Fashioned Gender through Cloth Rite: the New Haute Couture of the Postmodern Society - Essay Example

? Fashioned gender through cloth rite: the new haute couture of the postmodern society Unit of your degree ID number Table ofcontents Introduction 3 Short overview of haute couture’s evolution 3-4 Postmodern era 4 Decentred subjectivities 4-5 Gender norms 5 Prada ad 5-6 Haute couture fashion: trickles and bubbles 7-8 Postmodern masculinity 8-9 Subcultures of youth 9-10 Branding 10 Social identity, fashion and appearance 10-11 Conclusion 11 Reference List 12 Images 14 Fashioned gender through cloth rite: the new haute couture of the postmodern society Haute couture of the nineteenth century expressed the time’s gender and social class, as the height of fashion and power of the upper classes. It further portrays the “trickle down theory,” where appearance codes of the upper classes trickle down to the masses. The masses strive to follow these codes using their own resources, as an attempt for social mobility (Veblen 1994: 52). Nowadays, however, haute couture is no longer trickling down in the same dominant flow, as subcultures and gender positions evolve (Barker 2000). The postmodern society reflects globalisation of brands, where heterogeneity exists and persists, and where bubbling up mixes with trickle downs to form social identities (Kratz and Reimer 1998). This paper will talk about fashion and appearance of the haute couture in postmodern context and will explore how fashion and appearance help people create their social identities through cloth rite. This paper argues that clothing rite portrays evolving concepts of masculinity and femininity in the new haute couture of the postmodern society through mixtures of trickle down and bubble up phenomena. This section discusses a short overview of haute couture’s evolution from trickle-down theory to bubbles up and to a mix of both. During the nineteenth century, the French led the rise of haute couture, where the elite classes define fashion trends and appearance statements (Veblen 1994: 52). The masses endeavoured to copy the elite, a signification of their desire for social mobility: “The result is that the members of each stratum accept as their ideal of decency the scheme of life in vogue in the next higher stratum, and bend their energies to live up to that ideal” (Veblen 1994: 52). As a result, the masses tried to replicate the clothing rite of the rich, although they were limited by their own resources. Reproduction of the lower class, however, would be undermined by the upper class’ revision of their dress codes. Social demarcation cannot be maintained if homogeneity was too perceptible “and thus the game goes merrily on” (Simmel 1973: 175). This game is largely a game owned and manipulated by the elite. They use their fashion and appearance to differentiate themselves from the masses and enforce power over the latter (Miller and Real 1998: 19). They form clothing rites that are expensive and continuously changing. In a way, they are saying that people beneath them cannot catch up that easily, for the former need the same game of life to preserve the status quo that protects and promotes their upper-class interests (Simmel 1973: 175). The rules and language of the game changed at the postmodern era. Postmodernism has no single definition, but is often described in terms of its principles. First, Lyonard argues that postmodernism emerged when the grand narratives broke down, especially the narrative that exhorts the problem-solving purposes and ends of science (Miller and Real 1998: 19). Second, Baudrillard underscores that global communication technologies allowed for a “culture of mass production and simulacra” and from henceforth, originality has stopped (Miller and Real 1998: 19). Third, consumption transitioned from the puritan ethic of consumption to “commercial ethic of conspicuous consumption” (Miller and Real 1998: 19). Baudrillard stresses that reality have turned into hyper-reality, where authenticity and representation has exploded and sign systems have replaced objects as a whole (Ransome 2010: 364). Hyper-real means nothing is paradoxically real. In relation to fashion, fashion is increasingly used to build and communicate “decentred subjectivities” (Tanesini 1999). Trickle down theory no longer unilaterally applies, because heterogeneity has expanded and pluralism in appearances bubbles up to the elite (Braham 1997). History has become histories, with accent on the pluralisation of experiences (Miller and Real 1998: 19). Cultural relativism aims to break haute couture’s power, in connection, the subjugation of the minority cultures (Kratz and Reimer 1998). Socio-civic movements promoted civil rights, gender rights, and other forms of human rights, thereby changing the social, economic, and political landscape. People want to be different and they no longer care for being aligned with the haute couture in the same degree that the masses did during the nineteenth centuries. When they do want to be beautiful in appearance, they also do so because of the motive of recreation and relaxation (Black 2004). Masculinity and femininity, as a fashion discourse, have traditionally followed gender norms. Since the Sumptuary Laws: “Man abandoned his claim to be considered beautiful. He henceforth aimed at being only useful,” and their fashion focused on being “‘correctly’ attired, not of being elegantly or elaborately attired” (Flugel 1930). Masculine clothing rites are greatly maintained to assert power and social status among men, which symbolises the masculine code for competitiveness. Feminine