Redefining Masculinity: Men Fashion Through Consumer Culture

Aqifah Azhar, Li Unsyah Naimah, Zafira Nurdinillah

English Department, Faculty of Adab and Humanities, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic
University Jakarta, Indonesia
Email: aqifah.azhar15@mhs.uinjkt.ac.id
liunsyah.naimah15@mhs.uinjkt.ac.id
zafira.malik15@mhs.uinjkt.ac.id

Abstract
This article discusses the masculinity of Jakarta urban men within Indonesian consumer
culture in the video by MCDY YouTube channel titled “Berapa Harga Outfit Lo?” (2017).
The video presents interviews with seven urban men who attended the ‘Urban Sneaker
Society 2.0’ event in Jakarta on 2017 about the commodities they consumed. This research
aims to show how the masculinity of Jakarta urban men represents in Indonesian consumer
culture in the video. The method used in this study is qualitative descriptive with cultural
studies approach and using the concept of masculinity by Raewyn Connell and consumption
theory by Karl Marx. The results show that the Jakarta urban men redefine their masculinity
through their consuming behavior by the fashion commodities they consume. Their fashion
contains feminine side which contradicted with the stereotype of masculinity, such as the use
of jewelry and the existence of rose symbol in the outfit. However, they keep their masculinity
side by wearing neutral colours on their outfit. In conclusion, the masculinity stereotype is
not compatible for Jakarta urban society nowadays as reflected in seven urban men in the
video. They show a new form of masculinity through their consuming behavior in fashion
that is identical to women. Just like women, Jakarta urban men also consider fashion as an
important and very interesting things. They are willing to spend a huge amount of money to
buy luxury fashion commodities that also has functioned to show their social status in
consumer culture.
Keywords: masculinity, fashion, consumer culture.

I. Introduction
Masculinity is certainly cannot be separated from the discussion about gender. This is what
differentiating between men and women since they have different nature as human beings.
Masculinity is the criteria of how men and boys are supposed to be regarding to their roles in
society [ CITATION Bud14 \l 1057 ]. It is a concept which exists because of the social
construction towards men. In this concept, men are identical to aggressive, strong, and
violence [ CITATION Pam14 \l 1057 ]. Besides that, masculinity also can be seen from the
taste and the way men dressed, the way men think, the way men look and the style, their
activities, how they socialize, how they solve problems, as well as their verbal and non-verbal
expressions.
Furthermore, Raewyn Connell in Hasyim (2017) defined masculinity as a
configuration of practices in gender relations in broader structures such as social, economic
and political [ CITATION Has172 \l 1057 ]. Connell in [ CITATION Pam14 \l 1057 ] also
reminds us that, we should talk about masculinity compared to the nature of maleness, since
not all men are the same. In this case Connell tried to say that masculinity was not the same
as male traits. Hasyim also stated [ CITATION Has172 \l 1057 ] that this strengthens the
view that a "forced" norms of masculinity can limit men from being themselves. When
masculinity is a social construction, a dynamic social situation makes masculinity not
singular but plural, Kimmel in Hasyim [ CITATION Has172 \l 1057 ] identifies the diversity
of masculinity in four ways, first, masculinity varies from culture to culture. Second,
masculinity in a society is not static but develops over time. Third, masculinity changes in
one's life cycle. Fourth, the meaning of masculinity varies even in a society at a time.
As masculinity a dynamic thing and develops over time, masculinity nowadays starts
to shift in its meaning. At first, masculinity is just about hegemonic masculinity, where men
really dominate in family and society rather than women, until masculinity becomes
metrosexual masculinity. Metrosexual men are normal, sensitive, and educated, but they
prioritize their feminine side [ CITATION Rah12 \l 1057 ]. Metrosexual men tend to have a
willingness to bring out their feminine sides and they feel it will not reduce their masculinity.
For instance, just like urban Jakarta women, the life of urban Jakarta men cannot be separated
from consumption.
The shift in understanding of masculinity in the society, has made urban facilities
become more preparing urban men consumption needs such as sneaker event, shopping
centers, restaurants, cafes, clinics and even a salon for men that support men consumerism
behavior. The same case with the access to the information that can be gained easily through
printed and electronic media in the form of internet, television, and various other
technologies. Not only that, the rampant exhibition of branded goods has increasingly spoiled
them to buy all the commodities they want to prop up their needs and prestige. The existence
of these facilities make it easy for urban men to determine their lifestyle and become
consumptive.
The act of consuming later can be a tool for a men to represent their masculinity. The
representation of masculinity can be seen through various media, such as videos in several
YouTube channels. A non-fiction video about the lifestyle of urban men titled Berapa Harga
Outfit Lo? (2017) in the YouTube channel MCDY shows how masculinity on metrosexual
men is represented. This nine minutes video presents interviews with seven urban men who
attended at the 'Urban Sneaker Society 2.0' event in Jakarta on 2017, can be determine as the
consumer lifestyle. In the video, it describes the lifestyle of men who are praxis of themselves
spending their overrated money as their affection toward fashion. The contents of the video
are in the form of exposure to the prices of their outfits ranging from hats, jackets, t-shirts,
bags, watches and shoes. This video has been watched by above 1,800,000 viewers.
Moreover, someone lifestyle’s such as one’s body, clothes preferences, brand choices
are to be regarded as indicators of the individuality of taste, self-expression, and sense of
style of the consumer [CITATION Fea87 \t \l 1057 ]. Using the term consumer culture is to
emphasize that the world of goods and the principles of their structure are central to the
understanding of contemporary society. This involves a dual focus: first, on the dimensions
of economic culture, the symbolization and use of material goods as 'communicators' is not
only a utility, and second, in the economy of cultural goods, the principles of supply, demand,
accumulated capital, competition, and a monopoly that operates within the scope of lifestyle,
cultural goods and commodities [CITATION Fea87 \t \l 1057 ].
The modern individual within consumer culture is made conscious that he speaks with
his clothes and other activities which are to be classified in terms of the presence and absence
of taste. According to Winship in Featherstone (1987) different classes have different ways of
life and views of the nature of social relationship within which consumption takes place, in
this case, Jakarta young men who spend their money aggressively because they conscious
they have only one life to live and must work hard to enjoy, experience and express their
sense of adventure and bravely take risks to fully explore their life’s options [CITATION
Fea87 \t \l 1057 ]. Consequently, consumer culture has an important role to be able to come
nearer delivering the individuality and differences it has always promised, same case with
Jakarta young men consumer in “Berapa Harga Outfit Lo?” video, that they consume an
overpriced commodities to fulfill their lifestyle as a Jakarta individual men and those
commodities used to represent their masculine sides as a men.
The consumption behavior and lifestyle of urban Jakarta men as reflected in the video
Berapa Harga Outfit Lo? (2017), is a phenomenon concerning urban Jakarta men who live in
Indonesian consumer culture circles. As a cultural phenomenon, the act of consuming on
urban Jakarta men in MCDY video is inseparable from their daily lives. They live in a
metropolitan city and usually enjoy a variety of facilities available such as international high-
end events, annual exhibitions of branded goods that are deliberately created to support the
activities of urban communities. Fashion has become one of the daily needs of urban men
today including men in the video, and ultimately consuming commodities is the best way
men choose to represent their masculinity in accordance with the criteria they want.
There are also problems that appear in the video Berapa Harga Outfit Lo? (2017) is
about men who attended the ‘Urban Sneaker Society 2.0’ event on 2017 as a mirror of
consumptive urban Jakarta men through exposure to the price of their 'overpriced' outfit as a
result of the influence of power relation in Indonesian consumer culture. In consumer culture,
individuals are influenced by the social culture of the place where they live in, so that the act
of representing masculinity also influenced by the consumption culture dominated by
ideologies that exist in a society. Wearing outfit for daily needs seems to be a natural thing,
but actually it is influenced by the power inherent in cultural practices[ CITATION Ros181 \l
1057 ]. In this case, the seven interviewed men saw fashion as a fun and also important thing,
so they were willing to spend most of their money worth up to hundreds of millions rupiah to
fulfill their fashion needs. From the background presented above, the research questions
arises: How does the fashion of Jakarta urban men reflected in the video Berapa Harga
Outfit Lo? (2017) Then, how the fashion of Jakarta urban men represent the masculinity in
Indonesian consumer culture?

