{"id":18,"date":"2018-02-12T09:45:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-12T14:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2018-05-17T11:22:07","modified_gmt":"2018-05-17T15:22:07","slug":"annotated-sources","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/annotated-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"Annotated sources"},"content":{"rendered":"
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  1. Simmel, Georg. 1957. \u201cFashion.\u201d\u00a0The American Journal of Sociology\u00a0<\/i>62(6):541\u201358.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Simmel writes about fashion as a paradox, in which it is imitation, but also differs between social groups. It is social obedience, while simultaneously, individual differentiation. \u00a0It is constantly changing, but it remains the same. He writes about the elite pioneering fashion that is then imitated by the masses. As soon as the lower classes copy the upper classes, the upper classes come up with a new style. Although focused on class, he briefly writes about gender. \u00a0He writes about fashion being a form of \u201ccompensation\u201d for women who operate in a subordinated position (1957: 551). He writes of men entering \u201cuniform\u201d societies in which they have no use for fashion. Simmel will be the guiding sociological theory behind our research. We are looking at whether the millennial generation potentially challenges Simmel\u2019s assertion that it is the elite that create fashion. \u00a0Is this piece still accurate? Although extremely old, one of the main claims is that fashion is cyclical and maintains a timeless dynamic. Therefore, it is still potentially very relevant. Although antiquated and sometimes offensive, the notes about gender can be applied to our research through the understanding that it is rarely the wealthy, straight, white men that we look to for fashion.<\/p>\n

    2.\u00a0K-Hole. 2014.\u00a0YOUTH MODE: A REPORT ON FREEDOM<\/i>. Retrieved May 7, 2018 (http:\/\/khole.net\/issues\/youth-mode\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    This is a predictive report for millennial fashion that was released by a trend forecasting website. \u00a0In it, they coin the term \u201cnormcore.\u201d They situate their findings sociologically by first discussing the society that millennials are engaging with. \u00a0Individuality has always been something to strive towards with fashion, but is increasingly unattainable. Millennials are becoming more cognizant of the fast pace of fashion, and are adopting seemingly \u201ceveryday\u201d and \u201cnormal\u201d clothing as resistance against fashion and individuality. \u00a0This report is very useful to our research because it situates millennials as a generation in search of freedom that stands apart from prior generations. This implies that the sociology of fashion is changing, from that described by Simmel, with millennial fashion. The report stresses millennial use of fashion as resistance. \u00a0We are interested in whether this is a true assessment of millennial behavior.<\/p>\n

    3. Cheng, Andrea. 2017. \u201cWHY EVERYONE IS INTO UGLY FASHION: AN EXPLAINER.\u201d\u00a0Fashionista<\/i>. Retrieved May 7, 2018 (https:\/\/fashionista.com\/2017\/06\/ugly-fashion-mainstream-trend).<\/p>\n

    This article introduces ugly fashion as an extension of normcore. Cheng writes about ugly fashion as a fear of \u201cbasicness,\u201d which is another emerging millennial fashion concept. She writes about millennials needing to stand out from the crowd and seem unique. The term \u201cbasic,\u201d which used to just mean fundamental and classic, now has a negative connotation as average and characterless. \u00a0Millennials have an aversion to this term, so they are seeking more eccentric and \u201cugly\u201d trends. She also writes about this being a shift from the elite creating fashion, to the masses starting trends. She writes, \u201cWe\u2019re seeing, for the first time, the younger generation is heading up the trends versus the trends trickling down.\u201d This article is useful for our understanding of ugly fashion and millennial trends. \u00a0It grounds our initial assumption that fashion culture is shifting from what Simmel writes about.<\/p>\n

    4. Singer, Maya. 2017. \u201cHow Fashion Became Part of the Resistance.\u201d\u00a0Vogue<\/i>. Retrieved May 16,\u00a02018 (https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/fashion-designers-politics-resistance-fall-2017-ready-to-wear-public-school-missoni).<\/p>\n

