1980's capitalist developments influenced the emerge of the New Man

The New Man arose as a primarily media-driven phenomenon in the 1980’s. It was said that, as a result of the impact of second-wave feminism in particular, men and masculinity were under attack, and a new form of masculinity that was more caring, nurturing and sensitive - or, alternatively, more narcissistic, passive and introspective - was developing. (Edwards, 1997)

In the 1980‘s women’s position advanced in the social sphere and also career wise. This meant that the circumstances changed in the society for men as well, which permanently reformed and constructed new dynamics between men and women. During this decade many aspects of the capitalist developments affected the emerge of the New Man, such as the rising economy, which endorsed the new consumer culture of the yuppie era. The increasing number of young men who entered the working life at the time had more money to spend on the emerging concept of ‘lifestyle’ and were eager to spend money on fashion, grooming products and also on the men’s press. As Edwards says, ”The New Man was not simply the product of the media, or even of responses to second-wave feminism; he was rather the crystallization of consequences in economics, marketing, political ideology, demography and, most widely, consumer society in the 1980’s.”

Discussions on the New Man were notable in the British press of the 1980‘s. Accroding to Frank Mort (The Men’s Fashion Reader, 2009) the figure of this new phenomenon was the topic for frequent debates and endless controversy. ”In journalism and in fashion, in commercial and manufacturing culture, as well as in the political and social arena, men were at the centre of wide-ranging debate. The forms which discussions took were as varied as their conclusions. Amidts all the energy, one motif occured repeatedly. This was the figure of the ‘new man’. A hybrid character, his aetiology could not be attributed to one single source. He was rather the condensation of multiple concerns which were temporarily run together.” This quote shows that the concept of the New Man was not easily accepted in such traditional publications as the English newspapers. Masculine consumer society was an advanced concept and foreign to many of the contemporaries. As Mort explains, for the adversiting and marketing industries, the appearance of such a personality was a symptom of growing commercial and cultural confusion... this new form of masculinity was principally defined by self-doubt. Confronted by the loss of traditional gender certainties, many men were now being forced to question their social roles.

This image illustrates the effect of Wall Street and the rising economy of the 1980's, which influenced the creation of the New Man.  Image is from the film Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps, 2010.

Museum for contemporary fashion in Finland

I am going home to Finland next week for visit and I was thinking how lovely it would be to catch up on contemporary Finnish fashion. The trouble is, that no one or no museum (that I know of at least) is documenting contemporary Finnish fashion and its developments at the moment. This is such a shame, because I think Finnish fashion would deserve a museum for its honor. This would be a great progression for the museum industry in Finland, which often might seem to be a bit old fashioned about fashion. 

I understand that many people might think that fashion as an academic subject is invalid or not worthy of such importance, but I think this is more of an old conception that only suggests outdated opinions. Also, it widely underates the influence that fashion has, firstly on an individual level and secondly on a wider, global scale. Fashion academia is a part of social studies and history. Fashion as a phenomenon reflects quite instantly such events as recession and sexual equality. 

I think it would be appropriate for Finland to open its first museum for contemporary fashion and document the numerous phases and valuable advancements of it. I also sincerely hope that I would have a chance to contribute my views as a fashion curator for it.

PS. If you know such a museum already exists in Finland, just let me know, I might have missed the news since living abroad for a while now! 
Email me on narrativeoffashion@gmail.com

And I will be checking out the Marimekko exhibition in Design Museum. MARIMEKKO - A WHOLE LIFE 60 Years of Colours, Stripes and Shapes (18 March - 29 May 2011) 

link to the exhibition

Representations of masculinity

"Images of masculinity are variously and, on occasion, contradictorily interpreted, yet one factor which remains constant is the assertion that these representations construct masculinity as a part of a dynamic process of interpretation and implication. Masculinity is not seen as a fixed essence reflected in representation; rather the representations create the sense of masculinity as essence. Significantly, it is also argued that there is no one masculinity constructed or represented, rather a series of masculinities that are hierarchically ordered according to colour, class and sexual orientation. Images of white, middle-class and heterosexual masculinity are therefore hegemonic whilst those of black, working-class or homosexual masculinity are subordinate. In addition, the hegemonic and subordinate are mutually reinforcing each other. Therefore, what we are often considering when looking at images or representations of masculinity are not solely the overt images or representations themselves, but the complex and overt conceptions of masculinity upon which they are premised."

