What Makes the Combination of Ripped Jeans and Mirrored Sunglasses Desirable among Punk Teenage Fans - Research Paper Example

Researching Popular Culture: What is it that makes the combination of ripped jeans and mirrored sunglasses desirable amongst punk teenage fans and followers of current fashion trends? People who say that appearance does not matter have never been members of any subculture. For hippies their bracelets, long dresses, and bright shirts were the unique opportunity to reveal their message to the world: peace, love, and freedom. Punk culture was born as a protest to mainstream, and hippies in particular; and in order to become a real punk feeling punk or listening to punk rock was surely not enough. People who wanted to become one of them needed to make statement visible to the rest of the world and utter their truth: anarchy, self-destruction, and rebellion to mainstream and traditional. And what could speak more eloquently than shaved heads, leather jackets, and ripped jeans? Jeans and sunglasses have become essential attributes of fashion due to several reasons: they are and still remain always in trend, they are affordable to any consumer, and they are suitable for almost any occasion. Where’s ripped jeans combined with mirror shades express the spirit of punk époque: rebellious and non-conformist. Those wearing ripped jeans and sun glasses are always having something to say to the society. The history of jeans appearance is rather interesting itself. Denim is considered to be one of the oldest materials in the world; however, its popularity is relatively young. Jeans are trousers mostly made of denim but sometimes such fabric as dungaree can be utilized. People usually imagine blue jeans created by Strauss and Jacob when they use this term. However, the material itself was discovered in national museums and archeological digs all over the world which means that it has been used for centuries on the planet (Lynn 3). So Levi Strauss was not the one who invented jeans but he was first man who realized that jeans could be popular among workers because they were durable and comfortable. Moreover, jeans could change with age in a unique way. So naturally before World War II jeans were worn by cowboys and rural workers, such as farmers or carpenters. The popularity of jeans came with the movies when the most handsome men of Hollywood, Marlon Brando and James Dean, appeared on the screen in classical blue jeans. Later students started wearing jeans as a symbol of support of working class, the most discriminated class in the United States of that time. Moreover, jeans were noticed in Europe when young boys from the USA serving the army wore jeans as a symbol of home (Hegarty 1). That is how jeans rush began worldwide: politics started wearing jeans to look like ordinary people, young people started wearing jeans because they were practical, and celebrities started wearing jeans when they want to relax. However, every subculture modified jeans to create its special message: hippies wore denim bell bottoms, rockabillies preferred jeans with wide turn-ups while punks` jeans were ripped and torn (Hegarty 2). For the representatives of punk culture ripped jeans symbolized poverty, rebellion against consumerism, and protest against wealth accumulation. Such jeans were often combined with T-shirts with provocative signatures and leather jackets. Ramone`s and Iggy Pop were those who started the trend of ripped jeans. Most of jeans were made at home with the help of simple materials and tools such as knifes, coarse sandpaper, safety pins, scissors, and blocks of wood. And in the 1970s it became clear: unless you have a pair of ripped jeans you cannot be considered real punk so all those who wanted to be in trend had to learn how to do it yourself (Gonzalez 1). Ripped jeans created a new trend as well- a trend of youth: it was difficult to imagine how people older than 35 could tear their jeans to look cool. So simple jeans were for cowboys and farmers while ripped jeans were for rebellious young people (Worseley 13). According to Fiske, ripped jeans can also symbolize excorporation which the author explains as the method of resistance to dominant system by modifying any available resources. Choosing ripped jeans the person intentionally demonstrates that he does not need a new pair of jeans and therefore does not participate in capitalistic system (Fiske 75). Some fashion experts claim that jeans became so popular because they were inseparable from their owners: and they changed with their owners, got older, and those started telling a story. That is why the idea of naturally ripped jeans is so dear: because it could tell a lot about the one wearing them (Mishault 1). Today denim brands offer ripped jeans in each collection, and the models may vary between ripped, pre-ripped, distressed or even “boyfriend” ripped model. The models can be totally skinny and tight or free and stretchy depending on the taste of the owner. Sometimes looks