In all honesty it should not matter if your clothes have polka dots or stripes or any other type of design, but because of the Culture Industry, society has shaped the ways in which we think about fashion or clothing. With every new season, designers release their newest collections and the new trends are declared. Many people pack up their clothes from the last season and begin to purchase the newest clothing in order to keep up with what is current. This idea of what someone needs to purchase is created. If an individual wears clothing that has gone out of style, they might be ridiculed because of it. The idea of “in style” and “out of style” is created by society. These ideas make it hard for individuals to differ from what is popular or more accepted. Another issue discussed with the culture industry is that it leaves no choice for individuals, but they still think that they have many options. For example you can go into several different stores and find essentially the same products. Many clothing companies follow after the name brand companies, they make close to the same product, and this allows the trend of the time to be affordable to anyone. This idea about clothing and its importance in society is why people have so many different shirts, dresses, shoes, etc. Instead of people having just what they need, a want if created. Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno also discuss how advertising helps in creating this idea. Advertisements are used to “overpower the customer,” so they are used to continue to keep the consumer unknowingly obedient.
The interesting thing is that people are generally unaware of the oppressions of society, but in this situation, many people know how the fashion industry works. Many people follow the trends and choose to ignore the fact that everything is pretty much the same.
Another thing that could be considered a part of the Culture Industry are media outlets. They all pretty much report on the same things over and over again, but yet there are so many different stations and channels that people can watch them on. This creates a sense of choice and autonomy that people have over their lives. They think that if they watch a show on one channel as opposed to the other that they just made that choice, that there is independent thinking, but there is not. This is because their choices are only limited to what the large media corporations allow them to have. These corporations also control what is reported on news programs, allowing consumers to think that they are aware of all that is happening. Unfortunately, this is not the truth. Many people receive limited news coverage, but are completely unaware of it.
With both media and fashion, we are told what larger corporations want us to know. We may think we have a large set of options, but in reality we do not. This is relatable to the alienation that Marx talked about in regards to workers. There was a separation from the work, and now there is a separation from consumers and what they consume.
There are many people that are aware of these issues within the fashion industry and media, but continue to blindly follow, or just simply ignore what is going on. The idea of praxis needs to be implemented in these situations so that things can change, so that the power truly lies with the people. Making others more aware of the labyrinth that we are stuck in could create discourse leading to some changes within the culture industry. Although it would be very hard to change things within the industry, making people more aware of the reality we live in, although hard, could lead to change.
The interesting thing is that people are generally unaware of the oppressions of society, but in this situation, many people know how the fashion industry works. Many people follow the trends and choose to ignore the fact that everything is pretty much the same.
Another thing that could be considered a part of the Culture Industry are media outlets. They all pretty much report on the same things over and over again, but yet there are so many different stations and channels that people can watch them on. This creates a sense of choice and autonomy that people have over their lives. They think that if they watch a show on one channel as opposed to the other that they just made that choice, that there is independent thinking, but there is not. This is because their choices are only limited to what the large media corporations allow them to have. These corporations also control what is reported on news programs, allowing consumers to think that they are aware of all that is happening. Unfortunately, this is not the truth. Many people receive limited news coverage, but are completely unaware of it.
With both media and fashion, we are told what larger corporations want us to know. We may think we have a large set of options, but in reality we do not. This is relatable to the alienation that Marx talked about in regards to workers. There was a separation from the work, and now there is a separation from consumers and what they consume.
There are many people that are aware of these issues within the fashion industry and media, but continue to blindly follow, or just simply ignore what is going on. The idea of praxis needs to be implemented in these situations so that things can change, so that the power truly lies with the people. Making others more aware of the labyrinth that we are stuck in could create discourse leading to some changes within the culture industry. Although it would be very hard to change things within the industry, making people more aware of the reality we live in, although hard, could lead to change.