RPHC4001 The Object and The Body - Part 2 Still Life

For the second part of the Body and Object brief, I chose to focus on Consumerism so I made the issue What People Want, Rather Than What People Need.

I began my research by reading media articles and consumer opinions. Through my research, I could see that we live in a society where designer wear is very often associated with social status. Life can be seen by some as being all about status and fitting into different categories. However, while this is fine for people who can afford it, many are drawn into this culture who can’t afford it.

I looked at artists who work portrays anti-consumerism. I particularly liked these two.

We live in a very materialistic society. Many people would openly admit to being a ‘label snob’. The media constantly reinforces brand names, logos and labels. They are a huge part of our culture. Magazines openly flaunt images of models wearing the latest designer outfits sending out the subconscious message that if we don’t wear the same brand or outfit by the same designer as the model we are nobody. You will only look good if you have the latest ‘must have’ handbag.

Magazines are generally 50% advertising and 50% editorial content, with advertisers placing advertisements where their products have the best chance to be seen. We see their products as being hip, chic and stylish leading us to believe that we are what we wear.

Professor Helga Dittmar of Sussex University’s social psychology unit says: Buyers do not only consume the actual goods advertised, but also their symbolic meanings – successful, happy, attractive, glamorous – thus moving closer to the ideal identity portrayed by media models. It not only presents unrealistic images which pose a problem for many people, producing self-doubt, but it also presents the supposed solution: buy the product and it will get them closer to these ideals. Immense profits are to be made from people’s misguided search for identity and happiness through consumption.’

In a study in Evolution and Human Behaviour, it was found that labels act as a status-boosting talisman. They showed a picture of a man with a luxury logo such as Lacoste and a picture of a man with the logo digitally removed. The man with the logo was judged to be wealthier and of higher status.

Designer wear is very often associated with social status and life can be seen by some as being all about status and fitting into different categories.

Another factor may be that an expensive item is better quality and even hand-made.  However, this is not always the case. Whilst the fabric and stitching is often superior to the high street chains, many items are still mass produced in factories. Calvin Klein is a good example of this. The majority of their ready-to-wear clothing is manufactured in Korea.

This message is fine for the consumer who can afford to spend on luxury items. Unfortunately, there are people who are drawn into this that do not have the means to finance this type of lifestyle but cannot stop themselves from buying into this culture. They find themselves in a downward spiral of debt and with no way out. Easy access to credit can be too tempting for some, with no thought that they can’t actually afford to pay off the debt. Quite often this sends the consumer into depression, buying more designer goods to cheer themselves up about bringing about a vicious circle. 

The urge to ‘wear designer’ can be so strong that the consumer may not even like the piece they are buying, but will buy it as it carries the designer logo.

The CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, Kevin Roberts, says we are 80% emotion and 20% rational. This is reinforced in an article in www.swns.com dated 20 May 2013 which reports of a fashion-obsessed mother has spent £20,000 on designer clothes for her 8 year old son. Another report in www.mirror.co.uk  dated 21 June 2012 tells of the mother who sometimes goes without food so she can buy the latest designer outfit for her toddler.

In these cases, there can sometimes be psychological problems going back to childhood. It could be that they were the only one amongst their peers to not have the latest trainers, clothes etc. Perhaps they were teased about the lack of brands and labels, making them grow up determined their own children would not ‘suffer’ in the way they did.

However, buying designer labels is not all bad. There is no doubt that items bought within limits of personal budget can affect how you feel. The material and cut and of an item can do wonders for self esteem. On occasions where you want to look ‘a bit special’ a designer outfit can make all the difference.

As Coco Chanel once said: “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”

Through the research I undertook, it led me to think how I could convey my still life shoot to portray this ‘frenzy’ of designer must-haves. I researched photographers such as Andre Kertesz who distort their images. Although his work distorts images of bodies, I thought I could apply his concept to my images. 

I also looked at photographs of reflected images and realised that this could be the way to create my frenzy of designer brands.  I came up with the idea that by using reflection around the designer bags and boxes that were available to me I could distort the image, therefore creating the illusion of being more than there were.

 I particularly like these images by Randy Scott Slavin. Even though they were distortions, I liked that they were circular.