Rose Brooks

To close off my experience within better lives I wanted to peer review a post that resonated with me and so chose Daisy’s reflection on Julia Crew’s lecture about Power. 

BLOG 1: POWER (Diversity & Social Responsibility) by Daisy Easterby-Sands⋅

https://1920betterlivessmc.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2020/03/25/blog-1-power-diversity-social-responsibility/

As I was also influenced by this lecture it felt the obvious choice and I was intrigued to gain an insight into how it affected somebody else, as well as to see how the information that we were all given may be utilized differently.  

I was affected by the use of statistics included in the lecture to illuminate the writers opinion and insert undeniable facts into the reflection providing a coherent reality to the inequality of the fashion industry with every point fully supported and analyzed. The reflection is factual, further emphasizing the importance of questions that we should all be asking ourselves as consumers; such as “who holds the power?”  

It can be difficult to consider such fundamental questions concerning something as all-encompassing as consumerism, but the use of quotes and figures to break down the hierarchies into something digestible and obvious really puts into perspective the inequalities that are very much rife within our culture, and highlight the real issues caused by an unjust system . The reflection is clear and concise, making excellent use of the information provided to make a jarring point on the inequality that has become standard. I am reminded of what compelled me first listening to Julia Crew’s lecture, her straightforward approach to the statistics that inform the power roles is translated through concise communication and the inclusion of cited sources. This reflection is a vivid and empathetic portrayal of an industry on the cusp of destroying itself, efficiently channeling Crew’s knowledge alongside a personal interest. 

Daisy’s reflection draws an accurate summation of the information to inform a personal opinion. The reflection is as informative as the lecture and compacted to create a lasting impression. 

Moving forward, Daisy reasserts the theme of power with the individual. The importance of aligning your morals with your actions is prominent, and the position of privilege that we often forget we hold as consumers is underlined. This demonstrates both a deeper impact of the lecture and a lasting understanding of the importance of responsibility; both within the industry and as individual consumers. It feels an empowering end to the series of lectures, and a suitable reaction to the information we were lucky enough to receive. Everybody will be informed independently and in different ways by the knowledge we have acquired, and this understanding of our separate roles and the consequences of our actions is a positive progression.  

B

For Better lives I chose Navigating through Clothing, as I have always been curious about the boundaries between fashion styling and costume, and felt this was an opportunity to involve myself in something I wouldn’t usually have the chance to, and to investigate the differences further. Although at first I struggled to directly link the research for this project to the themes, I did find it interesting how factors that play into such themes as diversity, sustainability and power can be translated to something as simple as the story of Hansel and Gretel. In Hansel and Gretel the two children, neglected and starving, are deceived by the all-powerful witch, lured into her candy home and entrapped and manipulated for her own gain (dinner!) It is interesting to interpret such explicit shows of power hierarchies and manipulation within the story, and relate them to the world of power and advertising that I researched prior to the initial lectures.

The more I researched public relations and power structures that we are all implicit in the more I realized the all-encompassing nature of it;  how much we cannot understand, how difficult it is to really see the bigger picture when it surrounds us almost entirely. So much of our lives, from what we eat to what we wear to where we go, what we think of certain public figures, what music we listen to, is impacted on a subconscious level by what we consume daily. The news we see on timelines and the telly is filtered and curated to fit particular needs, our social media timelines shaped to show us what we want to see, to boost success of the corporation.  It’s so easy to see these patterns and tropes in stories, but so difficult in real life.

The more I learnt about translating ideas to stories or applying concepts to characters, the more I began to appreciate storytelling as a means of making information digestible. I decided on the witch as the character for my project, and wanted to play on the idea of deceit and of hiding your true intentions that I found to be prevalent in both the story of Hansel and Gretel and in the lectures that affected my research the most. Here the witch becomes a carrier for the ideas of mass media control and the subliminal messaging that surrounds the modern human.  

During the outbreak of COVID-19, where ‘sympathetic’ corporate messages are plastered everywhere every minute encouraging trust and compassion from consumers as companies are “here to support us during these difficult times”, the idea of something falsely inviting and warm, as the witch so blatantly is, seemed particularly relevant. With her towering, uncanny valley-esque camouflage of badly rendered flesh and realms of soft candyfloss hair, overtly sweet in sprinkles cream and gummy toothed smile, the witch forces herself into an inviting form to tempt, lure and exploit the children. Like her candy house she is built to evoke an empty sense of security. She isn’t a human of course, and she only wants to eat Hansel and Gretel really, but she is half convincing and that is enough for the hungry children.

