...Simmel’s Theory in Analyzing Hip-Hop Fashion If fashion is determined by the elite upper-class and subsequently imitated by the lower classes, why do people imitate Hip-Hop’s style of flat-rimmed baseball caps and oversized jeans – a style that is typically associated with lower socioeconomic classes? Georg Simmel contends that the tension between wanting to imitate or conform versus wanting to distinct one self, dictates the future of fashion in an endless circle of styles coming into fashion and styles going out of fashion. Whether styles last or disappear, the constant remainder is fashion, propelled forward by the need of individuals to constantly distinguish themselves from others, but at the same time a desire to conform and be identifiable by others. I apply Simmel’s theory to the development of Hip-Hop fashion and culture and argue that Hip-Hop fashion originated from a need for distinction; that there is an important shift between imitation and distinction; and that there is a significant change in the type of elite who is imitated, especially in Hip-Hop fashion. Simmel’s Theory on Fashion For Simmel, fashion broadly speaking “is the imitation of a given example and satisfies the demand for social adaptation. . . . At the same time it satisfies in no less degree the need of differentiation, the tendency towards dissimilarity, the desire for change and individual contrast” (Simmel 543). Additionally, Simmel saw fashion as primarily the prerogative of the upper...
Words: 2217 - Pages: 9
...Fashion of the 1930’s In the 1930’s fashion was at its peak. The fashion showed the elegance and beauty of the United States during a time of depression. During the 1930’s, fashion began to have a ready to wear mentality. The United States was just beginning the Great Depression and trying to adjust to a life with very little. The American people had to find cheaper ways and places to buy and manufacture clothes, especially after the stock market crashed (Dudbrige). Most of the inspiration for the fashion came from films which impacted the culture (Lewis). Most of the designers that designed for these films were located outside of the country where the bulk of the fashion industry was located (Lewis). In the 1930’s, fashion impacted the country...
Words: 919 - Pages: 4
...Milestones * Milestones * 6.0 Management Summary * Organizational Structure * Management Team * Personnel Plan * Personnel * 7.0 Financial Plan * Important Assumptions * Key Financial Indicators * Benchmarks * General Assumptions * Break-Even Analysis * Break-Even Analysis * Break-Even Analysis * Projected Profit and Loss * Profit Yearly * Profit and Loss * Projected Cash Flow * Cash Flow * Cash * Projected Balance Sheet * Balance Sheet * Business Ratios * Ratios Executive Summary 1.0 Executive Summary Rose Bud’s Fashion is a new apparel store that caters to the African-American plus...
Words: 6149 - Pages: 25
...Elvis Presley: A Revolutionist Gage E. Trollinger Elvis Presley is the single most significant figure in rock and roll history. He completely changed music and he also changed entertainment through his influences. In the 1950’s Presley’s music broke past these racial barriers. He allowed Caucasian and African Americans listen to the same type of music. Elvis challenged the social and moral values because his music and his dance moves created a new generation. By 1955 Elvis had gone to a national sensation. People quickly fell in love with his style of music and dancing, Critics loved and hated him at the same time altho girls were in awe with him. The fact that Elvis shook his hips, thrust his pelvis, and danced passionately on stage, turned parents against his music. Elvis posed a threat to the values and morals of wight american cicity. Presly “set in motion a style of music that dominated the world for the rest of the century. It was the beginning of youth culture, the breakdown of sexual inhibition, and the end of racial segregation.”...