II. METHOD
This is a text analysis using video taken from YouTube channel MCDY entitled Berapa
Harga Outfit Lo? published in 2017. The video presents interviews with seven urban men
who attended the ‘Urban Sneaker Society 2.0’ event in Jakarta on 2017. The research
methodology used in this study is a descriptive qualitative method with a Cultural Studies
approach. This study looks at how consumption behavior of Jakarta urban men represents the
masculinity. The research methodology focuses on watching the interview video repeatedly
and analyzing at the issues that appear in the interview video. The text analysis is conducted
by looking at how Jakarta urban men used their fashion in attending Urban Sneakers Jakarta
event in Jakarta on 2017 by using the concept of masculinity by Raewyn Connell and theory
of consumption by Karl Marx. By using these concepts, it is seen how the way of Jakarta
urban men dressed represent their masculinity.

III. Result and Discussion

Video Berapa Harga Outfit Lo? (2017) is a video uploaded in MCDY (Danu Kurnia)
YouTube channel. This video contains interviews with seven urban Jakarta men who came to
the 'Urban Sneaker Society 2.0' event regarding the price of the outfit they wear starting from
the toe to the head. 'Urban Sneaker Society' is the largest sneaker event in Southeast Asia,
which is initiated by a collaboration of two famous sneaker communities in Jakarta, namely
Local.co.id and North Sneaker Squad (NSS). These two communities hope that this event can
bring a new culture in the development of sneakers and streetwear in Indonesia, because they
believe sneaker and streetwear are not just fashion or accessories. This event is the most
awaited event for fashion lovers, especially sneakers and streetwear since the best sneaker
and streetwear seller will exhibit their products at the event.