clothing rites are expressed in the customary gender code of the one being gazed at. Female skin is amply displayed in many advertisements, and though feminism argues that women should not be commodified, they are still treated as objects for advertisement goals attainment, especially in attend to the need for sex and acceptance. The degree of gendered social identities in fashion, nonetheless, varies, which underscores that appearances also follow the bubbling up of different cultures and sub-cultures. See Figure 1 for Prada. This image will be analysed from the feminist perspective. The subjects of the photo are a man and woman on bed. The woman has her black shoes on and in her undergarments, while the man is fully dressed in formal business attire. Her clothing rites focus on being attractive. The photograph reinforces gender stereotypes; the woman remains more sexualised than the man through this clothing rite, because she is not fully dressed. The bed is tussled, which indicates something sexual too. The tone of sexuality, however, is toned down by the distance between the two subjects and the faraway look in their faces. The man is ready for work. His clothing rites demonstrate high social status, because of its formality. This image reinforces the thesis of this paper, because it shows that men and women are defined by their fashion and appearances. Their social identities are gendered. Woman remains passive, while man has the more active and aggressive identity. This photo underscores that fashion still tends to reinforce gendered social identities. Figure 1: From Suitcases to Oscar Gowns, From Milan to the World A more sexualised image of a woman can be seen in Figure 2, a Channel advertisement. This has a bed story line, where a younger man is with an older woman in bed. The woman is wearing her bra, while the male model wears an open upper garment. Their clothing rites are more sexualised. This is an interesting photo, because it both destroys and reinforces gender stereotypes. On the one hand, the woman is almost nude, and she is symbolically selling her body as part of the brand. She is as beautiful and timeless as Chanel. On the other hand, the younger man suggests a Cougar relationship, which can stand for sexual liberation for women. The social identity demonstrated by this fashion photo is that women are independent enough to be fearless against the expectations of society. The man, being physically exposed too, is now a subject of the gaze (Bennett 2005; Branston and Stafford 1999). Men are not just the gazer, but the gazed at. Like women, their bodies are also commodified to sell brands. They also represent the beauty and charm of Chanel as a brand. Hence, this photo breaks apart, to some extent, from the milieu of gendered fashions, because it emphasises sexualisation of men and women alike, and further celebrates the independence of older women. Figure 2: Chanel Now this paper refers to haute couture fashion in the postmodern society and how it is affected by the bubble up. See Figure 3, the dress worn by Kate Middleton to her royal engagement. Kate is wearing a blue Issa dress, which is “princess-perfect” for her class and the social activity she is attending. It is clear that she chose the right material and design that would fit a princess. Her clothing rite matches that of the great and well-known fashion icon Princess Diana. The trickle-down theory explains that when Kate wore this blue dress, the next week after that, Primark, Zara, and H&M concurrently offered the same blue dress. Kate used catwalk designs that were leveraged by fashion designers for high street consumers. At the same time, bubble up occurred, because designers examined trend reports and fashion blogger to see what the markets want and then applies that to high end markets and haute couture too. It is amazing how fashion trends both experience trickles and bubbles. Figure 3: Kate’s Blue Issa Dress This photo (Fig. 3) asserts the argument of Black (2004) that women also take care of their appearance, because they want to feel relaxed and beautiful for themselves as part of their clothing rites, and not only to serve the purposes of attracting men. When Black says “Ordinary people come through here,” she stresses the beauty regimen of the ordinary people, which has needs and purposes that are not always similar to haute couture (Black 2004:2). Ordinary people have clothing rites that also mimic high end fashion, while also, at times, defining their individual fashion personalities. Furthermore, the importance of social appearance can be either aligned with or subjugated to the social connections in the process of beautification (Black 2004:2; Macdonald 1995). Women are motivated to be beautiful to connect with other like-minded women who enjoy taking care of themselves, because the “self” is just as important as the “other” (i.e. others can include men and children or family members). The “self” can also be formed by clothing rites that depict who they feel they are and how they want to be seen by other people. One photo from Number (N)ine Men's Spring 2009 Collection further de-emphasises gender in fashion and appearance. It brings into the surface subcultures of men that are metrosexual and haute couture. This photo shows four men wearing feminine-inspired clothing. Their apparel has designs and cuts that often are found in women’s clothing. For me, this photo highlights the mobility of gender, or rather the absence of gender. Postmodern society seeks to dismantle grand narratives. This photo fractures the gender narrative. There is no male and