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.
