shirts appeared in the stores with prices not of laughter, but of crying for the astronomical ”(Colubi, 1997: 239-240).
As can be seen, grunge fashion works differently from punk fashion. In the grunge case, it is the followers who attribute social meaning to the clothing of popular characters such as Eddie Vedder or Kurt Cobain, leaders of Pearl Jam and Nirvana respectively. From this moment, the jump to massive commercial exploitation is a logical consequence, in the context of the consumer society.
Young people: media idols and new values 173
(2) Currently, goods and services are not only used to cover primary needs. Brands like Nike or MTV have overwhelmed the concept of a trademark and have built a complex symbolic universe around them.
Putting on a wool hat, the followers of these musical groups express their sympathy towards a certain idea of life. It is, therefore, a symbolic consumption phenomenon, similar to that which occurs with certain trademarks (2).
All this is framed in the need for differentiation that human beings and, especially, young people have, a need for which fashion constitutes, as indicated, an important support. According to Erner, not in vain, the current importance of fashion "testifies to the general will to stand out, escaping conformity and homogeneity" (2005: 183). Thus, one passes from the singular to the plural. And next to the slim model, without excessive curves and even bony (Kate Moss), more fleshy and even voluptuous (Laetitia Casta) coexist. This is not limited to a physical issue, but permeates the lifestyles and values that each model or each brand carries. The lifestyle of top models has to do with their own personality and the details of their lives, although, as Dyer points out, sometimes there is a conflict between what is “shown” and what “happens” in their lives (2006: 154). That is, between his image and his identity.
No comments:
Post a Comment