In our current society image is everything. What you wear and how you dress, the kind of purse a woman uses or the kind of wallet a man uses and even the type of car you drive “defines” who you are as a person, but is this really the case? Is it really necessary to own the latest and greatest fashions? Drive the newest and greatest car?
Social theorist, Pierre Bourdieu, can help one better understand this. Bourdieu discusses the concepts of taste and distinction and how these concepts are socially defined and generally defined by those in power, i.e. those apart of the “upper” class in our society. According Bourdieu distinction is defined as a social force that places different values on different things such as clothing; and taste is an individual’s personal choice and preference. To better understand the concept of distinction I will be comparing brand name clothing such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Versace to clothing that can be purchased at generic stores such as Target or Wal-Mart.
It is fair to assume that all clothing is more or less made the same way. Clothes produced for Ralph Lauren cost the same to make as the clothes that are produced for Wal-Mart; they are made in the same way by the same people in sweatshops overseas. These workers are not compensated based on what company they are making clothes for but yet as consumers we pay more for a shirt or a pair of jeans purchased at Ralph Lauren than we do for similar clothing purchased at Wal-Mart. Why? Because of the social distinction placed on brand name clothing.
Owning brand name clothing represents taste and because of this it gives meaning to social differences. Brand name clothing comes off as more desirable because of the social meanings that have been placed on it. If we as a society did not place such a high meaning on brand name clothing there wouldn’t be a need for different brands and there would be no difference between clothing purchased at Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Versace to generic brands like Target or Wal-Mart. If the concept of distinction was to just magically disappear a lot of inequality and indifference would also disappear along with it. Our society is all about choice though and we like to be able to tell the differences among others which is probably why there are so many different brands available to consumers. Although there would still different social classes if distinction was to disappear it would be much harder to tell who belong to what class or social group because we would all be wearing basically the same kinds of clothes and driving the same kinds of cars. It is important to note though, just because someone is wearing brand name clothing doesn’t necessarily mean they paid the brand name price that goes along with it. There are many different options for consumers to purchase clothing at; and many people are opting to donate there “old” clothes to thrift shops or sell them online or at garage sales.
Social theorist, Pierre Bourdieu, can help one better understand this. Bourdieu discusses the concepts of taste and distinction and how these concepts are socially defined and generally defined by those in power, i.e. those apart of the “upper” class in our society. According Bourdieu distinction is defined as a social force that places different values on different things such as clothing; and taste is an individual’s personal choice and preference. To better understand the concept of distinction I will be comparing brand name clothing such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Versace to clothing that can be purchased at generic stores such as Target or Wal-Mart.
It is fair to assume that all clothing is more or less made the same way. Clothes produced for Ralph Lauren cost the same to make as the clothes that are produced for Wal-Mart; they are made in the same way by the same people in sweatshops overseas. These workers are not compensated based on what company they are making clothes for but yet as consumers we pay more for a shirt or a pair of jeans purchased at Ralph Lauren than we do for similar clothing purchased at Wal-Mart. Why? Because of the social distinction placed on brand name clothing.
Owning brand name clothing represents taste and because of this it gives meaning to social differences. Brand name clothing comes off as more desirable because of the social meanings that have been placed on it. If we as a society did not place such a high meaning on brand name clothing there wouldn’t be a need for different brands and there would be no difference between clothing purchased at Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Versace to generic brands like Target or Wal-Mart. If the concept of distinction was to just magically disappear a lot of inequality and indifference would also disappear along with it. Our society is all about choice though and we like to be able to tell the differences among others which is probably why there are so many different brands available to consumers. Although there would still different social classes if distinction was to disappear it would be much harder to tell who belong to what class or social group because we would all be wearing basically the same kinds of clothes and driving the same kinds of cars. It is important to note though, just because someone is wearing brand name clothing doesn’t necessarily mean they paid the brand name price that goes along with it. There are many different options for consumers to purchase clothing at; and many people are opting to donate there “old” clothes to thrift shops or sell them online or at garage sales.