Data 1. Danu (interviewer 1)

Bahasa Indonesia Original
“Dan sekarang gue bakal nanya-nanyain ke
kalian tentang berapa harga outfit yang
kalian pakai di hari ini. Pertama gue
contohnya, gue pake polo (nunjuk ke topi),
gue beli cuma seratus ribu di AEON lagi
diskon. Ini (menunjuk ke jaket), gue beli di
Jepang, Adidas anniversary 25 tahunnya,
cuma sekitar 899,000,-ribuan di Jepang dan
gue make ini (nunjuk ke kaos) Pull&Bear ya
paling tiga ratus lah. Celana H&M empat
ratusan. Ultra boost red ya pokoknya itulah
sekitar 3 komaan lah gue beli di Adidas
Indonesia, beli di Sency. Yaudah sekarang
gue mau cari-cari dulu oke, ikutin ya.”
Translation
And now I will ask you about the price of the
outfit you guys wearing today. First, for
example, I use polo (pointing to the hat), I
buy only IDR 100,000,- at AEON because its
discount. This (pointing to the jacket), I
bought it in Japan, the 25th anniversary of
the Adidas, only around IDR 899,000,- and I
wear this (point to the shirt) Pull & Bear at
around IDR 300,000,-. H & M pants for IDR
450,000,-. Ultra boost red, apparently that's
about 3 million and half (IDR 3,050,000.-), I
bought it at Adidas Indonesia, Sency. Now I
want to look for someone can be interview
with, follow me.

Explanation: The first Jakarta urban man interviewed was the owner of the MCDY
YouTube channel itself, Danu Kurnia. The outfit he wears is starting from a Polo brand hat
that costs IDR 100,000, - the jacket from Adidas with its logo’s that costs IDR 899,000,- the
Pull & Bear brand shirt costs IDR 300,000, black ripped jeans from H & M for IDR 450,000,
- up to Red Ultra Boost shoes from the Adidas for IDR 3,050,000.- So that if combined, the
outfit from Danu Kurnia reaches a nominal value of IDR 4,799,000.

Data 2. Yoshi (interviewer two)

Bahasa Indonesia Original
Yoshi: Ok guys gue akan ngereview outfit
gue dari atas sampe bawah. Pertama yang
gue pake itu BAPE varsity jacket beli di sini
kemaren seharga 4 juta. Jadi gue dua hari ke
sini. Terus jam gua, ini gua beli dua ratus
juta. Baju gua, wah ini one of one ini,
priceless ini, kaga ada harganya ini, gua
bikin sendiri ini, yoi. Celana-celana standar
H&M enam ratus ribu lah ini. Sepatu Y3
Kassa High, gue beli 299 euro berarti 4,5
lah. Jadi itung-itung dari pertama 4 juta +
dua ratus juta jadi dua ratus empat juta
(KELUAR EFEK OVERPRICED).
Translation
Yoshi: Ok, guys, I'm going to review my
outfit from top to toe. First, I wear BAPE
(Bathing Ape) varsity jacket, I bought here
yesterday for 4 million (IDR 4,000,000,-). I
already have two days visit. And then, my
watch, I bought two hundred million (IDR
200,000,000,-). My clothes, wow this is one
of one, this is priceless, if there is a price, I
made it myself, yoi. This standard H & M
trouser, only around six hundred thousand
(IDR 600,000,-). Y3 Kassa High shoes, I
bought 299 euros, which means 4.5 million
in rupiah (IDR 4,500,000). So if it’s totaled
from the beginning, 4 million + two hundred
million IDR 209,100,000.- (OVERPRICED
EFFECT).

Explanation: The second man interviewed was Yoshi, who is also a YouTube content
creator (YOSHIYOLO). The outfit he wears is starting from the varsity jacket of the Bape
brand which costs IDR 4,000,000,- the watch that unfortunately is not mentioned comes from
what brand costs IDR 200,000,000,- black jeans from the H & M for IDR 600,000 and Y3
Qasa High shoes from Adidas for IDR 4,500,000,-. So in total, Yoshi’s outfit reaches a
nominal of IDR 209,100,000.

Data 3. Mario
Bahasa Indonesia Original Translation
Danu: Ya sekarang gua lanjut dengan bro Danu: Yes, now I continue with, bro?
siapa? Mario: Mario.
Mario: Mario. Danu: Yes, I'm Danu. What is the price of
Danu: Ya gue Danu. Berapa harga outfit lo your outfit from the bottom to your top?
dari bawah ke atas? Dari bawah dulu deh. From the bottom first.
Mario: Dari bawah gue pake Gucci Snake Mario: From bottom, I wear Gucci Snake for
seharga sepuluh koma delapan. ten point eight million (IDR 10,800,000.
Danu: Beli di? Indo? Danu: You bought this on? Indo?
Mario: Bukan. Di luar. Mario: No. Outside Indonesia.
Danu: Kalo Celana? Danu: The trousers?
Mario: Celana biasa doang sih. Mario: Its the common trouser
Danu: H&M? Danu: H & M?
Mario: Bershka. Mario: Bershka.
Danu: Baju? Danu: Clothes?
Mario: Ini di PIM, kemaren, beli 5,6. Mario: I bought it at PIM, yesterday, around
Danu: Topi? 5.6 (Bathing Ape, IDR 5,600,000,-).
Mario: Topi beli empat juta. Danu: Hat?
Danu: Oooke. Gokil juga dia orangnya. Mario: I bought it four million (Gucci, IDR
Yaudah makasih. 4,000,000,-).
Danu: Okay. You are crazy, man. Thank you
(The total is IDR 20,400,000,-).