Words: 1119 - Pages: 5
...this paper is to inform and enhance the understanding of hip-hop music, drawing connections between musical stylistic origins and social influence throughout history on hip-hop music to create an unbiased, accurate account of how hip-hop music came to be what it is today. The genre of hip-hop music formed in the 1970s amongst African American Groups in urban New York City, during a time when “block parties” and it’s associated music started to become extremely popular. Credited with founding hip-hop music, DJ Kool Herc, an immigrant from Jamaica, started to extend the percussive breaks in popular funk and soul music (Dyson). This new sound became so popular that DJs needed to start using two turntables to lengthen percussive breaks, effectively creating an entire new sound and new genre of music (Bekman). Hip-hop music is characterized by four main elements: rapping, scratching (DJing), break dancing, and graffiti (Chang). Because music is dynamic and constantly changing, hip-hop started to develop sub-genres within hip-hop, such as southern trap music or west coast gangsta rap. Hip-hop music in different regions started to develop their own unique style of hip-hop, and although all of these sub-genres could be considered “hip-hop,” the music adapted and started to reflect some of the social issues within the region. In order to further inform and achieve the goal of creating an unbiased account of how hip-hop music came to be what it is today, I have organized my paper into...
Words: 2815 - Pages: 12
...Do what you wanna do! “It’s your thing, do what you want to do! It is Crazy how this quote could truly describe the 1965-1975 era in so many ways. Around this time many things were happening like African American trying to earn true inequality in civil rights movements, free spirited hippie era and the closing of the Vietnam War. Many of those events that happened in that decade has been prolific in are day in age now and the strides in development in our country today. The cultural arts in this time period were creative but also very powerful. The way they dressed, and music that was listened to reflects to who they were and what they represent and allowed them to express themselves. . The 1960’s was a major part of American history in so...
Words: 1852 - Pages: 8
...artist that has made an impact in today’s music and not only that, how African American music has affected history of our heritage. Soul music is gospel-influenced African American popular music style that began to emerge in the late 1950s and became popular during the 1960s. (Maultsby, 277) There were many artist back in the day that made soul music very influential Ray Charles and James Brown was known for the similarity of having a black gospel back ground then transforming their sound into blues that lead to the sound of “soul music”. When the artist Sam Cook released a song call “A Change Is Gonna Come” it had a huge impact on the society because this was the time around the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement is a movement beginning in the late 1940s and blossoming in the late 1950s to the mid-1960s that pushed for equal rights for African Americans. (Maultsby, 277) In the year of 1964 when Cooks song came out he had died and there was a signing of the Civil Rights Act. Many people thought the song “A Change Is Gonna Come” had marked from rhythm and blues to soul. This songs is known as a gospel style. By just these three men singing the types of songs that were passionate about made a tremendous impact on how the world look at soul music today. Soul music is what I believe brings families together because all ages know some soul music and it makes each person feel good inside. African American history has affected our heritage in many different ways such as...
Words: 516 - Pages: 3
...too young for the divorce to even have much impact on her childhood. She also has a brother named Devin, who is five years older than her. When it came to who Tyra was going to live with, it didn’t come to much complication. She lived with her mother on weekdays and her father on weekends. She saw this as the good life she not only always had two birthday parties but also two Christmases, which meant double the presents, and double the love. Growing up, Tyra was often displayed around her family’s home in Inglewood living in her mother’s duplex and walking around her mother’s heels. She always role played with her mother as being a model. She was inspired to become a model from watching the weekly CNN program called “Style with Elsa Klensch” and “House of Style.” Although she first wanted to become a veterinarian and wanted to attend veterinarian school she was wined over by the modeling world. Tyra attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School , a Catholic all girls school in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles. During her Middle School days she was somewhat of a mean girl in middle school. She was popular and always in the gossip. Tyra says, “And if I didn’t want one of the other girls to be in the clique anymore, for whatever tiny little reason, I voted her out.”1 This being said she wasn’t the nicest person to be around with if you were not liked by the Searching Opportunities popular Tyra Banks. Although when high...
