The Dude
�In the dude the social demands of fashion appear exaggerated to such a degree that they completely assume an individualistic and peculiar character. It is characteristic of the dude that he carries the elements of a particular fashion to an extreme; when pointed shoes are in style, he wears shoes that resemble the prow of a ship; when high collars are all the rage, he wears collars that come up to his ears; when scientific lectures are fashionable, you cannot find him anywhere else, etc., etc. Thus he represents something distinctly individual, which consists in the quantitative intensification of such elements as are qualitatively common property of the given set of class� (Georg Simmel. 2004 (1901). �Fashion� in Daniel Leonard Purdy (ed.): The Rise of Fashion: A Reader. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press)
P.S. On days like this, I love being a graduate student.
P.S. On days like this, I love being a graduate student.
posted by petya at 12/05/2005 03:27:00 PM
9 Comments:
So, is the writer saying the "dude" represents something highly individual, not by having original ideas or creations that become fashionable, but by being the most extreme follower of those who do? Maybe such a person will be noticed for their zeal, but how does that make them highly individual? Sounds more like being a "super fan".
yes, you are right. the point is that fashion is a social practice which enables us to negotiate between our desires to belong to a certain class and our need for individuation. does this make sense?
Well, I guess it's true that, for example, the clothes we wear can express a sort of conflict between class identification and independence from the same. Even if you design your own fashions, you're likely just borrowing existing ideas and combining them in a unique way, so maybe only hermits are truly individual people (unless everybody decided to be one). The rest of us perhaps just act out individualistic fantasies by strongly relating to some class that's not clearly in the majority. With regard to clothing, a person thus uses fashion to say "this is who I am" (or in terms of my preferred expression of style, "this is MY kind of music"), but they are really identifying with a group of people who appreciates some statement in their clothes that makes them more than just fabric stitched together. A person's individuality score decreases as the number of people who take up their chosen fashion increases.
you are right on all accounts. and there's a whole lot more to say about the ways in which fashion works. with no intention to go all semiotic, one of the most important aspects of fashion or clothing, in particular, is that it communicates a meaning whether you want it or not. it does not necessarily have to be class-belonging. could be other things as well. also, you do not necessarily need to be 'fashionable' to be making a statement either. maybe i should post exerpts from my paper as i work through some of the ideas we have been discussing here?
Sure, some excerpts would be nice. This sounds more interesting, i.e., more original (or individual) and current, than a commentary on Adorno's views would've been. My inner "dude" might follow this class of paper more eagerly.
Hey Petya--
--Your study seems quite interesting...please send me your findings and theory development as they occur [cpknowles@comcast.net]. Also, I've posted about you in my journal so that I can hopefully get some advice from my friend for you!! Hope life is good. Miss You!!
thank you so much guys. i really needed a little bit of encouragement...the end of the semester is not my favorite time of the year, that's for sure. chris, WE NEED TO TALK. i will call you some time next week. i am done with finals on tuesday! miss you so much.
Ok, I agree, WE NEED TO TALK...I will eagerly await a phone call. Good luck with finals.
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