Explanation: The third man who gave a detailed interview is Mario. The outfit he wears is
starting from the sneaker of Gucci that costs IDR 10,800,000,- black jeans from the Bershka
which unfortunately the cost is not mentioned, the jacket from Bape brand, which costs Rp.
5,600,000,- and the hat from Gucci which costs IDR 4,000,000,-. So if it is totaled, Mario’s
outfit reaches a nominal value of IDR 20,400,000,-.

Data 4. Valen Rose

Bahasa Indonesia Original
Yoshi: Bro, dengan siapa ini?
Valen Rose: Ralan Ruslan, Valen Rose.
Yoshi: Ini gua lagi mau nanyain value outfit
dari atas sampe bawah nih. Dari atas nih
topi lu berapa nih?
Valen Rose: Topi gua beli tujuh ratus ribu
dari Urban Store.
Yoshi: Ini BAPE nya?
Valen Rose: BAPE ini gue beli di Hongkong
2,5.
Yoshi: Kalung-kalung?
Valen Rose: Kalung emas, gua ga mau sebut
harganya berapanya, ga enak gua.
Yoshi: Hahaha siap-siap-siap. Tujuh tambah
2,5, 3,2 oke. Kalo jam gimana nih?
Translation
Yoshi: Bro, with who I am?
Valen Rose: Ralan Ruslan, Valen Rose.
Yoshi: I want to ask your outfit value from
top to toe. From the top, how much your hat
cost?
Valen Rose: I bought my hat for seven
hundred thousand from the Urban Store (IDR
700,000,-).
Yoshi: Is this the BAPE (Bathing Ape)?
Valen Rose: I bought this BAPE in Hong
Kong 2.5 (IDR 2,500,000,-).
Yoshi: Necklaces?
Valen Rose: Gold necklace, I don't want to
say how much the price is, I don't like it.
Yoshi: Hahaha alright alright. Seven added
Valen Rose: Kalo jam gua jam G-Shock,
harganya gua beli 4,5.
Yoshi: Oke 3,2 tambah 4,5, 7,7. Cepet juga
gue nih. Celana?
Valen Rose: Celana biasa H&M, ga mahal-
mahal amat, enam ratus tujuh ratus ribu lah.
Yoshi: 8,2. Oke, nah ini nih. Ini guys, ini!
(nunjuk ke sepatu)
Valen Rose: NRJ, ya ini gue beli termasuk
dengan harga oke sih, bisa dibilang gue
dapet 28 juta.
Yoshi: 8,2 ditambah 28 juta jadi itung
sendiri deh tuh berapa.
EXPLANATION The fourth man interviewed was Valen Rose. The outfit he wears is
starting from a hat of the Urban Store brand
that costs IDR 700,000,-. T-shirt with the
typical image of the Bape brand from the Bape
brand itself, which costs IDR 2,500,000,-, a
gold necklace that he doesn't want to be
mentioned, G-Shock watch from the Casio
brand, which costs IDR 4,500,000,-, black
ripped jeans from H & M, costs IDR 500,000,-
and the shoes from NRJ brand which costs IDR
28,000,000,-. And the total amount of Valen Rose’s outfit reaches IDR 36,200,000.
Data 5. Arbani
Bahasa Indonesia Original
Yoshi: Oke guys gue lagi sama?
Arbani: Arbani.
Yoshi: Arbani, oke. Sekarang ceritain dari
atas sampe bawah nih. Yang pertama dari
jaket dulu deh.
Arbani: Jaket gue Off-White, lupa edisinya,
Rose apa gitu. Terus gue pake Thrasher
(nunjuk ke kaos), sama ini (sepatu) Jordan
KAWS.
Yoshi: Kalo misal yang Off-White nya
berapa ini?
Arbani: Wah ada lah, gua ga mau
ngomongin harga.
Yoshi: Hahaha. Oke oke oke. Kalo KAWS
nya juga ga mau ngomongin harga nih?
Arbani: KAWS ini gua dapet... Gue beli...
Berapa ya ini ya... Sekitar 16 jutaan lah ini
ya.
Yoshi: Oh itu harga under reseller ya?
Arbani: Iya, under reseller ya.
Yoshi: Reseller nya sekarang dua puluhan
ya kalo ga salah.
2.5, 3.2 million, okay. What about the watch?
Valen Rose: It is a watch from G-Shock, the
price is 4.5 million (IDR 4,500,000,-).
Yoshi: Okay 3.2 plus 4.5, 7.7. Pants?
Valen Rose: the common H & M pants, not
very expensive, around six or seven hundred
thousand rupiah (IDR 500,000,-).
Yoshi: 8.2. Okay, here it is. This is it guys!
(point to shoes)
Valen Rose: NRJ, yes, I bought it with the
cool price, you could say I got 28 million
(IDR 28,000,000,-).