Words: 2139 - Pages: 9
...Nivea and Shu Uemura, their trouble gaining a presence in the Japanese market, and the lack of revenue in certain areas of their products offerings. There is also some loss in business for high demand products during turnover time as buyers wait for new shipments. Condensed Recommendation: L’Oreal should carefully select a CEO candidate who has experience in global management and the ability to spot trends. L’Oreal should proceed with the potential takeover of Japanese Shu Uemura, but they should reconsider the Nivea takeover as it may open them to a potential takeover threat. They should continue with their global expansion by developing new brands to meet particular ethnicities, perhaps aiming to catch the South American market as they have done with the African market. They should also flesh out their dermocosmetics products lines to increase the low 6% revenue in that area. Problem L’Oreal has experienced unprecedented success through global expansion into new beauty-product markets, under the direction of Owen Jones, who became a chairman in 1988. In 2006, Owen Jones plans to retire, so there is some speculation on how things may change with his successor. Currently there are a number of business maneuvers L’Oreal is considering: the friendly takeover of Japanese brand Shu Uemura, the bid for German Nivea, and the sale of their 19.5% interest in Sanofi-Synthelabo. There is also a potential takeover threat from Nestle, as they have a 26% interest in the L’Oreal;...
Words: 3825 - Pages: 16
...IWT Task 1 (0813) This paper will analyze, critique, and help us to understand the music of the Harlem Renaissance and the Pop Art periods. The social conditions that influenced the art and the characteristics of the artists’ style were in many ways similar; however, with advancing technology, they had differing struggles to overcome. The Harlem Renaissance was sparked by the Great Migration from 1919 – 1926 in which African Americans began moving to northern cities to find employment and a better way of life. The musicians of this era were very influential in renewing the culture and history of the United States. Jazz, race, and class divided Harlem and New York cities. Some historians have said the best way to understand the Harlem Renaissance is by understanding the music (http://historyoftheharlemrenaissance.weebly.com/index.html; www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/Harlem-Renaissance-1920s.html). With the roots of jazz coming from slave songs, it is truly an African-American invention. This newly formed music utilized the dissonant “blue” note. This modification to the to the standard major scale allowed the musician to play the note flat; usually the third, fifth, or seventh note of the scale. Music critic Sidney Finkelstein stated, “It expresses the hope and struggle for freedom, the vitality which enables a people to wrest joy out of misery and to assert the triumph of human beings over the obstacles that would grind them down.” ("MindEdge," 2014) Jazz was the sound...
Words: 2036 - Pages: 9
...Marketing Female African Attire By: Munah Mombo Over the past few years, female African Attire has taken on a new trending look sparking new interest in the market. From casual wear to formal attire, most of the clothing-lines now span across cultures. The style of the clothes varies from cultures of the African continent. However, the colors and style feature the more elaborate West African taste. What is important about this trend is how comfortable it feels than how comfortable it looks. The way is looks captures the essence of beauty that is irrefutable to the person therefore, it is always a great buy. Authentic African materials are weaved to bring out the specific texture and style of the clothes but it takes considerable time. African materials also consist of tie and dye. According to Tekaye designs (2014), designs are either tied or stitched into the cloth using cotton threads, or draw on cloth using impermeable substance. Over the past decades, new technology has reduced the production period and allowed the market to become more accessible to businesses. The project is intended to stimulate the U.S. market that has seen an increase in African immigrants in the past years. This increase has helped to make the product very attractive particularly to other cultures to explore the original materials of African in its historical context. Investing in the female African attire business entails knowing different cultures to satisfy and meet the needs of prospective...
Words: 521 - Pages: 3
...Hip-Hop and Its Impact on America Erick Acosta U.S History II Honors Period 4 Mr. Pannone May 4, 2009 Hip Hop and Its Impact on America Hip-Hop is one of the genres most criticized by America. Many people thought that Hip-Hop would fade away soon after it was introduced in the late 70s. These people were wrong because over 25 years have passed and Hip-Hop is now very popular in American culture. Hip-Hop has grown a great deal since its beginnings in south Bronx. Now Hip-Hop and rap music can be found anywhere from CDs, television shows, advertisements, and the internet. This shows how big of an impact it has on America and American music. A brief history shows Hip-Hop’s achievements and milestones. Hip-Hop is divided into two: the DJ and the MC. The DJ: Hip Hop began in South Bronx during the late 1970s. It arose when block parties were common in New York City. Deejays would use a technique to isolate the percussion breaks in songs. They did this because they knew that these percussion breaks would be easier to dance to (Hip-Hop music, par 5). This technique was very much seen in Jamaica and was brought to New York by DJ Kool Herc. DJ Kool Herc from Jamaica was known as the father of Hip-Hop. There were other Deejays that contributed to the expansion of Hip-Hop. These Deejays were DJ Hollywood, who invented the term Hip-Hop, and Grand Wizard Theodore, who invented scratching. Scratching is a technique used by deejays to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl...