    This article is about resistance \u201clooks\u201d on the runway. \u00a0Singer writes about different expressions of resistance through fashion. \u00a0She writes about a \u201cMake America New York\u201d hat being showcased on the runway, along with pink \u201cpussyhats,\u201d as resistance against Trump. \u00a0She also writes about a line of sweaters being sold, where shoppers can choose a charitable organization to support with their purchase. She includes quotes from a designer that gave a soccer team of undocumented immigrants fashionable soccer tees. The main take-away from this article is that fashion can be used as resistance in many different ways. It can be explicit or implicit. \u00a0For the purposes of this project, we are focusing less on clothing that explicitly states its stance, and more on clothing that may be resisting aspects of identity or space. However, this is still useful for understanding depictions of millennial fashion as resistance. This article raises a lot of important guiding questions. Is fashion used as resistance or is resistance fashionable? The runway is the epitome of elite fashion. Can the elite resist? Why does this form of resistance come across as inauthentic?<\/p>\n

    5. Stoppard, Lou. 2017. \u201cWhy is fashion so ugly?\u201d\u00a0Financial Times.<\/i>\u00a0https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/3d5ad52c-9f01-11e7-8b50-0b9f565a23e1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    This piece pinpoints some of the distinct \u201cugly\u201d trends that are marking the runway and everyday fashion. \u00a0Stoppard writes of ugly fashion as a form of resistance against beauty trends. Christopher Kane is quoted saying that he chose to put crocs on the runway because they are what doctors, and people that \u201cshape our world,\u201d are wearing. This seems to imply that fashion is coming from below. \u00a0Stoppard also writes about bodies as fashion. She writes that designers are now looking beyond conventional beauty standards when finding models.\u00a0Alessandro Michele is quoted saying, \u201cI don\u2019t care about a dress\u2026 I care about the person inside it.\u201d He intentionally chooses models that are unique and diverse. \u00a0This is an interesting use of identity as fashion. Are certain identities fetishized as fashionable, or is fashion becoming more inclusive of all identities? \u00a0This will be useful in understanding some of the complexities surrounding identity and how it can be conflated with fashion.<\/p>\n

    6. Boris, Eileen. 2017. \u201cFashion Works.\u201d\u00a0Feminist Studies,<\/i>\u00a043<\/i>(1), 169-192. doi:10.15767\/feministstudies.43.1.0169<\/p>\n

    This piece takes a more macro approach to uses of fashion as resistance. \u00a0It begins by analyzing the symbolism of Michelle Obama wearing a designer dress at the 2016 Democratic Presidential Convention. \u00a0Boris parallels the message of the Obama administration with trends toward an embrace of diversity through fashion. The piece delves deeper into how gendered or racialized performances often have to rely on fashion for \u201ccode-switching and identity recognition\u201d (Boris 171). \u00a0She writes that although fashion can be used as resistance in a variety of ways, it is reliant and contingent on hegemonic norms. This piece is useful in understanding some of the theory behind uses of fashion as resistance. It establishes that identity is a huge factor and that resistance is complicated within an oppressive structure. \u00a0What is resistance within a hegemony when it is dependent on many of the messages promoted by the dominant group?<\/p>\n

    7. Genter, Alix. 2016. \u201cAppearances Can Be Deceiving: Butch-Femme Fashion and Queer Legibility in New York City, 1945\u20131969.\u201d\u00a0Feminist Studies,<\/i>\u00a042<\/i>(3), 604-631. doi:10.15767\/feministstudies.42.3.0604<\/p>\n