Yoshi: 8.2 plus 28 million, total it yourself.
Translation
Yoshi: Okay, guys, now I am with?
Arbani: Arbani.
Yoshi: Arbani, okay. Now tell me from top to
toe.Let start from the jacket first.
Arbani: My Off-White jacket, I forgot what
edition, Rose.... I forgot. Then I use Thrasher
(point to the shirt), then this (shoes) Jordan
KAWS.
Yoshi: How much is the price of this Off-
White?
Arbani: Wow, there are..., I don't want to talk
about prices (in the video, it is said around
IDR 5-6,000,000,-.
Yoshi: Hahaha. Okay, okay, okay. If the
KAWS (shoes you also don't want to talk
about the price?
Arbani: I got this KAWS... I bought it... How
much is it... About 16 million (IDR
16,000,000,-).
Yoshi: Oh, is the price of under reseller huh?
Arbani: Yes, it is under reseller.
Yoshi: The reseller is now in around IDR
Arbani: Iya, gue masih awal-awal sih waktu
itu gue belinya. Jadi ga begitu mahal.
Yoshi: Thrasher lima ratus ribu lah ya. Kalo
celana lo?
Arbani: Celana gue cuma Zara sih. Zara
doang.
Yoshi: Zara atau ga H&M lah ya. Daritadi
kita nemuin Zara atau H&M. Kalo Zara
paling delapan ratusan lah ya.
Arbani: Iya segitu lah. Ngga ini enam ratus
lah.
Yoshi: enam ratus (celana), 16 (sepatu),
16,6, 17,1 (nunjuk ke kaos). Nah ini di
search sendiri aja lah ya, Off-White Rose
denim jacket nya. Thank Arbani ya,
partisipasinya.
EXPLANATION The fifth man interviewed
was Arbani. The outfit she wears is a rose denim
jacket from the Off-White brand that costs
around 5-6 million rupiahs, a shirt that he doesn't
mention the brand that costs IDR 500,000,-
ripped jeans from Zara which costs IDR
600.000,-, and Nike KAWS shoes which costs
around IDR 16.000,000,-. So that if combined,
the outfit from Arbani reaches around IDR
29,000,000.
Data 6. Giorgio
Bahasa Indonesia Original
Danu: Sekarang gua dengan bro siapa?
Giorgio: Giorgio.
Danu: Giorgio, oke. Sekarang kita bakal
ngereview baju bro ini dari atas ke bawah
dulu. Oke, atas pake apa?
Giorgio: Ini Calabasas, orang Indo biasanya
jual sekitar 5-7 juta.
Danu: Oke langsung ke jam dulu deh.
Giorgio: Jamnya ini Hublot, King Power,
harganya 23 ribu US dollar.
Danu: Berapa tuh Yos? Yaudah pokoknya
segitu hahaha. Celana?
Giorgio: Ini Oro Los Angeles harganya dua
ratus dollar.
Danu: Sepatu Yeezy...
Giorgio: Yeezy, glow in the dark, white grey,
orang-orang biasa jual one thousand to
twelve hundred.
Danu: Ya jadi sekian review dari ini nih,
20,000,000,- if I am not mistaken.
Arbani: Yeah, I'm bought it when it first
come out. So it's not very expensive.
Yoshi: That's Thrasher is Rp 500.000,-. What
about your trouser?
Arbani: My pants are just Zara. Only Zara.
Yoshi: Most of us, wear Zara or H & M.
From here we find Zara or H & M. If Zara is
at least IDR 800.000,-, right?
Arbani: That's it. This one is only IDR
600.000,-.
Yoshi: IDR 600.000,- (pants), IDR
16,000.000,- million (shoes), 16,6, 17.1
(pointing to the shirt). Well, search your own
for this price of the Off-White Rose denim
jacket. Thank you Arbani, for your
participation.
Translation
Danu: Now I’m with bro?
Giorgio: Giorgio.
Danu: Giorgio, okay. Now we will review his
shirt from top to toe. Okay, what is the top
you wear?
Giorgio: This is Calabasas, Indonesian
people usually sell it around 5-7 million (US
dollars).
Danu: Okay, go straight to the watch.
Giorgio: This time Hublot, King Power, costs
23,000 US dollars.
Danu: How much is Yos? Its around that
hahaha. Pants?
Giorgio: This Oro Los Angeles costs 200 US
dollars.
Danu: Yeezy Shoes...
Giorgio: Yeezy, glow in the dark, white gray,
people usually sell it 1.000-1.200 (US
dollars).
thank you ya. Danu: Yes, that’s all the review from this
man, thank you.

