A great many functions can be said of the hat. Protection from the elements, falling objects or injuries are manifest functions of the accessory worn throughout man’s history. Yet throughout humanity, hats have other latent functions. The hat is a construct of man for the obvious functions listed above and is given symbolism in his wearing of it. As part of a uniform, the hat can hint at equality and group identity yet paradoxically performs the task of giving power and status to some. It is also an expression of hierarchy, a show of professionalism, a reflection of social distinctions another fashion trend, or to mark certain occasions such as weddings or funerals, the latter of which has become the more common function performed now.
In the early part of the 20th century, the hat was indispensable, performing most of its functions but waned in the later part of the century as technology not only eliminated traditional ways of life but also diminished the wearing of the hat itself. Every member of society was with a hat both inside and outside the house; it was a dress code everyone abided by. People also altered the kinds of the hat they wore, females made them fashionable and were fascinated by it while men made it their trademark, serving their dignity and pride. Occupations and uniformed groups made it a vital part of their dress code, and the hat was even subverted into forms characteristic of its time. As automobiles came along, the hat was designed specially to allow people to climb into cars to drive but it was later blamed for the demise of hat wearing as cars instead, replaced the hat in many of the functions embodied.
Hats are functional in society as explained earlier, but they are also culturally significant. Phrases containing the word ‘hat’ are a dime in a dozen, and whether the phrases ridicule the hat or admire it, the continuation of the usage of such phrases reveal the hat’s importance even today, despite it having been opted out of most people’s attire. People make decisions “at the drop of the hat” and pull tricks “out of a hat”, give respect by “taking off one’s hat” and dismisses out datedness as “old hat”. Of historical importance would be the term “as mad as a hatter” and the inspiration for the character of the Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. In the nineteenth century, a toxic mercury mixture was used to treat felt - the material most hats were made of, had harmful effects on workers in the industry who suffered “hatter’s shakes” among other symptoms. As can be seen, the clothing item worn on the head has manifested itself in literature, in everyday language, and still retains some of its traditional functions in the modern day world. People may not adorn the accessory as it was required of everyone in the past but its presence in today’s society in other forms tells of its cultural significance.
Hats and Gender
The early 19th century saw hats along gender lines, but as society became more equal, unisex hats became common. The varying appearances of the hat came about from the different gender roles, and have further reinforced gender identities.
The plain colours and defined shape of men’s hats reflected the masculine characteristics such as strength and authority. It is also reflective of the male physique- solid and firm, which highlights their roles as decision makers of the family and society at large –a proper and no-nonsense attitude.
Men’s hats were also easily removed in order to ‘tip their hats’ as a sign of goodwill. Hat tipping was a frequent practice at that time as a form of respect, which only men performed as a reflection of society’s expectations on them, that is, to behave as gentlemen and at the same time, authoritative figures.
Likewise, women’s hats reflected socially approved female characteristics such as beauty, emotions and the curvy female physique. The adornment of accessories such as ribbons, flowers and feathers on the hat reinforce the notion that women are more expressive than men and more concerned about their outward appearance. It also indicated the roles women played in that era – domesticated, decorative, to be generally admired but not of much use, the quintessential ‘trophy wife’.
In more recent times, hats are no longer bound by gender lines. With the feminist movement worldwide, women were seen wearing men’s hats because they want to possess the power that comes along with the hats. In a music video by Shania Twain ‘Man I feel Like A Woman’, the wearing of the Top Hat (with the suit) shows us this. We first see Twain in a power suit but as the song progresses, she slowly sheds various items of clothing, revealing a short tube dress but the Top Hat remains for the longest time. She only removes it towards the end revealing her long hair. Up to this point, she evokes a sense of control and power (despite being in a sexy dress), and it is only after she removes the hat that the power diminishes.
Hats and their significance in society
Because of the way they stand out in a crowd, hats can create an impression about the wearer’s social status, affiliation, and personality.
“Until the 1960s, the article of clothing that performed the most important role in indicating social distinctions among men was the hat.”
In England at the beginning of the nineteenth century, men of higher status usually wore a Top Hat to distinguish themselves from the other classes. Perhaps it was a myth to make the wearer appear aesthetically taller and socially dominant. This physical and visual disparity between people on the streets reinforced the social inequality present and that it would remain.
Hats worn by the lower classes were practical in nature. The sun hat for example, was made out of straw with a wide brim to shield the wearer from the sun during gardening or yard work. While hats worn by the upper classes were less functional because they did not have to do menial work that demanded the practicality of the hat. Later on, a bridge between class distinctions came along in the form of the iconic Bowler hat of England where status boundaries became blurred, significant of changing political times where democracy was strongly endorsed and the Bowler became a mass-produced item making it a “democratic” hat available to everyone.
In this comic, the feather on the soldier’s helmet de-authoritizes him because of the associations feathers have with feminity and frivolity, which is hardly what an authoritative figure should possess. This is because people attach meanings to objects, and hats signify an individual’s status and his affiliations.
The head is an important body part because it houses our cognitive abilities. By placing something above that most important part, not only protects that part, but it also enhances the importance of the object, which is why power and authority are conveyed through hats – objects placed on the head. Respected professions like chefs and policemen are recognized by their distinctive headwear, and similarly given their professional authority because of their hats’ given meanings.