If the lectures have put one thing into focus for me, it is the relationship between power, influence and money, and the role that advertising plays in widespread mass-consumptive behaviour. Reflecting on the themes of the essays up against the current climate crisis, I was forced to see the nature of mass media marketing, and the destructiveness of this influence on our own habits as consumers. As a fashion media and communications student, truly considering the part that our industry plays into such a vicious cycle was jarring – we are all learning to enter this world of influence and influencers, advertising and marketing and money. Now more than ever the ethics of mass advertising in a time where consumption and waste are at their peak stands to be questioned. Considering the place of creativity as a glorified carrier for corporate messages, the art of visuals in marketing and the artists behind them as a figurehead to purely boost profit, boost manufacturing and hook the masses with messages whether subliminal, artistic or obvious, that further encourage mass consumption and increase an unsustainable culture of exploitation and waste. One thing stands obvious throughout; we will either change our ways drastically or destroy ourselves. What role are we going to play in this? 

Following the lectures and realizing how little I truly knew about media and communication in fashion I felt obligated to investigate mass media marketing and advertising, to try and educate myself further into the world that surrounds us, and more often than we realize shapes us. The lectures provided a rounded started point for developing our own independent understanding of important topics. I researched the origins of modern marketing from early concepts of public relations, to the use of advanced psychoanalysis in developing an understanding of the subconscious drives, techniques still very much employed. It was interesting to dissect the messages and platforms that surround us, and to analyze the intentions of companies and how this informs fashion through the ways in which we interact with it everyday. Moving forwards I feel I understand better the importance of understanding how and why things are the way that they are and will try to independently research and continue to gain knowledge on the themes that we were lectured on. 

As individuals and as an industry we must face this reality and take responsibility for the consequences of it. We must look into the face of convenience; the convenience of fast fashion, fast advertising, cheap, mass produced clothes delivered next day, a convenience we have come to expect, and see the true cost of our choices. Denial can only lead us backwards.   

As both consumers and future parts of an industry; understanding our situation is the first step forwards. With lectures like these forcing us all to confront and delve deeper into what we take for standard, and with the increasing accessibility of information, ignorance cannot remain a valid excuse.

The lecture which had the most lasting impression on me was Julia Crews on power, which offered a stirring look into the inherent inequality that runs throughout the fashion industry, and revealed shocking statistics making the power-hierarchies that consumerism is founded on glaringly obvious. It’s very interesting to see the different levels of power and influence that run society compiled and laid out in such a coherent way, putting numbers and facts to the imbalance that we all know surrounds us – particularly in the fashion industry. Crews questioned who holds power in a consumer driven industry, putting names to statistics and demonstrating the different impacts that different groups have on industry.  

Crews analyzed the roles of groups holding different levels of power, looking at; money, media, and the consumer and how we are all impacted by this, as well as the much deeper reaching and systematic problems offered by fast fashion. With consumer drive pushing garment production to be cheaper and faster than ever before, the most underprivileged are being exploited and kept in a vicious cycle of wage slavery and poverty. As consumers in the privileged position of choice, or neoliberal individualism, we all play a role in this cycle, and although we do not profit off of the exploitation of millions as the C.E.Os of these multi billion pound industries, we still cast a vote with every purchase.  

We exist in a world where we are bombarded with advertising and marketing from all angles, and all sources, almost all of the time. When most of our information is spooned to us through corporations such as face-book, from the comfort of our own homes, our own phones, exactly how much power are we giving to media? Crews puts into perspective the very real societal hierarchies that keep the rich rich and the poor poor, raising questions about not only the sustainability of this environmentally, but societally.  

If this lecture put one thing even more into focus, it would be to distance from your habits and analyze the true cost of fashion, realizing that this situation is far larger than the individual, the importance of understanding where your clothes come from, who made them, and who will profit? Even though it is easy to feel powerless and complacent in such a corrupt corporate cycle, it is crucial to remember that you do have the privilege of choice, and although it is almost impossible to avoid the impacts and influences of mass media marketing and fast fashion, you can make the decision not to support fast fashion through your purchases.  

This information will stay with me, and I will try to avoid the wilful ignorance that it is so easy to sink into, and research further into the power systems that lay below the surface.