I snapped this photo the other day while walking to work. I’ve gotten accustomed to seeing weapons and symbols of violence depicted on clothes and accessories lately—an assault rifle on the T-shirt of a guy in baggy pants walking down the sidewalk, tiny delicate handguns on a necklace worn by a young female coworker, razor blades, skulls, and brass knuckles on hoodies and shoes, even those marketed toward small children. I’d chalked it up to living in a violent society, to the psychological stress caused by the constant stream of news reports about war, terrorist threats, shooting sprees.
These dresses, though, took me off guard. I didn’t expect to spot this trend in the most affluent shopping district in the city, designed for the people whose privilege affords them the most distance from random acts of violence. This is the only neighborhood in the city where I feel completely at ease walking around by myself at night. (This has a great deal to do with my own privilege—I am not at all likely to be harassed by the ever-present police force, for example, as many would be.) What is the appeal in a fun, flirty dress with handguns and bullets printed all over it? Is it, like the hoodies printed with skulls, just a symptom of living in a society where we are told that we could be attacked at any moment, where for some it is a real possibility? Is it an acknowledgement that even super-wealthy women are very often victims of violent attacks, likely perpetrated not by a stranger but by a partner or acquaintance? Is it an attempt to take back some of the power robbed from women in our society, to enable women to give off a tough impression? Is it appropriation? Is it just fashion?
Sara’s recent post on violence against women being presented as fashion (or art) showed some particularly blatant, disturbing examples of this trend. But I worry too about the not-so-blatant examples, the violent imagery that permeates culture in more covert ways. I worry about weapons and violence, or their images, being so commonplace that we don’t question them anymore. -Adrienne
6 comments:
I would also say that your comfort in such a neighborhood has not only to do with race (you wouldn't be followed, suspected of shop lifting, get stares, etc.) but also class. There are plenty of working and middle class white people who would feel completely uncomfortable and unwelcome in posh, yuppie central. Just a thought...
I think it's as simple as guns, violence, explosions, bombs, etc. are just "cool". We live in a culture were violent strength is prized and praised. The most popular movies, video games, music, etc. are violent. Now, as for why? Maybe it's Freudian, we all have this intense urge to be ruthless and brutal, and we've just sublimated it into depicting guns on pretty little dresses...
- Ben
P, you’re absolutely right that class (in addition to race, age, gender presentation, appearance of ability, et al) has an effect on one’s level of comfort and safety in any given environment. In the category of people who are likely to be harassed by the police I meant to include not only people of color but also working class and transient populations, trans folks, young people, etc. I do feel uncomfortable (judged) in this posh neighborhood but I don’t feel unsafe, because the surroundings are constructed in such a way as to make people like me feel safe (adequate streetlamps, clean sidewalks, nice landscaping, lack of men lingering around and approaching me in the dark). My class privilege certainly has something to do with this. Thanks for giving me a chance to clarify.
Ben, do you mean that this violent urge is more central to human nature than other aspects of human nature, such as compassion, empathy, generosity, the desire for peace? That it is naturally present below the surface, and finds its way out in expressions such as guns on dresses? I’m only loosely familiar with Freud’s theories and unsure of the degree to which you embrace them so I’d be grateful if you could clarify. This is a discussion I've wanted to have for a while, as it comes up pretty often in social justice debates.
Just a thought: could it be as simple as a desire to be edgy? We all know how well sex and violence sell movies, video games, music, etc. The fashion industry has basically run out of sex to sell, or at least boundaries to push in that regard, so could this be just a cheap attention grab? I think this falls outside of the realm of skull hoodies and the like, because the dress itself doesn't say "tough", but is more flirty, as you mentioned. Where the former I think more reflects a sense of doom that has crept up into the status quo after 9/11, and may be more worthy of discussion about inherent cultural tendencies, this dress in particular I think has a simpler explanation - it wants to turn heads. I think the fact that this one dress caught your eye makes a good case for this argument, as you didn't see fit to write a post about the types of clothes you mentioned in the first paragraph. Thoughts? (Love the blog btw)
Lewis, I see your point about edginess, and I won’t assume more than that in regards to the intentions of Betsey Johnson herself. I think the explanation often is that simple when it comes to the designers and marketers of these products.
I do consider the dress worthy of discussion, however, as an example of the persistent confluence of sex, violence, and fashion, if not as a symptom of post-9/11 fear mongering (I think it’s probably both). It’s not just sex OR violence that sells, it’s increasingly the mixture of the two. Think of all the teenagers going on dates to horror movies, watching nearly naked women be tortured and murdered, and hoping to get laid afterward. Grand Theft Auto IV. American Psycho: The Musical. I could go on but I’m sure I don’t need to.
Hence this dress, which is sexy and also displays symbols of violence. I’m not saying it’s on par with slasher films, far from it, but I would put it in the same category in terms of recent cultural tendencies.
Oh, and my "What is the appeal in a fun, flirty dress with handguns and bullets printed all over it?" wasn't entirely rhetorical. I'd love to hear from someone who would consider wearing this dress or likes the style. Promise I won't judge. :)
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