Hats and Uniformed Identities
Hats can be worn as a kind of distinctive headwear that proclaims national identity, clan affiliation, political beliefs or common cultural interests. Uniformed workers use hats to create a common, homogenous identity and protection.
Military groups use berets to characterize the different units within the army structure as symbols of identity and vocations. Emblems function as signifiers on the different berets and signify the difference between the ranks and figures of authority. The standardization gives soldiers a sense of belonging so much so that they function as a single entity. As the saying goes, “One for all, all for one”, the soldiers go through the same strict regiments and suffer weal and woe together as a collective body, treating one another as equals. The crests marks authority and structure, empowering leaders to direct and establish an impenetrable defence force for the country. The standardization of the berets and uniforms reinforce the myth of unity, which is constructed through similar treatment of the soldiers.
With the wearing of certain hats, like the nurse hat featured below, comes the obligation to conform to certain expectations as it places occupational stereotypes on the wearer. A classic exemplification of this would be the nurse, whom society deems as the caring, kind, conservative, gentle, patient nightingale. These are typical characteristics that society expects of a nurse, which may not hold true. As seen from the figures below, the nurse in figure 2 is portrayed in a completely different light from that of figure 1. The former bears the typical traits of a nurse while the latter reflects a possible personality of a real nurse who is sexy and wild, deviating from the social norm. The qualities expected of a nurse are constructed through the demands of the job scope and adopted by the public, forming stereotypes of the profession.
Cultural Transformation and Hats
Like most cultural objects, certain hats have undergone cultural transformations. They have been taken from a certain place in time, and brought to another, and used in a way that was not what it was meant to be, as discussed in Michel de Certeau’s article ‘The Practice of Everyday Life’.
The manifest function of the beanie is to keep one warm during winter by preventing heat loss from the head. But it became associated with the hip hop breakdance culture that used it as part of head protection when performing certain moves like the head spin. With the spread of hip hop culture worldwide, we occasionally see people in hot and humid Singapore with a beanie on. It has obviously taken on a new function in bestowing an identity on us.
Most hats that were created back in the 19th century and denoted a person’s social status. Over time, different hats have come and gone, while others remained like the common baseball cap. Hats also started to transcend class boundaries, but all of these were only determined by the reproduction processes that were available. Notice that the Top Hat did not go mainstream and has yet to make a return to fashion compared to other hats like the Flat Cap and the Bowler that people can still be seen wearing even today. This was probably because Top Hats needed to be handmade by a skilled hatter while the Bowler and Flat Cap could be easily mass-produced by the technology available.
Conclusion
From our analysis of hats, it is plain to see that hats play a significant role in conjunction with clothing, in the construction of myth in our everyday lives. It provides a platform for people to display and express certain characteristics of themselves, the identity that one bears in relation to himself or herself, in correspondence to the groups that the society has constructed which shapes the individual’s concept of self and in making sense of the world around. We also confirm our subjectivity through hats. We produce and create it and give meanings to it through wearing and by placing motifs and accessories on it, but yet it also gives meaning to us. So the subject-object relationship is cyclical.
Hats bring about the opportunity for myths to be lived out in the various areas covered-gender; status and hegemony; promote group cohesion and occupational stereotypes; and contribute to the shaping of identities. As we break down the signified meanings that hats embody, we assert that the ideas they signify are vital portions in the construction of one’s identity and therefore play a key role in alerting authorities of the attitudes and characteristics of their population, with the messages they manifest through what they wear, especially with regards to teenagers and youth who often portray who they are inside by what they wear and carry on their bodies.
Although hats are not widely worn in modern society, and only on commemorative events such as the Royal Ascot horserace held in Britain, it has retained its social symbolism such that fashion designers continue producing fashionable hats for the upper-class women attending social functions. The hat today still harbours its class and gender distinctions as men are seldom seen donning hats while the rich and famous women wear the latest hand-made designs in haute couture.
Anyway, has anyone come across any hybrid hats? I haven't really, and could ya give examples of hats that have been adopted by subcultures or become a fashion item - the communist hat is one such hat.. I can't quite think of any at the moment
I'm expounding on what Evan's already wrote in her entry. We're really running short of time already and i'm sure we all would like to get this essay over with and start studying for the final exams too, so, let's get started!
Basically, each one of us will have to take one segment and do a draft on it, 350 words thereabouts, it's fine if we write lesser or more, since total number can be anywhere from 1500-2000. (done in MSWord, the usual rules apply, font size 12, times new roman that stuff, makes it easier when we put everyone's segments together)
Since there's six of us, i've split the sections into six equal parts and just comment on this entry which one you'd want?
1. Introduction: -explains reason(s) for choosing Hats as our topic (talk about its cultural values, its significance and the hat's manifest and latent functions; NOT about why we are choosing hats for this project, don't think we need to explain our choice of hats over other cultural objects) -history and origins of the wearing of the Hat -links historical and social construction of hats to its cultural significance in modern-day society
2. Symbolic Meanings of Hat-wearing (a) on Gender (b) on Status/Hegemony/Politics/Ideologies (show how hats show a difference in class status, is it constructed by the dominating class?) (c) on hats and how it brings society together (in uniformed groups, occupations, reinforcing group identities) (d) Hibridity of hats/ Fashion statements made by hats/ Subculture hats? (more modern day context here than traditional, i think)
3. Conclusion how is the hat naturalised/socially constructed (based on its meanings above), what signs/signifiers/signified/myths does it have? why has the hat so prevalent in yesteday's society become lesser-worn today? what does it say about its cultural significance now? (basically rounding up everything in the essay)
anyway, the lecture notes also talked about how technology influenced the development of culture in society so we should fit that in, but i don't know how..
alright, may we distinguish ourselves from the others by putting our "thinking caps" on to write a great essay! and if i've made any errors in my classification above, please correct me too. (:
oh yeah, do we need to include a biblio at the end? but anyway, if any part's from a book or website, it's still better to acknowledge the source?
