a Dress im Societal Discourse and Paris, modes of dress offered a prot igin underlay consumption patterns: tes, He claimed that in American society there was a general tendency to buy more expensive clothing than one should. {0 groups and inst cover up the ignoble. selfish motives a le “Fashion,” Georg Simmel ((1904) 1957) observed that fashion, the latest desired appearance, allows for personal modification, en vidual to pursue competing desires for group identity and i ‘There is no i On, “no la no estate of | ‘opposing principles of uniformity and individuality be selfs also an audience, and clothing allows cial objects, By extricating the sel from a set scrutinize the Image he or she presents in view of the social response that sired. This separation and objectification, in turn, allows the individu: rect the image ifnecessary.* 0 view themselves as so- Individual ean, dein Sovtetal Disouse the ways ‘consensus among his f ‘Adolescents and young adults have long recognized the significance of cloth= ignal connectedness and to distinguish themselves from ot ‘of young people adopt styles of dress that express their particu tty. In making elothing choices they demonstrate their awareness that mode of appearance has meaning? ‘The Notion of Public Memory Visual images from the past and present form what French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs called public memory. They are a part of core cultu space, and give shape to achilds tion to social realities. Ideas, beliefs, and values—the basic constructs of col -—are embodied in images. They contain the central system of rules of behavior and thought that controls mueh is bombarded by these images and their shared explained, learning begins ea i requires both biologi: to be seen as a physical power they held or con: 1 clothing worn by individuals in a given society ata given time has provided visual informa! tion and power. ‘Because many of these works of art have survived, they now for ‘cumulative public memory. Por example, the crown set off a round of new paintings depicting the new cou! ie previous monarchy. In some cases ne continued and elaborated on past traditions, In tempted to distinguish themselves by espousing Jed to new styles of painting and dress. However, hese would not the old and would eventually be added to the ex hhas been an expanding vocabulary o sual image to embod6 rss in Societal Discourse 1. Contemporary use ofa mnetonth-connury image from Pinocchic: im Florio and fim Courter portray each other asIyng inthe New Jersey gubernatorial rece. 1989; reprinted by permission of WT Pictures.) tance the clothing, the accessories, and the style would be seen as 1e ideas represented by those images. ‘Manifesto of Men new approach to dress, ing 1913," a proclamation (0 the powerful persis- their noisy cries: wecessary con Clothing Semiotics The first step toward a syste \guage providing a basic vocabu lary and accepted rules of usage. I offers a structural framework within which ‘an individual speaker can operate. As defined by Ferdinand de Sa toand vocabulary derived from the storehouse of images that support the struct social interaction, the system of statuses and roles, Like words, clothing images whole, body and clothes, fuse is style “expands the proper s Flugel called this visual image confluence (see Figure ‘which 2 person’ appearance is augmented by elements reach (for example, a guard carrying arms) increases the person's physical ability ie consciousness of our personal existence is prolonged” and the sense of power is enhanced when a w extend 1 “dwarf the body" and imbue the person with a sense called this image contrast! Clothing Signs AtDress in Societal Discourse Contemporary brochure)10 Dress in Societal Discourse peter eed pee 1a weaker social pos tes the person in a subordinate role, attire. Fuge! observed that ro ian toward sexual intercourse requires décolleiage, for example, 1 Midulle Ages, was expected to arouse sexual ved that unlike clothing sig ind are governed by rul ng symbols, The are items of dress that reflect the achievement of certain cultural values: ‘Through the centuries specific cultural values. The di freedom from physical labor, you ‘embedded in about the individual's rights an ior. Symbols may have more th may have more than one mai joice of a symbol—that ‘mate understanding of Individual Speech2 ress Societal Discourse symerati, or be important to the individual; yet it has no real social sig Stone (962) noted, clothing speech reflects an individual’ interpretation of a ‘mood. Some people dress in dark-colored clothes when thers may purposely choose bright and cheerful colors to feelings of depression, The choice and meaning are specific ta the in- Just as vocabulary choices often reflect @ person's cultural background and "upbringing, clothing speech reflects the individual's resources and the extent of his or her exposure is ofthe language of clothing. The color red, for «example, may be chosen by an individual because it is easy to see, or because a favorite aunt was known to prefer it, rather than forts association with passion, Analysis of clothing speech may be useful to persons concerned with an individ. uals psychie or intrapersonal dynamics, Publicspeak dicate heresy social condi discourse, Clothing sie-signs, clothing tie-symbols, and contemporary fashion are three categories of dress that reflect collective responses to the structure of interac tlon, events or the inner necessi mate socal lif. Because ofthe right to free speech and the tradition of individualism, the public memory may be searched for newly appropriate visual expression. vocabulary and ex lent past, for exampl re being resurrected by the movies ofthe 19408 and the 1950s t0 signify and gang membership. Again today, American youth have come to leather jackets a very desicable element of dress (except among animal 8 activist). Each category of appear dience, way. nce has its own set of authors, its own intended au capacity 10 equip the wearer to feel, think, and actin a different Clothing Tie-Signs igs refer to the attte of social subsets, such as He res tn Societal Discourse 3 Clothing e-sign. Guardian Angels, a Gurties street and tains. Their uniform consists ofa red bere, aT Insignia, anda rd jacket. The is training. (Reprinced by perizion,) bers of these groups develop a world of meaning separate from insti cial arrangements. The rnsembles ave careh behaviors apart from others and to reflect the groupis distinct ideas, beliefs, and values The wearing of group-designated alti is required, distinguishing ‘members from nonmembers, I ‘norms of behavior, tights, a Clothing Tie-Symbols Just as there are elothing there are also clothing ile-symbols, elements of dress and sty that reflect an individual's fears, hopes, ‘dreams, or desires, People wear te-symbols to inform themselves and others of their rejection or support for political ideas or social agendas. For example, Spike Lec’ black baseball cap with the mark “X" reflects his admiration for Malcolm X. T-shirts with political messages, such as “Save the Earth,” are other examples of Madonna used her offsereen “cheeky” style in theDress in Societal Discourse proceed by sterious operations of the usa (1985), and the yards of chain that she wore the perfectly precise makeup, and the lacy lingerie became young American teenagers. i of tie-symbols is governed by personal choice. The meaning of social change. is “shifting erogenous zones” theory of fashion, Flugel (ig30] 1966) observed. that the phenomenon ‘of the female anatomy t0