EXPLANATION The sixth man interviewed was Giorgio. The outfit he wears is starting
from the sweatshirt from the Calabasas brand which costs IDR 2,900,000,- King Power watch
from the Hublot brand which costs IDR 311,000,000,- black jeans from the Oro Los Angeles
brand which costs IDR 2,700,000,-, until his Yeezy shoes from Adidas which costs IDR
4,700,000. In total, Giorgio outfit reaches IDR 321,300,000.

Data 7. Chris
Bahasa Indonesia Original
Yoshi: Gue sekarang lagi bersama?
Chris: Chris.
Yoshi: Chris sekarang ceritain nih value
dari atas sampe bawah. Pertama dari hoodie
dulu deh.
Chris: Hoodie ini gua sebenarnya beli
diluar, jadi gua agak murah dapetnya, di
bawah reseller Indonesia. Gue dapet di 7,5
juta.
Yoshi: 7,5 juta oke.
Chris: Kalo di Indonesia ya sekarang
mungkin 9 lah.
Yoshi: Supreme waist bag?
Chris: Ini gua dapet sebenarnya lumayan
murah juga still. Gua dapet masih di bawah
3 juta. Kalo sekarang gua sendiri
sebenarnya gua pegang booth. Ini booth gua,
gua ada tuh di atas nah itu harga resellnya
sekarang kalo jualnya 4 juta.
Yoshi: Oke berarti kita assume 3 juta ya
approxnya. 7,5 tambah 3, sepuluh koma lima
jadinya. Jam tangan lo?
Chris: Aduh masa sampe jam tangan dibahas
nih. Ini gimana nih?
Yoshi: Hahaha outfit nih.
Chris: Jam tangan gua jam tangan Tag
Heuer.
Yoshi: Formula One ya?
Chris: Formula One iya betul.
Yoshi: Dapet berapa tuh?
Chris: Dulu ngambil 14 juta.
Yoshi: sepuluh koma lima tambah 14 juta.
24,5 guys. Celana celana? Wah Champion
ini.
Chris: Celana ya ini Champion sih, gua
ambil retail. Delapan ratus ribu.
Yoshi: 24,5 ditambah 8. 25,3. Terakhir
Human Species nih. Berapa?
Chris: Ini gua dapetnya dulu belum harga
Translation
Yoshi: Now I’m with?
Chris: Chris.
Yoshi: Chris, now tell me your value outfit
from top to toe. From the hoodie first.
Chris: I actually bought this hoodie outside
Indonesia, so I got this cheaper, under
Indonesian resellers. I got this at IDR
7,500,000,-.
Yoshi: IDR 7,500,000,- okay.
Chris: If it's in Indonesia, now it might be
IDR 9,000,000,-.
Yoshi: Supreme waist bag?
Chris: I actually get it pretty cheap too. I got
it under IDR 3,000,000,-. Actually I open a
booth. This is my booth, now if we sell it, it
will be around IDR 4,000,000,-.
Yoshi: Okay let us assume it costs 3 million
approximately. IDR 7,500,000,- 7,5 plus 3, it
will be 10,5. Your watch?
Chris: Ouch until the watch was discussed.
How?
Yoshi: Hahaha because it is part of outfit.
Chris: My Tag Heuer wristwatch.
Yoshi: Formula One huh?
Chris: Yes, it is Formula One.
Yoshi: How much did you get?
Chris: I used to take IDR 14,000,000,-.
Yoshi: 10,5 plus 14 million. 24,5 guys.
Trousers? Wah this must be Champion.
Chris: The pants are from Champion, I take
the retail one. IDR 800,000,-.
Yoshi: 24,5 plus 8. 25,3. Finally, time for the
Human Species (shoes). How many?
Chris: I got this long time ago before the now
resell price. At that time I bought it at 9,5, if
it's not mistaken, it almost 14 now.
Yoshi: So the total from Chris's 34,8 (IDR
34,800,000) outfit is good guys. Good, crazy.
resell sekarang. Waktu itu gua beli masih di
9,5, kalo sekarang kalo ga salah udah
hampir 14 ya.
Yoshi: Jadi totalnya dari outfit Chris 34,8
jut guys. Mantap, gila.

EXPLANATION The last man interviewed was Chris. The outfit she wears is starting from
a hoodie from Supreme brand that costs IDR 7,500,000, - a waist bag from Supreme brand
that costs IDR 3,000,000, - a Formula 1 watch from the Tag Heuer brand which costs IDR
14,000,000. -, black jeans from the Champion brand that cost IDR 800,000, up to Human
Species shoes from the Adidas brand which costs IDR 9,500,000. In result, Chris’s outfit
reaches IDR 34,800,000.
Furthermore, before we start to analyse the reframing of masculinity in this video, let
us see how the stereotypes of viewing masculinity that live in our society. Masculinity as a
societal, not as an individual characteristic, refers to the distribution of values between the
genders which is one of fundamental issues for any society, where many solutions can be
found[ CITATION Hof11 \l 1057 ]. According to MacDonald in Kurnia (2004) patriarchal
culture distinguishes men and women as illustrated in the following table:
MEN are (should be) WOMEN are (should be)
Masculine Feminine
Dominant Submissive
Strong Weak
Aggressive Passive
Intelligent Intuitive
Rational Emotional
Active (do things) Communicative (talk about things)
MEN like: WOMEN like:
Cars/technology Shopping/make up
Getting drunk Social drinking with friends