1) Book Title: HATS: Status, Style and Glamour Author: Colin McDowell
2) Book Title: The Century of HATS Author: Susie Hopkins
Power and Honour
Hats are the most unnatural of all items of clothing; they are the least necessary but the most powerful. They are the tools of transformation and authority. This is why power and ceremony are normally hated.
Covering the head for protection was a consideration for only the lowest labourers. For everyone else, the hat was a mark of status. That was the true reason why men and women of all classes covered their heads. It showed their estate and allowed them to give and receive what was known as hat honour.
If political hats are about power and allegiance, this is even more true of military headwear. The wearing of military uniform is intended to foster the group loyalty that is an important part of a disciplined fighting force.
The cocked hat was the standard masculine headwear in the eighteenth century and was worn by officers in most countries as part of their uniform. The cocked hat died out as military headdress because, for all its style, it wads not practical in battle. It was replaced by the Hungrarian shako which was first adopted by the Prussian army in the early eighteenth century and then copied by most European armies and some American regiments.
Standardization of the male dress, in civilian as well as military life, wads making originality and eccentricity the sole province of women. As the nineteeth century progressed, men’s hats dwindled to a handful of styles, while women’s blossomed into a bewildering variety.
Helmet of the Household Cavalry, a piece of military headgear whose use is now purely ceremonial.
Tibetan monk in ceremonial headdress Religious Hats
What distinguishes religious hats from headgear designed merely for protection or in response to fashion? They are sober, largely unornamented, and often have an upwards emphasis that can be seen as symbolizing the soaring of the soul towards heaven.
Pope Paul VI addressing the Synod, October 1969
Hoods
The hood is a classical shape that has hardly changed over the centuries. It is designed either to frame the face or to shroud it.
Lady Magaret Beaufort (Countless of Richmond), late 15th century
The Bowler
Although essentially a comic shape, the bowler has long been the chief symbol of male power dressing. It was the hat of both city gent and the man of affairs until well into the 20th century. But it can also represent the pathos of dented dignity, as Chaplin’s battered bowler invariably does, no matter how jauntily he may cock it.
Stage and Screen
Stage and vaudeville entertainers have always worked within a limited number of hat styles. The boater, the bowler and the topper have been their stock-in-trade for two hundred years. Symbolic women’s hats have appeared less often, though in music hall and pantomime comic working-class women frequently played by men, have often been shown wearing a black poke bonnet, or a cheap straw hat with a bedraggled feather. Symbolism in women’s hats came fully into its own only with the cinema goddesses of the 1920s and 1930s.
Hats That Swing
Ask any jazz musician why he wears a hat and he will tell you that it gives him that sense of style essential if he is to ‘swing’. Many of the ‘greats’, from Fats Waller to Boy George have worn trademark hats to set the mood for the performance to come. It is not just at the pop concert or on the stage that hats so instantly set a mood. In everyday life, we can judge people’s attitudes and opinions the moment we see their hat. The old slogan ‘If you want to get ahead, get a hat’ was undoubtedly true, but a rider could also have been added: ‘If you want to hide your attitudes, go barehead.’
Rikki Lee Jones
Movie Glamour
The cinema’s cliché glamour hat is the wide-brimmed Edwardian affair popularized by Cecil Beaton in My Fair Lady.
Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, 1964
Bridal Hats
Bridal headwear has always symbolized the bride’s purity and majesty. In Roman times, brides wore yellow veils; in the Middle Ages they garlanded in their hair with freshly gathered flowers, but it was not until the 19th century that the bridal wreath and veil of the ‘traditional’ white wedding evolved. Bridal hats are a 20th century development and vary from a band of flowers to high-fashion. Perhaps most elaborate is the headdress of the Japanese bride, which is often so heavy that she cannot walk unaided. Called a ‘tsumo-kakusho’, it is designed to hide the horns of jealousy on the wedding day.
Japanese bride in traditional headwear
Feather hat
Feathers have adorned prestigious headwear from the ceremonial helmets of the Greeks and Romans to the headdress of American Indians to the hats of the great couturiers.
Hat by Nicolas Oakwell, Spring/Summer 1991
The Bonnet
The bonnet is probably the oldest hat style in history. Leather bonnets were worn by noblemen at the time of William Conqueror in eleventh-century England, and remained the headgear of the nobility during the Middle Ages when they were made from embroidered velvet and brocades. A frilly lace boudoir bonnet worn by American actress Billie Burke in the operetta The Duchess of Dantzic
Hats go into Advertising
The all-powerful media loves hats. Designers are well aware of this when they use quite extraordinary, impractical creations in fashion shows. There may be few repeat orders for extravagant sculptures adorning the heads of supermodels, but it is always a good opportunity to get a photo in the fashion magazines or on the newspaper page. Hats have media power, a fact discovered and exploited by the advertising industry. The British company Tilda Rice were among the first to consider hats for their advertising campaign.
