According to Yuniya Kawamura, "the model of modern-day consumption originated in pre-revoluntionary court life, especially that of Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) who was known as 'the consumer king'" (Kawamura 90). Louis XIV of France had consumed items to display his political power to others, not just to show off his wealth. Louis XIV is the model who began consumer culture as a way for people to know who he is and what he represented. Modern-day consumption still exists for people to express their political position, power, or status. Although the models of consumption has changed and so has the products of consumption.
Today, people continue to consume to express who they are through certain brands or items that they possess. As Jennifer Craik mentioned, there are "distinct hierarchies of status and brand or label recognition"(Craik 75). When many people consume products they do it to gain a status or to uphold a status that they wish to maintain. Through brands or labels, there is a separation of class and hierarchies. Brands are distinct when they are designed for the elite and are often times too expensive for the middle class. Now, brands and/or labels are part of the modern-day consumptions that the elites desire and keep up with. Elites provide the fashion example and take the lead, while others follow their lead.
Since I have been in Davis for the majority of summer session two, I do not have any shopping places of interest. I really only want to purchase food or drinks. And, there are plenty of places to eat in Davis. However, there are some boutiques and shops, but they are too expensive for my taste to buy anything. It is a good thing that the only I only want to be a consumer of food and drinks in Davis and not clothing. That is why I have been able to follow the rules of the compact challenge.
Blog #5
by: Alice Phun
Inside Source: Kawamura, Yuniya. Fashion-ology: an Introduction to Fashion Studies. Oxford: Berg, 2005. Print.
Outside Source:
http://smarthistory.org/assets/images/images/Rigaud%20Louis_XIV_of_France.jpg
Craik, Jennifer. Fashion: the Key Concepts. Oxford: Berg, 2009. Print.
1 comment:
From the many readings this week, you should have seen that fashion also stems from the "bottom." 3/5
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