Words: 2436 - Pages: 10
...The Roaring Twenties It was the Bee’s Knees to feel the Heebie-Jeebies while living young and free as a sensual Dumb Dora through the radical Roaring Twenties, an era that was absolutely unforgettable in American history! Organized doctrines advocating political, social, and all other rights of women equivalent to those of men, made the ideas of feminism possible. This was a new term that came about during the Progressive Era, a term that caused women to express their self-worth by capturing the world by it’s tail and launching a revolutionary era that lasted three decades; as Frances Willard said, “a wider freedom is coming to the women of America” (Textbook)… Within the first few years of the 1920s, the new culture that the generation had created was already set into motion. The youth no longer had the desire to act or dress like the older generation, they wanted something different. Through the fashion, entertainment and beauty industries women worked up the courage to reject the stuffy ways of the Victorianism lifestyle, and simply transition to a more advanced wild life of the conspicuous Flappers. In the late eighteenth century, the Victorian era was a widely known style that was commonly related to morals and structures based off of Christianity. Family and economic life for women was outrageously boring; a typical day for a woman would look like cleaning, gardening, plus taking care and cooking for her household. Women weren’t allowed to have real jobs...
Words: 1454 - Pages: 6
...in rap on the song “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang. “I said a hip hop, hippie to the hippie, the hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it to the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie, to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.”(Asante 109) In addition to rap music, the hip-hop subculture also formed other methods of expression like break dancing, graffiti art, a unique slang vocabulary, and fashion sense. Rap started in the mid-1970s in the South Bronx area of New York City. The birth of rap originated in the African American community and was first recorded by small, independent record labels and marketed towards, mostly to a black audience. Rap music was created out of the needs for people to express their inner most feelings and emotions. The rap culture emerged after the African American Civil Rights Movement at the end of the 1960s and in the early 1970s (Price 4). It was created out of the African American people’s need to further continue with their struggle to accomplish the goals of equality, fairness, and integration into American society. This new style soon attracted white musicians that began performing it. For rap music it was a young white group from New York, the Beastie Boys. Their release “You Gotta Fight for Your Right to...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...Madame ‘K’ Designs A Marketing Plan Presented by: Mardea Junius Kamara BUSN 319 March 24, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Background……………………………………………………………………………………………………3 2. Strategic Focus and Plan……………………………………………………………………………….3 * Mission Statement……………………………………………………………………………….3 * Goals……………………………………………………………………………………………………4 * Competitive Advantage………………………………………………………………………..4 3. Situation Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………..5 * SWOT Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………..6 * Competitor Analysis……………………………………………………………………………..7 * Company Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………7 * Customer Analysis………………………………………………………………………………..7 * Industry Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………..8 4. Market-Product Focus………………………………………………………………………………….10 * Marketing-Product objectives…………………………………………………………….10 * Target Markets…………………………………………………………………………………..10 * Points of Difference…………………………………………………………………………….11 * Positioning…………………………………………………………………………………………..11 5. Marketing Program……………………………………………………………………………………….11 * Product Strategy………………………………………………………………………………….11 * Price Strategy………………………………………………………………………………………13 * Promotion Strategy………………………………………………………………………………13 * Place Strategy………………………………………………………………………………………14 6. Financial Projections………………………………………………………………………………………14 * Break-even Analysis……………………………………………………………………………..14 7. Organization……………………………………………………………………………………………………15 ...
Words: 4299 - Pages: 18