This is an article about "The Six Thinking Hats and Creative Problem Solving using a Comparsion", hope it might be interesting to you. It tells us how the six different coloured hats are being interpreted.
I found out through research that in the past, to differentiate between good guys from the bad guys, all you had to do was to look at their hats. White signifies good, and black signifies bad. If they wore a white hat, they represented truth, justice and the American way. If they wore a black hat, they represented the dregs of society, the kind of person you would never want to become. Identity, Belonging and Cultural Identity
Some hats are wore as a kind of distinctive headwear that proclaims national identity, clan affiliation, political beliefts or common cultural interests. Sometimes, these hats are adopted by others because of its practicality or attractiveness, or the appeal of its cultural associations.
For example in a school baseball team. All the players in the team wear headgear (hats), that indicates their collective identity. So the emphasis is on the group and not the individual alone.
This is one article I found on the meaning and history of wearing hats in Canada.
Do you wear a hat? Maybe to keep you warm in winter? Or for your job? To look good? For playing hockey or riding a bicycle? Or because all your friends wear baseball caps? This is an exhibitabout why people in Canada, past and present, have worn hats — people of different ethnic groups, religions and walks of life. Hats express things about their wearers. They stand out and frame the face — the most expressive part of the body. Some hats are practical, like the hard hat; some are symbolic, like the police officer's hat; and some hats are both, like the baseball cap. You will find many different kinds of headgear in this exhibit, and just as many different meanings for them. Some head coverings will appear again and again, such as the veil, the cowboy hat, the feathered head-dress and the cocked hat. So, put on your thinking caps and explore!
Authority and Status
Hats can convey power. Some, such as the army helmet, proclaim military might. Others identify professional authority, as in the graduate nurse's cap. Hats such as the tall black top hat represent prestige and social standing.
Hey guys, we were talking about idioms/quotes with the word hatsin it and so I found a few.
I take my hat off to you - something that you say which means that you admire and respect someone for something they have done.
Talk through one's hat - to talk nonesense/to bluff
Under one's hat - as a secret or in confidence
Throw/toss one's hat into the ring - to enter a politcal race as a candidate for office
At the drop of a hat - at the slighest pretext or provocation
Hat in hand - Humbly; in a humble maner
Hold on to your hat - An expression warning someone of a big surprise.
That's about it. =)
And some history about women's hats.
"Although women from an early stage were always expected to have their heads covered by veils, kerchiefs, hoods, caps and wimples, it was not until the end of the 16th century that women's structured hats, based on those of male courtiers began to be seen. It was in the late seventeenth century that women's headgear began to emerge in its own right and not be influenced by men's hat fashions."
I was wondering whether that could a form of simulation. Like how women's hats were evolved from men's hats and its became its very own style, like a form of hyperreal? =x
And I read an article about how the first man who wore the top hat caused plenty of panic among passerby. 'According to a contemporary newspaper account, passersby panicked at the sight. Several women fainted, children screamed, dogs yelped, and an errand boy’s arm was broken when he was trampled by the mob. Hetherington was hauled into court for wearing "a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people."'
Heyee all! Evan here.. this is what we roughly came up with...the brainstorming process during our lesson and after the lesson with Jiaxin, Lott, Tash and me!
Professor John's advice: Look for some specific examples (articles of clothing to focus on)pick something in a concrete way, an item to run through all the questions we came up with previously. try to find a context to narrow things down
Professor Ryan's advice: We need to come up with How and Why we arrive at the subject Said we can choose not to have a specific country, but we need to find a way to narrow down and then build it up into larger analyses..
our plan: break up and narrow down into specific conncepts that we have learnt and find eamples, research from there regardless of spatial context. (can be from any country) After running through some ideas like denim, jackets, jeans, uniforms and hats,
Our final OBJECT:HATS
Structure:
Introduction:
Why we chose hats( trend of hat-wearing slowly creeping back in, perhaps due to increasing conern of skin cancer, hats and health, social values?myth?, symbollic meaning of hats,
Body: Our study:
1) Origin of hats (functions of hats), how the functions evolved e.g. from protection against the sun to fashion purposes, hats as social demarkations, elements of fashion, related to power, politic and social relations
2) Meaning of wearing hats in terms of -Gender-hats having different significance for both genders -Status (power), hegemony, uniform hats in the army, navy etc, what each colour represents, authority, uniformity of hats in occupations~group identity, sense of belonging with a group, Hats that are least functiona implying higher status, shows this person does not need to work -hats and ideology (top hats vs. communist hats) - Hybridity of hats with different genres coming together - Hats as signs or signifiers of things
YAY!ok...have fun people!take care!!and Don't stress k?WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER!!!
