I find myself facing the divide between anxiety and pleasure nearly every time I go clothes shopping. It will start when I receive my monthly paycheck. With a newly cashed check, I convince myself that I deserve to go clothes shopping. Part of me (the part that speaks in my parents voices) says that I should save the money for groceries and other expenses. However, I tend to quiet that voice by looking through Urban Outfitter's magazines and convincing myself that I have absolutely no clothes to wear out this weekend. I brush aside the anxiety I feel about not having enough money to get through the month, and make my friends go to the story with me so I wont feel so guilty spending money alone. I tell myself that its almost spring and therefore I will need new spring clothes. Or I'll think to myself that I worked hard this month and I deserve a new shirt to go out in. I'll also remind myself of how good I feel when I have new clothes to wear. I definitely get a "shopping high" when I see new clothes hanging in my closet. These are all ways that I try and cover up my feelings of guilt and anxiety.
I recently was accepted into a study abroad program in Rome, Italy for next fall. Naturally the first thing I thought of was what kinds of clothes I should by for the trip. I began feeling anxiety when I thought of how fashionable Italians are and how my clothes don't measure up. I started putting together a list of clothing and other material goods I would need if I were to live in Italy. The expenses were piling up fast. And then it hit me....was I really more concerned about buying material goods then saving up my money to travel while abroad and really experience a foreign culture? I had to realize just how much consumerism was affecting my life.
Consumerism is everywhere. Brand names are so common that we call tissues "Keenex" and soda, "Coke". Can you think of one place where you aren't confronted by brand names or consumerism? For example, last summer I went to Israel and while in the middle of the Negev Desert I found a McDonald's "big mack" wrapper. There really is no escaping it! It literally influences every part of American life. Advertising images constantly confront us and encourage us to buy products to improve our lives. Do you guys think that our society could function without consumerism or brand advertising? I think if we want to continue to live in a capitalist society, it is impossible to be without brands or advertisiing.
A great example of the concept of counter-bricolage and phenomenology is the OBEY campaign by street artist, Shepard Fairey. Phenomenology is defined as "the process of letting things manifest themselves. It attempts to enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation."
(From the OBEY website manifesto)
The campaign questions the difference between advertisements and street art. It brings to light the consumptive nature of American society. The marginalized concept of street art is taken and represented as a consumerist concept. You can literally find the OBEY giant symbol in almost every city in America. The style is street art but because it is so widespread and has gained such a popular cult following, it has encouraged consumer culture. As the website says, "by purchasing an OBEY sticker, or piece of propoganda, it gives the consumer a feeling of belonging".
See how many places you can spot this image around Pittsburgh:
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