with ripped jeans come from streets and get directly to the catwalks, thus in 2012 Denimology blog distinguished 5 casual looks part of which were ripped jeans. Today college students as well as top models have a pair of ripped jeans in a wardrobe (Gonzalez 1). Fashion experts advise to combine it with blazers, sweatshirts, or traditional leather jacket. It is possible to wear snickers or high heels to look a bit like a punk. Mirror sunglasses are sometimes called Aviator sunglasses or cop shades. The history of the accessories is not so long as the main peak of popularity was in the 1960s. First mirror glasses were developed for US aviation because they helped pilots to protect eyes from excessive sun light that is how the name “Aviator glasses” became widespread among general public. However, not all mirror sunglasses were Aviators since some of them were popular among police officers as well. Ray Ban was the first company selling glasses and creating a trend. (Kennedy 1). After popularity among pilots in a few decades several companies started selling mirror sunglasses to those professionals who contacted with sun often: golf players and fishermen. The accent was made on scientific protection of eye from sunlight, and the price was higher than for simple pair of sunglasses. World War II made sunglasses extremely popular: they became obligatory accessories of pilots ad soldiers, even generals had a pair of shades. During the 1960s and 1970s mirror sunglasses became popular among celebrities who wanted to hide behind shades from annoying fans, that is how sunglasses hit Hollywood (Kennedy 1). Today mirror sunglasses are used among all classes of society in all the countries of the world. Mirror sunglasses are not only about style, they are more about covering and hiding eyes. Many people are forced to wear glasses because their job is specific while for others covering and hiding behind sunglasses is also a protest against society. First of all, mirror sunglasses are popular because they protect eyes from sunlight and they are very comfortable. People living in the areas where sunlight is strong and annoying have no other choice than to wear sunglasses. It helps them to avoid stress and tension if they have to spend long time on the beach. This type of sunglasses protect almost from 100 % of ultra violet that is why when driving on a sunny day, snowboarding or playing some water sports people just have to wear mirror sunglasses. Most brands offer a number of sunglasses now except Aviators model, but this one remains one of the most famous. It is also possible to prevent diseases of vision with the help of sunglasses of high quality that is why such brands as Ray Ban or Polaroid specialize on mirror glasses that have medical effect (Richa 1). Secondly, popularity of mirror sunglasses among youth and teenagers can also be explained by the variety of colors of this accessory. Among the most popular shades there are blue, pink, orange, copper, green, and silver. And it is not necessarily that the world is colored with the color of your sunglasses. And thirdly, celebrities wearing shades in popular films and sitcoms made everyone want to have a pair of mirror glasses. 1980s gave women opportunity wear funny and even ridiculous sunglasses in bright plastic frames. Princess Diana often appeared on a screen in a pair of mirrored sunglasses making it possible to understand that even Royal family appreciates this accessory. From the 1990s sunglasses changed it form: the frame became tiny and wired. The Olsen sisters along with Jennifer Aniston wearing round mirror glasses a desirable thing among those who wanted to be in trend. Today sunglasses producing companies are the most successful in the world since this a very profitable business. Each designer has its own line of shades as well, so it is possible to buy a pair for $1000 from Prada and $10 from Chinese fake Ray Ban. Punk icons of the 1960-1980 all appeared in a pair of shades. The Ramones, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground used to hide beneath the pair of sunglasses whether traditional Ray Bans or other brands (Shanon 2). The appearance of ripped jeans and mirrored sunglasses and the popularity of their combination can be explained by punk culture with its protesting mood. In the last few decades of the XXth punk style became popular in the USA and in Europe inspired by the desire of resistance. Youth wearing punk clothes and dark eyeliner with messy hair used it as a statement which claimed: “we are not like you, we are different”. Punk fashion was born as the protest to mainstream culture, to mainstream music, and to ordinary life perception. However, time makes every new and rebellious trend in fashion mainstream eventually. Thus, T –shirts with provocative messages, leather jackets with the names of bands, tattoos, piercings, ripped jeans, and sun glasses become popular not only among punks (Hannon 51). So what was that thing that made punks seek for new ways of