here's some relevant info with regards to this point:
COMMUNISM
this is how the communist hat looks like by the way. it's known as a beret with the red communist star. and yeah, that guy is Mao. The Smurfs wear standard clothing (with the notable exception of Papa Smurf): a simple white Phrygian cap and white slacks. Each Smurf has minor accessories that differentiate them from each other. This systematic uniform is argued by some as a representation of the largely uniform style of attire dominant in several early periods of the Soviet Union and The People's Republic of China, including the "Mao suit". The Phrygian cap is also a symbol of freedom and equality, notably in the Roman Saturnalia festival and in iconography of the French Revolution. On the other hand, standard clothing is common in many isolated communities (such as Amish), and is also common in representation of other mystical creatures like dwarfs and gnomes. -Wikipedia
"As a matter of fact, what we observe are two different phenomena," Dr. Mirosław Pęczak, sociologist, explains. "One is nostalgia for PRL and this applies to older people who for some reasons cannot cope with the reality of the Third Republic. The other is fashion from the PRL followed by young people. Young people have no conscious experiences from those times and PRL gadgets and symbols referring to communism as a system are attractive to them." Hence the search for Bambino gramophones or "Swedish" jackets. Pęczak believes that the fashion for T-shirts with a star or an eagle stripped of its original crown, is an expression of an off-hand manner. "And perhaps of an ironic attitude towards the present," he adds. "We can also venture to say that sometimes this is just provocation-of parents, the system, recognized authorities and the rules. Young people have always been defiant."
This is why the new fashion does not surprise Łukasz Gorczyca, born 1972, who jointly with friend Michał runs Świetlica Sztuki Raster on Hoża Street. "It is obvious that PRL is in fashion today," he says. "This is what culture and pop-culture mechanisms are about. What was fashionable some time ago returns to fashion again. This happens all over the world. The 1960s, 70s and 80s have returned to fashion one after another. The PRL [communist] system in Poland added color to all this. The mechanisms in Poland were different from those in Western Europe. The political situation was different, which obviously affected the way various things looked in those times." -http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/4769/
"If the bowler connoted a more democratic future, the top hat, most certainly represented, in the words of hat historian Colin McDowell, the power of political conservatism and the rule of the status quo."
"Freudian psychologists had their own interpretations on these hats and those who wore them regarding them as obvious phallic symbols."
"And Uncle Sam, symbol of democratic America, for some reason still prefers a top hat--perhaps with all its elitist connotations, the top hat was still a move in the right direction from the crown."
1) Why do we see it as a need to be fully clothed? put in another way, why is nudity seen as something crude, offensive and shameful?
2) (Sorry I have to question something so ahem..private) Could it be precisely because we hide our nakedness from the opposite gender that sparks off lust? Just an assumption: Men in Tribes still existing that have the culture of being naked don't go arond lusting after every woman they see naked because they're used to it..
3) Should we or can we breakdown clothes into their materials, colours, prints, to analyse? Ask questions like "Why is it that material:silk, colours: pastel, light, reddish, PINK, Prints: flowers, animal seems more associated with women whereas material:cotton, tougher fabric, polyester colours:darker, bolder, BLUE Prints: stripes, checks ar more associated with men?
4) Why is it that the notion of "sex appeal", "sexiness" is often linked with scantily clad women? Can charm, attraction, beauty and sexiness stem from character?
5)Why is it that women are the ones associated with fashion and beauty? Is it because we have more variety to choose from? Has it got to do with the biological make up of man and woman?
6) Why is it that pants are for men and skirts for women? Does it have to do with the design?Is it because pants make it easier for one to move about and since men did more physical labour, pants are more practical for men? Or is it that skirts are seen to be more dainty, prim and proper, befitting the poise, elegance and gentlleness that a woman SHOULD have?How did these social expectations come about?
7) Who dictates fashion?Hollywood?Bollywood?The rich and famous?Large fashion designers and their boutiques?Common people who look good in what they wear on the streets-->copycats? Why do the trends repeat?e.g. retro? How do we classify clothes as "old-fashioned" or "in vogue"?( Some of the questions raised here are inspired by info read here..just additional insights and modified them to provoke more questions :) ) Noticed that for most of the entries, the definition of "clothes" per se have been lmited to what we see today around the campus, within Singapore (modern society)..things like t-shirts, jeans, pants, skirts etc... Are we going to focus on Singapore?do clothes in general?or focus on another country? Realized that each country and culture has their own unique kind of traditional clothes that have evolved along the way (e.g. Kimonos for Japanese, cheong sams for Chinese ladies, baju kurong for malays), each tell different stories of their own..(the variations of standard clothings befitting a male of female is also different for each culture)
using an example from my Japanese studies project on beauty.. How the kimono is worn represents the status of a woman, the colours worn and prints on them also establish certain messages. "Then (meiji era), as now, a taiko tied relatively high imports a sense of propriety, and one tied low (as the geisha do) is more voluptuous" taken from Dalby Liza Crihfield, Kimono: fashioning culture
That's about it for now..c u all bright and early tmr morning!!:D
This article is on a how one lady dressed as a man to travel to the "New World". The reason why she dressed as a man is to enjoy the new social freedoms. In addition, she adopted mulitple identities along her journey and this article explore how the various "hyrid" are produced throughout the narration.
Clothes - Fashion are reflexive because they flaunt their artifice by drawing attention to cinematic techniques. I am sure that you guys had heard about the story on "The Emperor's New Clothes" when you were young. The story is about how the emeror is tricked into believing that he is wearing fine clothes that are visible to everyone but himself. The emperor is then sustained in this illusion because everyone he comes across, sseing that he believes himself clothed, and thinking it iin their interest to tell him what he wants to hear, responds as if he was clothed and not naked. In this way, the discourse of "the emperor's clothes" is reproduced and takes on a life of its own. Like what Natasha pointed out, How has the notion of wearing of clothes been constructed? It seems natural to us, but is it really? This mechanism can be compared to the way we dressed.