    This article looks at the history of lesbian usage of fashion as resistance. \u00a0It focuses on the contradictions within fashion as resistance, in which it was used by queer people to gain acceptance into communities and find partners, but also made them susceptible to acts of violence. \u00a0Female masculinity has been the prevailing \u201cpublic face of lesbianism\u201d (Genter 631). Lesbians have negotiated this expectation over time by either reinforcing or resisting it. The article highlights the difference in butch and femme fashion, and how fashion can complicate oppression. Dressing \u201cbutch\u201d comes with hypervisibility. \u00a0This article reveals how those with a similar identity, can still be divided along fashion lines. It is useful for understanding the intersection of bodies and space. Sexuality can be something that is very visible or very hidden. Can hypervisibility act simultaneously as an act of conformity and resistance?<\/p>\n

    8. Ogunnaike, Nikki. 2018. \u201cAt Dior, Can Resistance and Fashion Mix?\u201d\u00a0ELLE<\/i>. Retrieved May 16, 2018 (https:\/\/www.elle.com\/fashion\/a18751947\/womens-rights-and-revolution-take-centerstage-at-dior\/).<\/p>\n

    This article questions the sincerity of resistance displayed on the runway. \u00a0Ogunnaike critiques a Dior collection that features \u201crevolution\u201d style hats. The designer claims her collection is inspired by feminist resistance. \u00a0The author writes that although this might be admirable, there seems to something \u201cinherently disingenuous\u201d about profiting off of this fashion. The author also writes that these looks are so expensive, that they are not accessible to the general population. \u00a0Is it important for Dior to use their platform to make a stance against inequality? Since Dior is not making any effort to actually alleviate inequality by donating their profits or showing support for certain organizations, this seems to be an example of how resistance has become trendy. \u00a0This is useful for our research about whether fashion as resistance is authentic or disingenuous.<\/p>\n

    9. Hall, Stuart. 1993. \u201cWhat Is This \u201cBlack\u201d in Black Popular Culture?\u201d\u00a0Social Justice,<\/i>\u00a020<\/i>(1\/2 (51-52)), 104-114. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/29766735<\/p>\n

    This piece is about the complexities of appropriation of blackness within popular culture. It is predominantly theoretical and filled with sociology jargon, but has some useful analyses of culture and fashion. Hall concludes, \u201cpopular culture, commodified and stereotyped as it often is, is not at all, as we sometimes think of it, the arena where we find who we really are, the truth of our experience\u201d (Hall 113). \u00a0There is often a great deal of weight placed on popular culture in the construction of identity, but Hall writes that individuals often possess more agency than what is assumed. This also provides an interesting conversation when paired with Boris\u2019 article because it examines how elite culture is dependent on non-elite culture, although the \u201ctop\u201d may try to reject the \u201cbottom.\u201d The two pieces illuminate a power struggle that is a complicated and dependent exchange. \u00a0This is a dense piece that has some salient points when thinking about agency and the construction of dominant culture.<\/p>\n

    10. Schiffer, Jessica. 2015. \u201cDo Racial Stereotypes Affect Your Fashion Choices?\u201d\u00a0Who What Wear<\/i>. Retrieved May 16, 2018 (http:\/\/www.whowhatwear.com\/racial-stereotypes-fashion<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    This article poses the question: \u201cDo racial stereotypes affect your fashion choices?\u201d It provides quotes from nine women of different races about their experiences with stereotypes and fashion. All of the women talk about how they will be perceived, in relation to their race, when choosing what to wear. \u00a0Many of the women talk about discomfort with how their culture is consumed, but also an aversion to wearing items that may seem stereotypical of their culture. This article is useful in understanding how racial identity affects the ability or desire to use fashion as resistance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Simmel, Georg. 1957. \u201cFashion.\u201d\u00a0The American Journal of Sociology\u00a062(6):541\u201358. Simmel writes about fashion as a paradox, in which it is imitation, but also differs between social groups. It is social obedience, while simultaneously, individual differentiation. \u00a0It is constantly changing, but it remains the same. He writes about the elite pioneering fashion that is then imitated by … Continue reading “Annotated sources”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-3010-spring-2018-kweiss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}