expression? Disco époque with its bright clothes designed for a stage or dancing and underlining sexuality excessively was number. While hippie culture with long hair, bell bottom pants, simple shoes and numerous accessories was the second object of opposition (Hannon 53). The style, however, was obviously originated by musicians who tried to make themselves look opposite to hippies: they wore skinny jeans, black leather jackets, and shaved their hair. The clothes and the whole look was supposed to be dirty, unattractive, and cheap. First who caught the new trend were such bands as Ramones, Patti Smith, and Television. Vivienne Westwood was considered to be the first “official” designer of punk époque as her collaboration with Malcolm McLaren gave birth to one of the most popular boutiques in New York which was called “Sex”. The manager of “Sex Pistols” did not deny that he was inspired by musician and writer Richard Hell, who used to create his own T-shirts with punk signatures such as “Please kill me”. Later McLaren and Westwood added bondage and leather gear and dressed Sex Pistols in this outfit to make it more popular. Among the most popular words were “Anarchy” and “Destroy” combined with swastikas and safety pins. However, even for musical bands punk as style was perceived differently: while “Clash” had to create real punk clothes themselves spray-painting and stenciling their jeans and T-shirts. Ramones could afford buying punk clothes in expensive punk shops (Hannon 57). Today punk clothes is a controversial thing: when we see a squatter from a poor London district in ripped jeans and a jacked covered with studs it is punk but when we see the same jacket on haute couture show which costs almost $1000 we wonder is it still punk despite the fact that punk philosophy is no longer present (Singer, 2013). So punk style has become casual and lost its primary meaning. However, this combination is not as successful as it may look like because it looks a bit eclectic. Ripped jeans belong to punk style and époque with its stress on poverty, mess, anarchy, and drugs. Punks were wearing ripped jeans not only as a symbol of protest but because they could not afford new pair of jeans as well. Genuinely, ripped jeans belonged to lower class of society, ad only later came into usage among students and subcultures. However, mirrored sunglasses were designed for people within society: soldiers, pilots, sportsmen that is why their combination may create wrong impression and overall wrong message. While ripped jeans are associated with dirtiness, drugs, and self-destruction, sunglasses can look a bit funny, childish or elite on their background. The combination of ripped jeans and mirrored sunglasses suggests that the person wearing them has a strong message to society. He/she is rebellious, marginal, and indifferent to opinion of mainstream culture. Ripped jeans in the beginning of XXI century signify that the person has anti-capitalist mood and can afford buying a new pair but deliberately chooses the one that can show his unique protest and punk style. This look also claims that the owner has an intensive party life as he is seems constantly tired and worn out. Mirrored sunglasses hint that their owner want to hide his/her emotions and does not want to be noticed on the one hand and is opposite to ordinary people without glasses. It concerns especially those people who wear sunglasses during parties. So the combination of ripped jeans and mirrored glasses allow teenagers expressing the main message regarding their attitude to the world: protest, disagreement, and indifference. So the look in which ripped jeans accompany mirror shades express the main message of punk époque: we are resistant to the mainstream culture, we value the moment. Works Cited Fiske, J. Understanding Popular Culture. 2013. New York: Routledge Gonzalez, N. Ripped Jeans: An Iconic Fashion Staple. The Verge. 2013. Retrieved from: http://wordpress.monmouth.edu/?p=4484 Hannon, M. Punks: a Guide to American Subculture. 2013. Santa-Barbara: ABC-Clio Hegarty, S. How jeans conquered the world. BBC News Magazine. 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17101768 Kennedy, P. Who Made Those Aviator Sunglasses? The New York Times. 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/magazine/who-made-those-aviator-sunglasses.html?_r=0# Mishault, J. Ripped Jeans. Vogue Mania. 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.vogue.it/en/trends/vogue-manias/2012/07/ripped-jeans Richa, J. Pros of Using Ray Ban Aviator Suglasses. Singer, M. Punks luxury legacy and the frisson of rebellion. BBC Culture. 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130424-can-luxury-fashion-ever-be-punk> Shanon, P. Punk Glasses and Sunglasses: Streets to Couture. Coastal. 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.coastal.com/thelook/punk-glasses-sunglasses-from-the-streets-to-couture. Worsley, H. 100 ideas that changed fashion. London: Laurence King Pub., 2011. Print. Read More