"Fashion reflects life", and as a reflection of life fashion reveals not only styles in clothes and adornment, beauty and aesthetics but also our relationships to our bodies, sexuality, and desire. Clothes are strange things, unlike many of the material objects that we own, we invest clothes with meanings of memory and aspiration. Clothes bring to our bodies a whole range of historical and cultural meanings about gender, 'ethnicity', social status and wealth etc.
While clothes function on the level of visual communication and signification, they are also commodities. Like all commodities, clothes are constructed on a series of narratives, which reveal and conceal their history of production, trade relations and cultural use.
Cultural identities are also revealed through the associations of the clothes with 'ethnic' identity as artifice and a part of a masquerade which not only constructs gendered identities as performative roles but also as racial identities.
For example,
In the past like European countries, the multiplicity of style of dress reveals the complexity of issues such as the nature of the state and its articulation with regional and global arrangements and provides new insights into the dynamics of state-society relations and the issues of power and hegemony. The study of dress will show that the politics exists at the sutures of hybridity and informality, and that what happens at the level of the formal institutions is of limited consequences, at least domestically. These reveal the clothes origins and association constructed based on a sequences of narratives which shows us that clothes does have its own grand narrations as well.
Last point I wanted to add: How fashion trends go out of style but are pcked up by subcultures? Sounds familiar right? Think CD-ROM revolution and Vinyl discs. It is the same thing happening again.
Fashion also fuels itself on subcultures. For example, the once popular vinatge style is gaining popularity again. And it is all thanks to changing mentality of people's mindsets. Vintage wear was once deemed as "old women clothes" and most people did nto like the idea of wearing old clothes that someone had wore before.
But a new crowd is emerging with young adults who have never been exposed to vintage but are experimental with fashion.
Vintage trend had gone out of style for quite a long time before resurfacing again and picked up by subcultures. Vintage clothes has become popular for a number of reasons. Many pieces are collectibles, and are hunted down for their rarity and value. For example, a 1940s silk Hawaiian shirt or a 1960s pair of Levi Big E.jeans could be the one item a collector has been searching for. Militaria also had its own group of collectors who seek out original issue pieces, such as World War II leather G-1 jackets. Vintage designer items from Christian Dior, Pauline Trigere, Yves Saint Laurent, etc are also highly collectible.
What makes vintage clothes popular to non-collectors though; is the fact that many of these items are classics and are completely wearable with today's fashions. And vintage clothes instantly identifies them with an "era of fashion". Individuality has always been a major part of personal style, and unique vintage pieces make a subtle statement. Fashion history will always repeat itself and classic pieces are always in style!
hello hello everyone, here's the sociology take on clothes/fashion:
fashion trends have an important function in society. because trends change over time and especially for the brand names like Louis Vuitton, Dior, blahblahblah, the rich are the only ones who can afford to keep up with such seasonal trend changes, and this enables people to differentiate the higher classes from the lower classes. "Fashion allows people of different ranks to distinguish themselves from one another, fashion helped to preserve the ordered layering of society into classes."
however, the functionalist view can only be applied up to the 1960s as with the advancements of technology, knock-offs of higher-end brands could be produced inexpensively and it didn't take long for the masses to start wearing clothes that usually only the rich could afford. fashion became more democratic after that (meaning that it is no longer dictated only by the wealthy) as new fashion trends are increasingly initiated by the lower classes, the minority, racial and ethnic groups. therefore, upper classes could adopt lower-class fashion trends that emanate from just about anywhere.
an alternative take on fashion is provided by people known as the conflict theorists who argue that because more and more new trends are being introduced, the producers of fashion are able to make lucrative deals out of this and hence become wealthy as a result of the profits gained by making clothes. at the same time, fashion can be said to keep people's minds away from many social, economic and political problems in the world, thereby contributing to social stability, since with fashion to preoccupy them, they would not express dissatisfaction over social problems.
what has been argued above for the function(s) of clothing as well as its ability to maintain social order and propagating social inequality focuses on the production of fashion.
consumers, however, also have a say in fashion trends and the wearing of clothes. there is a symbolic interaction in fashion, meaning clothes help us express our various shifting identities. there is a sense of self which we express in the different clothes we wear. for example, outfits for different occasions, slogan tees. there is a development of the individualistic way in wearing clothes, afterall, none of us dresses identically when it comes to the wearing of clothes even though the style may be the same.
in gender terms (ie. feminists' argument), clothing is a form of patriarchy where male dominance is maintained. they argue that fashion is mainly a female preoccupation and through the wearing of clothes, women are thought of as sexual objects, ie. skimpy clothing, skin-tight material, small sizes of clothes etc. for the men, they wear pants to signify their dominance.
nowadays women wear pants too, signifying a shift to increased gender equality for men and women. however, we don't see the men wearing skirts as much (we don't count transvestites or transsexuals or people who engage in cross-dressing cos that's a subculture of their own), because they are still regarded as the more superior sex, and the wearing of skirt would be a demeaning kind of practice which would defy social norms.
in other words, women could wear pants and be accepted because they want to be associated with 'power', but men would not want to wear skirts because it would mean they have lesser power. therefore, there is an existing gender inequality still present in society, through the wearing of clothes, albeit, in lesser degrees than before.