It can be concluded that masculine and feminine differences also lead to the general
assumption that masculine characteristics are attached to men, and this character is associated
with three special characteristics, strong, tough and sweaty. Men are simply labeled as
'macho'. Meanwhile, the characteristics of women are identical with a weak, gentle and
scented character which is also associated with the nature of a 'princess' [ CITATION
Kur04 \l 1057 ].
This video shows seven urban Jakarta men looks in different styles, ranging from
different outfit types from head to toe, to the choice of accessories they wear. From Berapa
Harga Outfit Lo? video, the masculinity side of seven urban Jakarta men who attended the
'Urban Sneakers Society 2.0' event was represented to something that attached with feminine
things, such as the existence of roses, which is an image or symbol that identical to women.
Roses that are identical to women here means they have beautiful colors and scented smell,
like a woman [ CITATION Har15 \l 1057 ]. This picture or symbol of a rose can be found in
an interview with Arbani, who uses the Off-White brand denim jacket, which can be found
on the sleeve of his denim jacket. The picture or symbol of the rose can be seen clearly since
the size of it is large enough. It also contradicted with the stereotypes in patriarchal culture as
mentioned by MacDonald before, that scented only can be attached to woman only. In fact,
urban Jakarta men shows their masculinity side through the combination between denim and
rose.
 Besides roses, there is another thing represented by one of the seven men which is
also identical with feminine things, such as jewelry use. In this video, you can find the use of
jewelry in the form of a gold necklace worn by Valen Rose, whose price he does not want to
mention. In this case, the use of gold necklace is something that is identical to women
because jewelry is mostly preferred to women rather than men [ CITATION Mas18 \l 1057 ].
This is because in general, women tend to prefer beauty while male characteristics are the
opposite, they tend to like simple things, as what we concluded from the table above. Just like
the picture of a rose on the denim jacket mentioned earlier, the gold necklace worn by Valen
Rose is also clearly seen, because the necklace he used is quite long and alluded by the
interviewer. From this, we can see that at this time men no longer feel awkward or ashamed
to use attributes that are usually identical to women.
The seven urban Jakarta men in the video mostly dressed in neutral colors, such as
black, white and gray which means they are maintaining their masculinity. The tops (t-shirts)
they use on average, mostly have pictures or words in it. The results of the pants are similar
to the results of the tops, where almost all the men chose black jeans as their daily outfit. And
only one man, namely Arbani who wears brighter colored jeans, the color of denim. From the
seven men, the majority of them used new-styled pants which called ripped jeans that gave
the impression as a macho. This is in line with what was revealed by Wood (2007), that,
men's clothing in general is not as colorful or bright as women's clothing, they use clothes
based on its function. Women's clothes are a little different, the purpose of how they dressed
is to show social reflection on the feminity traits, as women's clothes are designed to attract
the attention of others[ CITATION Ros181 \l 1057 ]. As in the metrosexual concept describes
changes in masculinity where it does not matter to men regardless of their sexuality to care
about their appearance and fashion. Also, clothes that men can buy now have changed both in
color, shape, and how it is used [ CITATION Elr17 \l 1057 ].
From the above explanation it can be seen that in this era, masculinity has
experienced a shift. The fashion that originally was something that was identical to women, is
now also favored by men. As revealed by Danu as a consumer and fashion lover:
“Jadi semoga event-event sneakers kayak gini, streetwear masih ada lagi,
karena gua pribadi dan Yoshi juga itu enjoy banget sama fashion...”
(...So hopefully, sneakers and streetwear event like this is still held, because I
and Yoshi personally also enjoy fashion. We really like it, because it is
exciting anyway...)
Furthermore, as what Marx states that consumption the commodities was somewhat
effective in creating consciousness and social structure[ CITATION Tan08 \l 1057 ], it is in
line with the video that Jakarta urban men consuming the overpriced commodities to show
that they are from high social class. In capitalist society, consumer activities can be a tool to
indicate the social function from their consumption.
In the interview video, Berapa Harga Outfit Lo?, it can be found that the seven men
interviewed had a taste for style or dressed by consuming commodities that could be said
luxurious, where the price of which could reach until hundreds of millions rupiah. In fact, the
appearance and quality of so-called luxury items are not always worth the price. As said by
Danu, who is an interviewer and consumer of luxury commodities, concluded that:
“...Jadinya intinya pesan gua di sini, apakah dengan harga segitu worth it
atau overrated? Bisa jadi kan, bisa jadi harganya mahal tapi looksnya
biasa aja, ada yang bisa jadi ada yang murah wah tapi looksnya mewah. Ya
kan, jadi gitu sih. Jadi ya kalo hobi kalian seperti itu boleh-boleh aja,
asalkan ga merugikan orang lain...”
(...So the point is, my message here, is it worth it or overrated? It could be
expensive, but the looks are just ordinary and standard, also there are things
 that can be cheap, but it looks luxurious. Yes right, so that's how it is. If
your hobby is similar like that, it's okay, as long as it doesn't harm other
people...)
This is corresponding with what was expressed by Mike Featherstone, a postmodern
consumption theorist. He stated that in postmodernism, humans consume not because of the
use value but it is because the symbolic value which can be seen from the exchange value
behind a commodity [ CITATION Ros181 \l 1057 ]. For instance, one of the Jakarta urban
men who used a luxurious watch costs three hundreds million. Has the same function, but
they prefer to buy luxury brand which somewhat more expensive to sustain their prestige as
high-class people. (see Data 6. Giorgio).
In consuming commodities, these seven Jakarta urban men do have more financial
support, so that they can easily state that the value of one commodity is pretty cheap, even
though in fact it is has a high value, but they make it seems common for them with the
utterance such as “cuma/doang” (only), lah and masih murah (still cheap). An example taken
is when Danu mentioned the price of the brand from his top to toe outfit (see Data 1. Danu):
“Ini (menunjuk ke jaket), gue beli di Jepang, Adidas anniversary 25
tahunnya, cuma sekitar 899,000,-ribuan di Jepang dan gue make ini
(nunjuk ke kaos) Pull&Bear ya paling tiga ratus lah.”
(...This (pointing to the jacket), I bought it in Japan, the 25th anniversary of
the Adidas, only around IDR 899,000,-...)
In another example, it can be found something similar during an interview with Yoshi,
as the second interviewer besides Danu. In his explanations, Yoshi mentions the word "lah"
which means as an assumption of someone's ease/convenience of something, such as in below
quotation (see Data 3. Yoshi):
“Sepatu Y3 Kassa High, gue beli 299 euro berarti 4,5 lah. Jadi itung-itung
dari pertama 4 juta + dua ratus juta jadi dua ratus empat juta”
(Y3 Kassa High shoes, I bought 299 euros, which means 4.5 million lah in
rupiah (IDR 4,500,000)
From the analysis above, it can be said that fashion is a tool in redefining masculinity.
It also has a purpose to provide Jakarta urban men social status through the overpriced
commodities they consume. In addition, masculinity portrayed from the fashion commodities
they consume, which are luxurious brands with the overpriced as to shore up their prestige as
high class people. For instance, luxury brand such as Supreme, Gucci, Tag Heuer etc. that
mentioned in the video, indicate that materialism values have attached to the life of Jakarta
urban men which live in capitalism ideology within urban society consumer culture.

