Articles of Interest, American Ivy Chapters 4 & 5
What is subculture?
Subculture is how we, the people, reclaim media-manufactured “trends”. Whether we accept it or not, a large percentage of our “culture” and our “style” is just the result of the self-fulfilling prophecy of the trend forecasters, the clothing industry, and the corporations pulling the strings (check out RR2: The Forecast for more!).
But subculture? It’s you. It’s me. It’s us. Subculture is groups of people with a common experience and a common goal, reclaiming and modifying larger trends to reflect their struggles and their beliefs. Spikes, belts, platforms, pleats, shaved heads, grown-out hair, jagged lines, asymmetry — subculture is a form of self-expression, a redefining of fashion by different groups, over time.
The Beatniks, known for their anti-establishment values and intellectualism, employed Ivy League pieces to reject conformity to the dominant culture, combining traditional Ivy League items with unconventional accessories such as black turtlenecks and berets. Similarly, the Mods preferred androgyny, wearing unisex high-heels, butch haircuts, moccasins, and mohair, in order to accentuate the progressive ideals, and ultimately seek to redefine gender roles in 1960s Britain.
In the context of our beloved podcast, subculture signifies how the Ivy League style has been transformed and redefined by different groups over time, highlighting how fashion can function as a powerful means of self-expression and identity formation as people use attire to communicate their affiliations with particular values, ideals, and cultural movements. It’s powerful, and it’s us.
What is class?
Class is simply what group we want other people to associate us with. Its a facade, a filter, that we apply to the way we act, the way we talk, and most importantly, the way we dress. Trufelman takes us through the history of Ivy and the seceding fashion movements to show this.
Ivy’s popularity boils down to the fact it was “rare, elite, and expensive” (Articles of Interest 00:05:46). Ivy prep became exclusive because it was the manufactured uniform of rich kids in prep school, actors in the movies (Love Story 1970), and celebrities running their errands. The ordinary person wanted to be the rich kid, the actress, and the celebrity. They wanted to have class. It wasn’t about looking rich or educated, or smart — it was about looking like your life was easy.
Fashion as a medium of showing class has always been heavily utilized. One of the most high-profile examples is the two modern US presidents who didn’t wear Brooks Brothers for their inauguration. Why? To show people what group we want to be associated with. Jimmy Carter, whose platform relied on his humble, money-saving origins, opted for plaid shirts and less “showy” clothes. On the other side of the spectrum, former movie star Ronald Reagan always opted for even more expensive, tailored suits consistent with his platform of elevating the economic elite of society.
Both of these presidents projected their class via fashion — in simpler words, they used clothes to manipulate what groups they wanted us to associate them with. And so do you!
Works Cited
(62), art.life, and friendly-fenix (59). “Ultimate Hipsters: The Beatniks. an Illustrated Literature Recap.” Steemit, https://steemit.com/history/@art.life/ultimate-hipsters-the-beatniks-an-illustrated-literature-recap.
99pi. “American Ivy – Episode Text Transcript.” 99% Invisible, 1 Jan. 1970, https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/american-ivy/transcript/.
Trufelman, Avery. “American Ivy: Chapter 4.” American Ivy: Chapter 4 – by Avery Trufelman, Articles Of Interest, 16 Nov. 2022, https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/american-ivy-chapter-4.