(ideas taken from my sociology textbook, and we could use some of the theories here to analyse our culural object/practice)- Jiaxin
Hi all, Lott, Jiaxin and myself met up for awhile after lecture just now to discuss our project and here's what we've come up with.
Our cultural object/practice will be - clothes and the whole notion of wearing them
Some questions to ask when thinking about our subject:
1. How has the notion of wearing of clothes been constructed? It seems natural to us, but is it really?
2. How and what anxieties does it address?
3. What myth does it replicate/problematize? Does it support an existing myth? How so?
Do read the project parameters found in Week 9's lecture notes.
It'll give us a better understanding on what our analysis requires.
We really need to dig in deep and critique clothes and the wearing of it.
We should try to link them to the cultural theories learnt such as:
- Simulation
- Hybridity
- Hegemony
- Self reflexivity
- Post-modernism That's all I can think of right now Some of you might want to do a little homework on the Origins of Clothes and possibly it's fuctions and symbolisms. I think for now we should look at clothes in general, let's not narrow it down yet ..? Agree/Disagree
Anyway, we did come up with a few interesting points which are worth exploring:
1. Clothes replicate the myths of gender and power
2. Dominant classes use it to reinforce their status
3. Clothes function as coverings, reflective of us hiding our true selves, private vs. public sphere
4. Media as a tool to propagate clothes, propagates and dictates fashion
5. Fashion and models, subject and object relationship. Clothes become the subject and the models the objects?
6. Hybridity of clothes and how they fuse cultures/genres
7. Do clothes perform any self-reflexivity?
8. Clothes in relation to Post-Modernism, eg: Project runway episode - make clothes out of anything found in e apartment
9. Do uniforms function as a prison of sorts? Boundaries the wearer needs to conform to
10. Think about fashion boo boos like dressing identically, why is it unacceptable or frowned upon?
11. Repetition of clothes styles and its significance
12. How fashion trends go out of style but are picked up by subcultures? Sounds familiar right? Think CD-ROM revolution and Vinyl discs. It's the same thing happening again.
Okay that's all for now I guess, please feel free to add on!
This traditional Korean dress is known as hanbok. Women used to wear short jackets and long skirts which were elegant, while men wore trousers and coats for starters and a vest which was worn beneath an outer coat. The dress is worn according to the different seasons or status in society. Hence, making clothing an important mark of social status. As viewed in a Korean drama, named “Gong”, the royal family and the ruling class worn the traditional costume despite the cumbersome clothing and numerous rules of dressing.
Today, a variety of hanbok have been altered to suit the daily life comfort. However, the younger Korean generation finds it troublesome to wear bulky clothing. Even though hanbok is sometimes worn during occasions, it has gradually lost the sense of “culture”.
Kimono starts out as a garment called a kosode (small sleeves) from around the Nara Period (710~94), worn first as underclothes and later as an outer garment. The garment became known as a kimono from the 18th century onwards.
The kimono is a traditional costume worn by Japanese women and men. It has been seen that these costumes are worn by the older generation or on special occasions. This was partly because of the complicated procedures involved that is beyond the ability of most young generation. As kimono is made from high-quality silk that cost million yen, many cannot afford to own one. Nevertheless, brightly coloured kimono are common at summer festivals and fireworks displays, particularly for young women and children.
Since we had decided on clothes as our culture object, we can start from all general aspects of clothes. =)
Fashion of NUS students:
Let us take a look at how some of our NUS students were dressed when they were been spotted!
Photos up!
Jeans and T-shirts, flip-flops or Converse sneakers (campus culture?)—her everyday get-up-and-go, no fuss or muss, gear. Perhaps, that's how most students are found dressed. But certainly, there are exceptions too =). Take a look at the next two photos.
While most students were spotted dressed in normal tees and jeans, these students here displayed a different sense of fashion. And I applaused their courage to wear differently from others. Culture does play a part in clothes and fashion as well (See how the different students were dressed). More and more students are certainly arriving to school with overwhelming display of colour, or a multitude of accessories. The mindsets of the students: If you've got what you got to show, flaunt it!
What really shaped these mindsets of the students? It still boils down to culture. Hah!
In my own opinion, I do believe that dressing is an expression of your individual self that is presented to others. And one can easily see what kind of character you are based on how you dress. If you dressed sloppily, it is interpreted that you are a messy person by nature. Right? That is how culture had have a siginificant influence on us.
After all, dressing boldly and differently is still better than a walking fashion disaster. Do you agree?
Cheers, Siow Yuan
Disclaimer: All photos are taken from Hooked Magazine
Yes, I think wearing clothes can be an unique cultural object indeed. Maybe we can relate clothes to cultural costumes, or simply how each person dress can affect their image. For example, in different occasions (Party, Business, Festive occasion, etc...), people may dress up in different way to symbolize the importance of this occasion.
I also like the other's suggestion, for example, Evan's idea on Social Interaction, how instant messaging can affect communication and our language. To add on, the use of abbreviations in instant messaging can be a cause for the usage of singlish in our daily lives. Even using emoticons in MSN can't simply show the real expression of the user.
Another cultural object that I can thought of is the Bus Stop Poster. I guess majority have notice the advertisement poster at the bus stop stand. No matter you are taking bus or simply just passing by, the advertisement will somehow capture your attention. Taking buses may be part of our daily routine to school or to work, so it is natural that people will give a glance to the posters. From this, we can relate to television advertisements, radio broadcast advertisements, and many others.