(Men in the Mirror, Tim Edwards, 1997)

image from here

Changing conventions of men's fashion have entailed re-worked attributes of masculinity that have transformed male bodies into objects of gaze, of display and decoration. This radically undercuts the Victorian and post-Victorian idea of masculinity as the display of restraint in a disciplined body. 

(Craik, 1994, p.203)

Daughters-mothers and fashion

Do you ever share clothes with your mother? Does she have the same taste as you? Perhaps she has given you a special fashion item, which she got from her mother? Is your daughter an extravagant dresser, just like you? Do you have a personal story that you would like to share about fashion in your family? 

I am observing the relationship between daughters-mothers and fashion. I want to look at your origins of style and the relationship that you have with fashion or with a special item of clothing. There can often be found a legacy and a heritage of style between mothers and their daughters and I find this certain origin of style interesting. Also, I would like to know how time can reflect on a piece of special clothing and how this can give a deeper value to your personal fashion. All this is a part of research for my studies in fashion curation at ArtEZ.

It's all about your roots, past, new generations, legacy, memories and slow fashion.

Now I would love to hear YOUR story! 

Please email me on narrativeoffashion@gmail.com

Image from here

Some thoughts..

Fashion and narcissism can be connected in advertising. Contemporary fashion imagery often demonstrates a presence of self-absortion and mirrors a certain narcissistic awareness. It also emphasizes the importance of the generally fabricated appearance, which  aims to reach the desired outcome of collective consumerism.

Narcissism and consumerim are related in connection to desire, in the context of what a person is, once was or what they would like to be. Modern consumers can be under the allure or the influence of glamourized imagery and this way may create a desire to be what they see in the fashion images. In this context the consumer might vision an idealized image of what they would like to be and remain mislead by narcissistic manipulation.

The perfect image of the self which fashion promotes requires narcissistic attention and in this way promotes narcissism itself. This distorted attention to one’s body or appearance can be observed to encourage illusions of megalomania, in which one sees the self as being superior to others and capable of such attitudes as arrogance, egocentricity and vanity...

To be continued..

on the dandy

As I have been recently researching menswear and the characteristics of narcissism in men's fashion, the person from the past who represents the narcissistic "new man" not only by a well maintained appearance, but also with a well established presence of self-absorption is George Bryan Brummel, the very first dandy of the early 19th century.

"Brummel would spend hour after hour discarding the lightly-starched strips of muslin or cambric that his servants held out - ”our failures” he called them - until he found just the right arrangement that constituted ”a cravat”... His Eton stockings were impeccable, his boots were free of the tiniest spot, his mirrors were said to be cleaned with Champagne, his linen washed with country water and dried in country air... Brummel consciously presented himself to the studying glances, and played his role of fashion doll with professional pleasure. He shared this passion of being seen and with many of his contemporaries. One of the dandy characters in the novel The Exclusives confesses, for instance, that he comes to Hyde Park to see the ladies, but, even more, to show himself, to be admired."

A History of Men’s Fashion, Farid Chenoune, Flammarion, 1993

The Modern Mirror Man

The male figure has transformed into a new image over the past years and needed to adjust into the changing times. Masculinity has acquired new translations and many variations. 

The contemporary emerge of the New Man challenges the ‘traditional’ concept of what is considered masculine in the Western society. This phenomenon presents characteristics that have not been a part of the 'traditional' masculine figure in a while. So, therefore the topic of my next research looks at how narcissism and the New Man are connected. I am interested in how narcissism can be seen in contemporary men's fashion and how such designers as Hedi Slimane affected this phenomenon. Why is this aspect of masculine narcissism so fashionable at the moment?

This Tom Ford AW 08 advertising campaign is a good visual example of the topic.