no female anymore, but only a subculture that is entirely individual. This photo can be argued as metrosexual, as it stamps out the idea that only women can look beautiful. The subculture of the youth can also be seen in Fig. 4. The young rebellious attitude is seen from the models’ appearances. The role of subcultures for this photo is for re-eroticising the male body as a part of their clothing rite. Male Body becomes the spectacle as they don decorative dress; a rejection of the male culture. These models represent the generation of young people who do not care what other people think. They know that they do not need the acceptance and judgment of others, because they can only judge who they are. For fashion choices, they are going for the authentic (Barker 2000). They might be using haute couture, but their motivations can be social and political. For instance, this photo can be used to express the political resistance against white male hegemony. They wear the clothing of seemingly different ethnicities to underscore the power of the minority groups to rise up and challenge the status quo. This photo presents smaller narratives of resistance and challenges in haute couture fashion. Figure 4: Number (N)ine Men's Spring 2009 Collection Finally, fig. 4 argues the emergence of the New Man. “The emergence of the New Man has been as much a reaction to the impact of feminism and changing opportunities for women as it has been a reassessment of masculinity itself” (Craik, 1999:197). The New Man is differentiated, not against women, but against masculine standards and values. Figure 4 shows that the New Man is a new breed of masculinity, where gender is subjugated to individual social expression. Masculinity, in light of feminist movement, is also being reconstructed and de-gendered. Branding in fashion has also affected social identities, because brand is also critical to haute couture. New images of social identities are emerging, where brand has become a central force in making fashion choices. The image has replaced the actual object, another manifestation of hyper-reality (Miller and Real 1998: 19). People are becoming enamoured of brands that reflect their social identities. A person wearing Chanel may feel that she is different if she wears Prada. In her mind, her brand and clothing rite reflect who she is. Bourdieu stresses that consumption is “a way of establishing differences between social groups, not merely expressing differences which are already in place” (Miller and Real 1998: 19). Individual social identities are emerging, a pattern that past haute couture times have not witnessed. Sennett (1974) argues: “Subjectivity has changed from a conception of the self based on personality, something one innately is, to, a conception of the self based on performance, a sense of the self that is constructed and cultivated.” What do these conflicting movements tell people about the relations between social identity, fashion and appearance? It tells people that social identity is pluralistic (Bennett 2005; Branston and Stafford 1999). They are fragmented by different identities that fashions and appearances can depict in diverse ways. Social identity is also mobile (Bennett 2005; Branston and Stafford 1999). Femininity can shift to masculinity and vice-versa. Ideas about people’s identities, such as class, gender, race, and ethnicity are mobile. Nothing is definite and permanent. But is there something good about social identities in constant flux? Indeed, it is good society, because it breaks apart embedded social and gender values. It tells people that they are not married to their gender or social status. They are empowered to change who they are and use fashion and appearance to reflect their social identities. Haute couture ceases to be gendered and socially hierarchical. At present, it explores social identities through dynamic clothing rites. There are no final fashions or appearances, only people who are making their social identities using clothing practices. This paper shows how fashion and appearances shape social identities through gendered and un-gendered haute couture and clothing rituals. Appearances and fashion matter in different ways for diverse groups and sub-groups, but they also assert who they are and who they want to be in relation to others. Postmodernism demonstrates bubbles and trickles in continuous flux- a testament of how people define clothing rites that also define their social identities. Reference List Barker, C. 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(1995) ‘Refashioning the body,’ in Representing women: myths of femininity in the popular media. London: Edward Arnold. Miller, G.R. and M. Real. (1998) ‘Postmodernity and popular culture: understanding our national pastime,’ in A. A. Berger (ed.), The Postmodern presence: readings on postmodernism in American culture & society. London: Sage. Negrin, L. (2008) ‘Feminism and fashion,’ in Appearance and identity: fashioning the body in postmodernism. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Ransome,P. (2010) Social theory for beginners. Bristol: Policy Press. Sennett, R. (1974) The fall of public man. New York: Knopf. Simmel, G. (1973 [1904]) ‘Fashion’, in Wills and Midgley (eds.), Fashion marketing. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Tanesini, A. (1999) An introduction to feminist epistemologies. Oxford: Blackwell. Veblen, T. (1994 [1899]) The theory of the leisure class. New York: Dover. Images Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2009 (IV) (2009) [online image]. 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