Maybe we can just decide on one object and start to ponder on the ideas for that particular object. :)
sorry for not posting sooner. I think we've thrown out some pretty good ideas for study.
I quite like the following:
- Need for entertainment whereever we go (PSPs, PDAs, Laptops, mobile phones, ipod) - K-BOXing - Korean drama serials - iPod - Online shopping (especially how we can now almost acquire anything we want at such a convenience) - Mobile phones
As for my suggestions, I only have one. We could look into the everyday phenomenon of .. wearing clothes. Okay it sounds ridiculous but I thought of it because our dear lecturers keep telling us to question the supposed 'natural' things around us. How it really isn't natural but constructed in some ways. And maybe we could branch out from there like the significance of wearing what we wear. Do clothes affirm our subjectivity? (think the mirror in the swan)
hey peeps! Just my few cents worth of project idea!:D
the "ugly" side of Singaporean culture...this includes not only Singlish, kiasuism, kiasi-ism, but also the hectic rat race Singapore is in, how everything we do has to be efficient, instant and that it even shows in the way we walk and talk~! Jus take a look around you on a typical weekday at school or in town, wherever you are, there are footsteps quickening and people dashing to work at the start of the day. Even when we talk, we need all sorts of abbreviations like ERP, HDB, UOB, NUS, LT etc... the list goes on for like forever! And perhaps this is why we face the problem of bad service. For now, i'm assuming that many of the working-class citizens strive so hard to maintain a luxurious lifestyle or to make ends meet. Everyone's just in it for the $$. Even students plunge head on into courses that seem to be the "next-big-thing", and there's hardly room to consider passion for the job. Hence, most people are just trapped in a particular line and gain very little fulfillment or satisfaction in what they do and thus take less pride in our work, leading to bad service attitudes. Can even link this to the technological advances in Singapore that has enabled us to be even "busier" every single day. Seems like the computer has taken over many parts of our lives. ENTERTAINMENT-we have things like U-tube to download movies, video clips, napster and all to download songs. (Of course, with a price tag), online games etc, communication, SOCIAL INTERACTION: through MSN, Friendster, blogs, video conferencing. With the advent of the mobile phone---(the MUST have in Singapore)there is not one person we cannot contact...although these are less effective than face-to-face communication (Which is often taken for granted), they still do create a network base for us to keep in touch with each other. WORK life: IVLE, webcast lectures, internet, emails, thumbdrives etc has made information so easily available with the click of a button that we are able to work from home and over office hours, more often than not, work creeps into our lives and seems to be taking up huge portions of our lives. On the other hand, this stressful lifestyle has opened us up to the spa culture. The easy way to "relax la!" and one of the few options people turn to for comfort, FAST physical stress-relef, massage (basically the spa culture).
Wokee!that's my idea for now..feel free to comment!guess we'll decide by next lecture!:Dnitex!
1) Mobile phones - Technologies are advancing faster than we are expecting. Nowadays, practically everyone in the world own a mobile phone! Functions for phones are pretty advanced too eg. radio, camera, bluetooth etc. Perhaps, this will be a good reason to peer into the world of mobile phones as a cultural object and study the ripple it had caused.
2) Laptops - Our "Must Have" item; something most students always carried them around the campus! =) Especially when nowadays, institutions and even fast food restaurant such as McDonalds are having wireless capabilities. This means that we are able to go online anytime, anywhere. So will laptops eventually replaced our Personal Computers (PC)?
3) Languages - Currently, Singapore is caught in a Korean and Japanese craze due to all the dramas that had been showing in the TV recently. As a result, a lot of students are picking Korean and Japanese as additional languages. Why do they prefer to learn a third language than to improve on their main languages? What is so fascinating about those languages? And will the craze die off sooner than we expected?
These are some of the suggestions for cultural objects which I can come up with in the timing being.. Will post up if I can think of any new ones =)
here are my contributions for our very-difficult-to-pin-point Cultural Object:
1) the Ipod. we love them, we can live without them, but we choose to live musically through them. i love mine so i assume those who have will love theirs too. it's an icon of our age as well! 2) Korean Drama serials. teeheehee, i get to watch some more. (: but seriously, it's popular asian culture and which shows asian values as well. thos who haven't watched Gong, watch it now please, you have no idea what you are missing out on if you still haven't watched it. 3) Instant Noodles. our instant generation. why is it cultural: embedded in everyday life which is getting more and more convenient with such convenience. 4) since others have broached on shopping, we can look specifically at Online Shopping. (a practice) 5) reality tv shows- ie. Amazing Race. isn't it quite amazing in itself that it has spun so many series and we still watch it because we love the adrenalin rush of seeing people make it to the square box in different exotic places which is one step closer to that million dollars?? not only that but we have local versions of it, schools adapt the Amazing Race into our own versions. i don't know how culturally relevant this show is, but i find it very intriguing. personally, i like racing about and searching for clues and stuff to get to a final destination. it's similar to how there's always repetition in the world and people continue accepting the same storylines and all. plus, the concept of a race is not entirely new but on tv, it's a new kind of thing. 6) Cosplay/Harajuku, i don't know, subculture? 7) Sleep. haha, is this considered?
okays, my mind is telling me to do number seven, so good night all! -JIAXIN
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