CONCLUSION
The representation of masculinity of urban men in Jakarta actually revolves in discourse
about the concept of masculinity itself. While in fact, the masculinity concept has been
changed and shifted. This move took place in the consumer's cultural life which is still
attached to materialism in the current system of capitalism. This discourse is always in
opposition to femininity in urban life, shopping and paying attention to appearance.
Therefore, it can be seen that masculinity is reframed through the way men dressed and
commodities they use. As the consumer culture of urban men indicates their social identities
as people from high-class society who can afford overpriced commodities to sustain their
prestige as a man. This research can be further developed by analyzing the reality of the life
of urban Jakarta society around us by observing and following the consumption behavior of
communities of sneaker and streetwear lovers such as Local.co.id and North Sneaker Squad
(NSS), to give a better and clearer reflection about the phenomenon of Jakarta urban men
society in Indonesian consumer culture.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank Mrs. Ida Rosida, M.Hum for her guidance, advices, comments and
suggestions during the process of accomplishing this article.

References
Budiastuti, A., & Wulan, N. (2014). Konstruksi Maskulinitas Ideal Melalui Konsumsi
Budaya Populer oleh Remaja Perkotaan. Mozaik, Vol. 14 No. 1, 1-14.
Danu , Yoshi, Mario, Valen Rose, Arbani, Giorgio, et al. (2017, October 3). Berapa Harga
Outfit Lo? MCDY. (D. Kurnia, & Y. Setyawan, Pewawancara) Jakarta: Youtube.
Elrum, K. (2017, July 29). Masculinity and Fashion Consumption. 1-80. Aalborg University.
Featherstone, M. (1987). Lifestyle and Consumer Culture. Theory, Culture & Society, 55-70.
Featherstone, M. (2007). Consumer Culture and Postmodernism. London: Sage Publication
Ltd.
Harliana. (2015). Bunga Mawar Sebagai Simbol Wanita dalam Karya Seni Lukis. SERUPA:
The Journal Of Art Education, Vol. 3 No. 1.
Hasyim, N. (2017). Kajian Maskulinitas dan Masa Depan Kajian Gender dan Pembangunan
di Indonesia. JSW: Jurnal Sosiologi Walisongo, 65-78.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures The Hofstede Model in Context. Online
Readings in Psychology and Culture, 1-26.
Kurnia, N. (2004). Representasi Maskulinitas dalam Iklan. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu
Politik, 8(1), 17-36.
Masmadia, A. S. (2018). Makna Perhiasan Emas Bagi Kalangan Wanita Madura di Kota
Surabaya. Jurnal S-1 Sosiologi FISIP Universitas Airlangga, 1-16.
Pamungkas, W. A. (2014). Representasi pada Boyband Korea (Analisis Isi Kuantitatif pada
Video Musik Super Junior, Big Bang, dan 2PM).
Rahardjo, W., & Silalahi, B. Y. (2012). Perilaku Konsumtif pada Pria Metrosexual Serta
Pendekatan dan Strategi yang Digunakan untuk Mempengaruhinya. Proceeding
PESAT (Psikologi, Ekonomi, Sastra, Arsitek, dan Sipil, 33-37.
Rosida, I. (2018). Tubuh Perempuan dalam Budaya Konsumen: Antara Kesenangan Diri,
Status Sosial, dan Nilai Patriarki. Jurnal Antropologi, 85-101.
Wood, J. (2007). Gender Lives: Communication, Gender and Culture. Stanford: Cengage
Learning.
Zhengdong, T. (2008). A path of interpreting the "consumer society" The perspective of Karl
Marx and its significance. Front. Philos. China, 282-293.