Preview

Our Identity is Constructed by the clothes we wear

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2323 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Our Identity is Constructed by the clothes we wear
Our identity is constructed by, for example, the clothes we wear. Discuss the idea of a construction of identity within postmodernism using recommended texts.

During the postmodernist era there was great emphasis on the movement of philosophy and social science as well as new influential styles of architecture, design and fashion. It was the development of the modernist era, which in the late 1950’s received criticism for being standardized and no longer suiting peoples lifestyles. The Machine age was not suited to the affluent and creative people of this age and because of this postmodernism was created. (___) In this essay I am going to explore how postmodernist values, art movements and architecture construct the identities and subcultures created within this era. Initially I will be looking at two authors Dick Hebdige and David Muggleton and then support this with examples of subcultures of the period and following the subculture as if filters through to becoming mainstream.
According to Dick Hebdige subcultures occur in society as youth rebelling to the hegemony from the ruling classes.

“This process begins with a crime against the natural order, though in this case the deviation may seem slight indeed – the cultivation of a quiff, the acquisition of a scooter or a record or a certain type of suit. But it ends up in the construction of a style, in a gesture of deviance or contempt, in a smile or a sneer. It signs a Refusal.”
(Dick Hebdige, 1979)

This outcome begins from youth being aware of the class conscious divide within their parents lives and do not want to find themselves in the same position this causes them not to conform to society meaning subcultures are created. Once the media is aware of the subculture and publishes it to the nation moral panic arises, this then leads the subculture to adapt to avoid the negative label and often transforms into a new subculture, or the initial subculture becomes socially accepted by the media and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    "Ain;t No Makin' It"

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Subculture: The culture of groups whose values, worldviews, and norms of behavior are slightly different from those of the dominant culture.…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    b/ Explain your contemporary example of subculture or moral panic. For example, you might discuss the moral panic around binge drinking or lads subculture. Explain how…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    SUBTHESIS 3: As popular culture rose to prominence in the 1920’s, Modern America became more closely tied to movies and other media for entertainment. Although usually harmless fun, this media became harmful to society as it reinstated traditional stereotypes which could divide society.…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When people talk about the word “fashion,” it automatically provides a sense of popular styles of clothing, accessories, and makeup. Fashion influences not only on people’s behaviors, but also influences society on a social and economic level. Sometimes, people show their social status through the consumption of luxury goods, while this trait can be found through the history of fashion. In Adorned in Dreams, the author Elizabeth Wilson introduces fashion’s history and through these changes, people can express different belief systems, social values, and public desires. In Subculture The Meaning of Style, Dick Hebdige introduces an example in Britain’s emergence of subcultures, which illustrates people had changed their social values and beliefs…

    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Subculture: a group of people within a society, who have separate customs, believes and values.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociology of Potheads

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages

    subculture in today's society. From the way they dress, their lingo and the music they listen to…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I agree with you that a subculture exists within every class, especially the lower-class. You mentioned how subculture values are handed down through the generations, cultural transmission, which is an excellent point. This also brings to mind how neighborhoods have their own "code of the streets," as well as subcultures at home, decent values and street values. At times "street values," are more powerful than "decent values," causing kids to engage in violent behavior. This subculture as you stated is a lot harder for people to step away from.…

    • 89 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviours, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Capitalism is an economic and political system in which a countries trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit. I will use evidence from the CCCS (Marxists), Parsons, Pollemous and Bennett.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Blessing Opara

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Subcultures are cultures within the mainstream or parent culture that hold distinct values, practices, and beliefs. They provide a sense of identity and belonging for individuals who don’t necessarily fit societal standards. As subcultures give them the chance to find people similar to them whether through their common beliefs or interests and allows them the ability to make their own community and further develop their sense of self. Thus, the groups of people that seek out subcultures overall seek to find similar others that also want to essentially escape or separate themselves from the wider society as they feel as though their concerns are neglected within the mainstream culture so they form their own communities (or subculture) in which to seek out solutions for their concerns. The reading, “Subculture: The Meaning of Style,” Dick Hebdige discusses this emergence of subcultures primarily concerning punk and reggae subcultures which formed due to common resistance at the margins of society. As most subcultures consist of marginalized groups that face oppressive social conditions, the…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Social Location Essay

    • 1137 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A quick example of this subculture there are many people that live in the cities of America one for instance Los Angeles there are so may different cultures in the city that if you delve down deep enough it might seem as if you were in a whole new world with unique food languages and…

    • 1137 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Deviant Question Paper

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In modern industrial societies there are a variety of styles of dress, types of music, special language and attitudes that distinguish youth from older people and from children. This is known as youth subculture.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The sociological theory of delinquent subcultures belongs to Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin which is based on Robert Agnew’s general strain theory and social disorganization. Agnew’s theory explained that multiple sources of stress and strain affect a juvenile’s emotional traits and response, resulting in criminal or delinquent behavior. Cloward and Ohlin theorize that certain groups or subcultures in a society have values and attitudes that are conducive to crime and violence, and result in criminal or delinquent behavior. In a criminal subculture, the youth learns criminal behavior from established adult criminals who act as role models for him. Living in an area with an existing criminal subculture, a youth has fewer opportunities to achieve success, therefore resulting in access to criminal behavior. The norm for the area is criminally based, and provides easy income through petty crimes for an uneducated youth.…

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Youth Subculture

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Subcultures are seen as groups which have traditionally occupied an underground or marginal status in society. Subculture can be identified as a set of cultural arrays of behaviour conceded by a segment of the population in one country. This paper seeks to answer the question of whether subculture is relevant to understanding the youth in contemporary British Society. It will look at two theoretical studies around the youth subculture and how they were perceived and their criticism. In an attempt to answer the question, this will look back in time where subculture as a concept was first envisaged and how it was presented and if it was relevant to understanding youth then and use that to access how youth subculture is perceived in contemporary…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cultural deprivation theorists argue that the lack of parental interest in their children's education reflects the subcultural values is the working class. A subcultural is a group whose attitudes and values differ from those of the mainstream culture. According to cultural depreciation theorists, large section as is the working class have different goals, besides, attitudes NAND values from the read of society and this is why their children fail at school.…

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    People think that identity can be shaped by different things. Some could argue that identity is shaped more by culture or simply by your personal choices. This essay will discuss how identity is shaped by your personal choices. “To understand identity we must examine the choices we make in our daily lives” (Latterell 11). Some characteristics that are made by your personal choices are the music you choose to listen, your overall appearance like your clothing, tattoos, piercings, etc. and your social group. Personal choices are a major part of your identity simply because it defines who you are and how you choose to be as a person in your day to day life. “Identity is not fixed, but shifts over time and in different situations” (Latterell 13).…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays