SOC fashion & society quiz 1

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Role strained

roles connected to a single status, ex. Student means choices about allotting time and attention, prioritize or triage responsibilities of a role causes strain

Bureaucracy

system in which most important decisions are made by an official rather than by elected representatives

Meritocracy

the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability

Macro-sociology

the sociological study of large-scale social systems and long-term patterns and processes.

Voluntary groups

those we join through our own choice and effort. -We may join a political party or a particular occupation

Role conflict

when there is conflict or tension between the roles that two or more statuses have, status as mother has created tension with status as tennis player

Proletariat

workers or working-class people, regarded collectively Marxism

Feminism and Anti Fashion

• Acting against items of dress (bra burning in protest of Miss America contest) • Dress are emblems of patriarchy: an oppressive system that is controlling the expectations of women into something they're not • 60s/70s feminists wore unisex

Gender Identity and age consciousness

• By age 2, children are conscious of the differences between males and females • By age 3, most children identify themselves as male or female • By age 4 children learn and express gender role behaviour

Fashion as conspicuous consumption: (Thornstein Veblen 1899)

• Class stratification: determines people's every day interactions • individuals negotiate their identity through the products they consumer in particularly dress • In a capitalist society/ consumer culture: conspicuous consumption establishes your class (consumption that is visible and noticeable) -Conspicuous waste = wasting a product is one way that people consume, people can show their status by wasting products because they are successful enough to afford to waste it -Conspicuous leisure = you don't need to work and you're not productive. Ex. the corset • Needed to wear a corset if you wanted to be at least middle class (Veblen says this is an intentional form of disablement and renders the wearer unfit for work) Novelty: keeping up w/ fashion and trends • Calls dress aesthetic nausea • Women are trophies of men's economic power: this fosters a social idea of respectability, she is objectified, her clothing represents the status of her husband/father Ex. men can just wear suits • Veblen Good = the more expensive/obscure something is the more consumer attention it generates ex. Berkin bag is not part of the fashion cycle, maintains it's position because it's made artificially scarce. This opposes the idea of fashion diffusion systems which requires the object to be limited at first and then diffuses to the mainstream: whereas a Veblen good maintains it's price/obscurity and does not diffuse into the mainstream IN-conspicuous consumption = elite brands communicate status messages that are not available to everyone, but only those "in the know" • A lot of street style brands do this • Ex. Louboutin's ad campaign featuring re-stagings of not famous paintings

The Rape Culture (Dianne F Herman 1984)

• Coined in the 1970s by feminist • Make visible the ways in which society blames the victims of sexual assault and normalized male sexual violence • This accepts and creates rape culture, rape culture is a set of beliefs that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women • In rape culture, sexual violence is assumed as a part of life (shown in tv, newspapers, laws...etc) • Anything that makes sexual violence against women seem normal and natural • Members of police force think there's a connection between rape and the way the victim is dressed, women who are raped are asking for it by their appearance and behaviour • Rape is not a sexual crime but a crime of aggression • Women are raped because they are weaker, isolated

Karl Marx

• Conflict theorists: class stratification contributes to class conflict, struggle over scarce economic resources • To Marxists there are two classes: the "haves" and the "have nots"

Fashion as Hegemony (Antonio Gramsci 1917)

• Conflict theory to expand beyond economics • Claimed that socio-political control of the middle class is not exercised through military force but rather through the (hegemony) institutions that support the status quo, creating a false sense of power • Didn't succeed because we are all co-operative, because we are all part of the system its hard to get rid of the system • Hegemony is a consensus of what is fashionable: and fashion brands because they sell lifestyles not just clothes (ex. Ralph Lauren) • Society manufactures consent: as soon as we consume we accept the social structure

Sex Gender and Sexuality

• Contemporary understanding of the word gender and sexuality in our society. "You are born naked and the rest is drag" -Ru Paul • Fashion contributes to the social construction of gender as well as individual expression

Dandyism (Roland Barthes 1962)

• Dandy is someone who pays acute attention to the details of dress • Details and mastery of appearance, not necessarily someone in fashion • Idea of casual elegance is specific to the Dandy • Dress as a code, these codes are known to all members of society. Dandy will take that code and communicate specific messaged • Dress codes are conventions that give social meaning to dress (ex. Assuming someone's sexuality based on how they're dressed like a guy dressed flamboyantly) • Disconnecting one's sexuality from gender roles, gay subcultures using dress codes to communicate that they are gay Potential for fashion is to get rid of gender

Conflict theory: feminist perspectives

• Gender and sexuality are one more area where we have this dialectical conflict • Relationship of master/slave was realized through clothing • Conflict: see gender/sexuality as conflict and relationship of power • Display of opposites can be seen in old portrait paintings • Gender is a source of conflict in society as women try and challenge the staus quo and men try to prevent this • Conflict theory is possible because of existence of gender binary, idea of biological determinism. These identities or roles are naturally connected to one's biology is the reasoning as to why conflict theory exists

Doing Gender (Candice West and Don Zimmerman 1987)

• Gender is not who you are it's something that you perform • Gender is existing as required identificatory displays • Gender is not innate, communicated by appearance and behaviour to others

Fashion as Distinction (Pierre Bourdieu 1979) 4 forms of capital Habitus Poverty cycle Fields

• He hypothesized that France does NOT have social mobility and that class structures prevent a majority of French people from having mobility • Class structures in french society prevented people from having social mobility • found that they are still based on a class system and france gives opportunities to individuals based on their class: related to the idea of the "taste" or aka distinction, born with taste or don't have it at all, cannot be taught • Most people have a 19th century idea of taste (coming from German philosopher Immanuel Kant's idea of taste which is our innate ability to figure out what is beautiful) • Taste is an example of a cultural hegemony, it is through taste, social constructed preferences, that social class reproduces. Taste is socially constructed preferences by those in power • One's ability to have social mobility is determined by your HABITUS, aka your second nature, bodily habits that you learn from family and peer groups. • Habitus is part of social class, behaviours and preferences of a specific social group, the lifestyle that they adopt. Habitus is largely invisible to those inside their social class, appears natural • Bourdeau found that social structure reproduces themselves, way your brought up affects habitus (poverty cycle) • Capital is not just money, financial assets and your ability to get loans o Economic Capital o Cultural capital (embodied, objectified, institutionalized (degrees and honors that you occur) o Social Capital (networks, influence, support system) o Symbolic Capital (Influence and resources available based on recognized prestige in society) • "We can always say that individuals make choices, as long as we do not forget that they do not choose the principle of these choices" Pierre Bourdieu • Fashion as a democratizing force? Because of it's role in social media, promise of social media as a democratizing source isn't true. People who post on social media are still responding to cultural hegemony in ways that are predictable

Queer Theory: on women's empowerment

• History of women's lingerie and instead of finding a garment of oppression and control o throughout history women have used things like corsets, crinolines as signs of freedom and a way to experience pleasure o These things are close to the body, means of empowerment and a way to control their own lives • Queer reading would say female enjoys male gaze and she's in control, calling the shots by capturing his gaze o The mirror, her concern for her own reflection, pleasure and appearance a power that the man doesn't have

Goffman: Gender Advertisements 1979

• How is gender represented? Do ads mirror social expectations or do they shape and reproduce gender? • 400 illustrations found that women are shown as subordinate, men are shown as alert, conscious, active and in control • Conclusion is that ads are taken for granted or "accepted" by the viewer as true/normal representations • They display what he calls ritualized behaviour • Gender Codes: family, feminine touch, licensed withdrawal and ritualization of subordination • Family= Infantilization, women's family connection is always emphasized • Feminine touch = women in ads are often seen touching themselves, if they touch another object they barely touch it, sign of delicacy and loss of control • Licensed Withdrawal = women are depicted as confused, out of it, mentally drifting or unaware of their surroundings • Ritualization = women are presented as submissive or subordinate to men, this submission can be seen in composition of image when literally placed below the man, head tilt, body posture, lip biting, placed in the composition in a diagonal, off balance, all signifies submission • Gender differences are growing, toys used to be gender neutral and are now more specific especially with colours

Nature or Nurture, Biological essentialism

• Is gender tied to biological sex? • If you are non-normative are you abnormal? • Touch and expectation from parents onto their infants are different for males and females (males will be spoken to in a louder tone of voice and touched more roughly) • More control on female infant behaviour that male • Difficult for people to go against gender expectations Biological essentialism: The belief that 'human nature', an individual's personality, or some specific quality (such as intelligence, creativity, homosexuality, masculinity, femininity, or a male propensity to aggression) is an innate and natural 'essence' (rather than a product of circumstances, upbringing, and culture).

Gender Roles: Gender Gap

• Linked to sex and society associates to this biology • Society has created stereotypes that reflect gender roles • Sociologists today would say that they are NOT based on biology • Femininity: Emotional, passive, cooperative • Masculinity: Rational, active, competitive • Gender Gap: how gender stratified our society (hierarchy) gender inequality that results in an uneven distribution of wealth, power and privilege • Women earn 82 cents per every man's dollar • Gender gap in Canada and US gets higher the higher up you go • Sociology says gender gap can be explained by the fact that primary institutions and structure of society is gender, this produces the gender gap

China: The Cultural Revolution 1966-76

• Mao suit, regulation garment for everyone in China • Eliminates differences in gender • Ethnic Chinese garment mixed with western business suit

Gender Performativity Judish Butler

• Performative means it produces a series of effects vs when gender is simply "performed" its an act • We act as being man or women is internal but it's actually a reproduced phenomena • Not only do we do gender but that's the only place when gender exists, there's no reality to gender other than it's performance. • That's why it's better to say performative because no one is a gender from the start • No one thinks we're seeing an authentic identity, it's something that is performed • Drag queen helps us realize that all of us are performing gender and no reality to that gender outside of that performance

Power Dressing (Joanne Entwistle 1997)

• Rise of work apparel for women, big padded shoulders, suit w/ sharp silhouette • Phenomenon of power dressing could not have occurred before this time, women needed a certain amount of political and social power to wear a suit • The power suit became fashionable because society changed, statement about their competency and professionalism • New way of dress that was not open to women before, women can be fashionable and wear clothing that does not draw attention to her body in a sexual way • Neutrality to be judged on accomplishments rather than appearance, new technology of the body that led to breaking down barriers about how women can identity, working woman is not simply a low class subordinate person but can be a powerful CEO • Looks at John T Molloy's famous book "how to dress for success" claimed that women did not know how to dress, didn't know how to choose clothes for workplace, women dressed for failure, changed self presentation so they communicated message about competence and professionalism rather than gender/sex • Women had to learn to manage their clothing, self presentation is something that is malleable • Today, working women look at dress from this perspective of power dressing

Social Dimensions of Gender

• Sex is a biological category based on your primary sexual characteristics, they're there as a result of chromosomes. • 1 in 1500 babies is born with neither XXY or YYX, a combination of both, called intersex. • Male and female is only 2/4 categories that is recognized in our society, not merely biological characters that determine sex. Cultural is important too • These chromosomes govern your endocrine system which is your hormones, hormones produce your secondary sexual characteristics • Our brains are sexed, brain chemistry in males and females is different, number of studies have been done to call these results into question. Environment/ Events shapes our brain chemistry. • Don't know how brains get to be different, whether they are different or become different. This idea of sex is based on chromosomes and hormones • Sexuality = sexual orientation, what kind of person you're attracted too • Sexuality can change over the course of a person's lifetime, environment can influence your sexual orientation/preferences • Gender is the social expression of being male or female • Lot of political argument about sexual orientation, many people don't believe in a flexible or adaptable sexual identity. • Ex. south african track star Caster Semenya wasn't allowed to compete until she underwent gender identification to prove she was female. Highly publicized, did not protect her identity and this was based on appearance alone because of how muscular she was. • Forced to modify her self presentation to prove she was "woman" enough to compete as a female

Male Gaze: objectification (Laura Mulvey 1975)

• Social perception or the idea of being watched shapes your actions • In media the man looks and the woman is looked at, film is constructed for the male viewer and his viewing pleasure. Women are always viewed as an object • Woman is turned into a sexual object, sexual objectification occurs in fashion media, women's body parts are associated as products, her identity and individuality are not present it's just her sexual body which is being sold just like the products she's selling • Dehumanize women and subordinate them into lesser roles

Social and Fashion Theory on Gender and Sexuality

• Sociology has looked at sexuality as a problem often focusing on deviance and social problems such as teen pregnancy and sexual violence • Modesty plays with sexuality • Intentionally violating gender norms and proper dress

Labelling Theory

• Some identity and behaviour of individuals can be determined by terms we use to classify/define them • We become what other people's definitions of us are ex. If you are recognized as male you'll adopt male behaviour • Which comes first the label of the identity? (chicken or egg)

Functionalist Perspectives: Gender Complementarity (Talcott Parsons 1951)

• Study of the American family called the social systems • How gender organizes and integrates social life: gender provides a structure that shapes the experience of the world • Expressive roles = female roles • Instrumental roles = male roles • Smaller and more traditional a group is the more gender and expression for sexuality is restricted primarily through dress ex. The Amish • If you're a female, you have no choice in the Amish society

Russian Revolutionary Style

• Tried to create a classless society, communal businesses and farms • Fashion industry was collectivized, Russian fashion underwent change and Russian artists were now designers • Varvara Stepanova was in charge of textiles and was instructed to design clothing that was functional, simple, hygienic and modern

Seduction Principle (James Laver 1950)

• Utility Principle = clothes are for function • Hierarchy Principle = clothes are to show class • Seduction principle = dress served to heighten sexual differences, purpose of women's dress is to make them more attractive sexually, purpose of men's clothes is to display their achievements • Ex. difference between TIff magazine cover of Christopher Plummer, black and white, displayed as powerful and forceful. • Cara Delevingne for YSL, she's half naked, shown as unstable on a diagonal, all point to her as selling something (supposed to be selling lipstick but her display of sexuality is selling herself too)

Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives on gender

• What constitutes appropriate dress, consistent expression in any society of what it means to be masculine/feminine • Gender is constituted by society and place/time (cosmopolitain cover from 1900s)

False Consciousness Marxist

*self is result of external influences* -conflict theorists would say its a result of brainwashing or false consciousness -idea of a dominant ruling class -conflict theorist believe if you weren't born with "ideal beauty" then you feel the pressure to conform to that idea - maintains idea of social control - you're conforming to something that you aren't, instead of expanding the idea of beauty, you're locked out unless you try and conform -Fashion industry is active in maintaining a dominant ideology that is very exclusive -False consciousness when someone who is born w/ that beauty ideal look doesn't even realize - selfie of Chris McMillan with Jennifer Aniston #nomakeup - capitalist misleading

Fashion as Social Cohesion (Georg Simmel)

-fashion is a system of social cohesion, fashion is the bridge and dialect relationship between -fashion is governed by imitation and distinction, fashion uniting a group and separating that group from others -5 dialect accomplices : individuality vs imitation, to be one of a kind is an oxy-moron, you're either singular or many but you can't be one of many -fashion manages to achieve both things that are opposite, individuality and being a member of a group -4 other types of dialect relationships o fashion is constituted by this idea of change, many fashions are recycled or conventional but still new, designers are inspired by what is outside their fashion group, o fashion design is often inspired by the "other" (subcultures, exotic) o fashion is a way to bring people on the margin of a social group and bringing them into the centre through their inspiration -haute couture is fashions distinctive apex, no one can stand on that point, haute couture is not what people wear, people wear RTW -opposites of haute and RTW, burberry chav (white trash) their group identifier was the burberry plaid (counterfeited), -burberry didn't use plaid in any ads for awhile and expanded into Asia, now Burberry is manufacturing the "chav" baseball cap because it's now streetstyle not white trash o fashion is for the few but as soon as many adopt it, it is no longer fashion , extremes of totally in or totally out

Social Impact Theory (Bibb Latané 1981)

-four basic rules which consider how individuals can be "sources or targets of social influence" -strength of the source of impact -the immediacy of the event -the number of sources exerting the impact -The more targets of impact that exist, the less impact each individual target has 1. Consolidation - as individuals interact with each other, over time, their actions, attitudes, and opinions become uniform. 2. Clustering - individuals tend to interact with clusters of group members with similar opinions. Clusters are common when group members communicate more frequently with members in close proximity, and less frequently with members who are more distant. 3. Correlation - over time, individual group members` opinions on a variety of issues converge and correlate with each other 4. Continuing Diversity - a degree of diversity can exist within a group if minority group members cluster together or minority members who communicate with majority members resist majority influence

Fashion and Group Behaviour

-functionalist theories: macro level Society provides a structure -symbolic interactionism: micro level Individual uses dress or why they adopt dress

READING 1: Nacirema- Minor

-obsessed with their physical state -society is structured on that basis (physical attributes are social standing). -How does this society stand in human history? American society has a huge effect on other cultures *when americans have perfect teeth, the rest of the world is expected to have perfect teeth...etc*

Social groups

-often groups are organized that all members are working towards a common goal -group members invest towards the well being of the group -ex. Sports team, sororities, -groups enable us to accomplish things that we can't do alone

Middle class wealth display

-pertains more to social values, dress is conservative

Conflict Theory - Marx

-power, competition, structural inequality, revolution) -theory that inequality is built into the structure of society -Conflict theories draw attention to power differentials -Macro

Primary group

-smaller -personal -high interaction -long lasting family

Social fact: Durkheim

-values, cultural norms, and social structures that transcend the individual and can exercise social control. -a thing originating in the institutions or culture of a society that affects the behavior or attitudes of an individual member of that society.

primary and secondary groups differ on basis of 4 characteristics

1. intensity of relationship of group members 2. duration of the relationship 3. how many activities fall under the group 4. person's motivation for being part of the group

Agency versus Structure

AGENCY: women walking on subway STRUCTURE: how the subway is set up is for safety (where people can and cant walk), *agency is free will, but must submit to structure of subway for safety and exit.* *agency to spit on sidewalk, structure is society frowning upon it.* *Students in classroom, agency is they get to choose seats in class, the class, how much they want to engage but must adhere to the structure.* Social customs provide structure that limits the agency and free will of its members.

Gender stratification

Gender inequality -men better than women

Micro-sociology

the sociological study of small groups and social units within a larger social system.

Bourgeoisie Proletariat

• capitalism = we rule you • Religion = we fool you • Military = we shoot at you • Bourgeoisie = we eat for you • Proletariat = we feed all the workers and farmers

Fields

• social arenas where social life takes place • fields are all geared towards middle class values where there's a lot of expected knowledge about how to act, appear and play • Someone from a middle class values might be ignorant of these practices

Feminism

- extension of conflict theory, -power in our society is based on gender -critique of patriarchy -gender equality -intersectionality -consciousness raising.

Secondary group

- large groups - relationships are impersonal and goal oriented - low interaction - temporary workplace

Group Dynamics

- processes involved when people in a group interact with each other, or the study of these -people who take on operational roles within a group, these roles are formal or informal -3 natural group roles - lead, - negotiator/mediator - black sheep

Queer Theory

- research that challenges society's heterosexual bias -critique of heteronormativity -gender performativity - identity politics

Organization

- usually business -an organized body of people with a particular purpose, especially a business, society, association, etc. -social group that is structured to meet its goals efficiently (pay dues..etc), about business

Feminization of poverty

- women are 2.5 x more likely to be poor than a man -lower education -not as much time to commit to professional careers -single moms

The Sociological Imagination or Thinking Like a Sociologist - Mills

-Ability to see a connection between experience of an individual and how that correlates with whats happening in society at larger. -Sociologist has to distance themselves and become a stranger to situations they are familiar with. -Being a stranger in society in order to be objective about it, society doesn't think you can be objective because you're embedded.

ACHEIVED status vs ASCRIBED status

-Achieved status: a social position that a person can acquire on the basis of merit: it is a position that is earned or chosen ex. Serena GOAT athlete. -Ascribed status: reflects personal skills, abilities, and efforts - something you have not you work for our wanted (involuntary) ex. Prisoner

Great Masculine Renunciation (John Carl Flugel 1930)

-Essential uniform for all men renouncing over dressing of past periods -the dandy -however ironically still puts in so much work for their looks -After French and English revolutions -Made men equal under the law- all men the right to vote, no longer lords, surf etc. participating in public life. -Shamed women for dressing with conspicuous consumption -Fashions no longer displayed social ranks -Wealth but achievement -Renunciation of fashion -Women weren't able to as they need to emulate wealth • Psychology of clothes: how human dress did not seem to align as what he saw as behaviour in the animal world • Ex. male birds are more ornamental than females Industrial Revolution altered European societies and was largely a male experience • Made public and work life an experience that took place outside the home and was also a male experience The French Revolution made men equal under the law • Male were offered public education • Moved from an estate class system meaning there is more open class structure and clothing no longer displayed social rank for men • For men they displayed themselves through achievement and not dress • Women did not progress in this way and they continued to participate/became the sign of conspicuous consumption: social status for them continued to be displayed through fashion as they had no access to political power • Fashion is not modern: it is traditional ideas of roles of dress Men wear uniform idea of suit: follows natural bodylines, allows for mobility, and is functional in fabric/durability • Little change in men's fashion (suits are not seasonal or specific to occasion)

Body Discourses

-How we talk about the body is through discourse -Not merely a conversation but a group of statements that illuminate a concept that is true for a given society -in 2013 actor James Gandolfini died of a heart attack at 51 o The week of his death the american medical association voted to classify obesity as a disease o brought about a discourse on obesity, obesity is not isolated or rare, not the individual's responsibility but a greater issue for society, by classifying obesity as a disease the discourse about being morbidly overweight has changed o -changed from individuals being declared responsible to recognizing that it's a social problem, problem of society that is based on consumption and individuals are consuming too much of it, 40% obese, understanding the social roots to an individual's fate -discourse on normative discontent when girls discuss "fat talk" or unhappiness with their body

Looking-Glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley 1902)

-I am not what I think I am. I am not what you think I am. I am what I think that you think I am -self image is the result of how we think others see us -dark perspective: suggests there's no inner core personality: we're fragile and reacting to our subjective perception of external forces

Reference Group

-In group: group that you aspire to be like, favourable group, influences your admiration, decisions and evaluations -out group: complete opposite of what you aspire to be, antithesis, -kardashians may be an in group or an out group

Dressing to Belong: Social Groups

-New social idea for women -Dress has communication symbols for groups and belonging -Status and Roles determine what social groups we belong too -Dress communicates a social position, not just social class - statuses and roles of ten determine what social position people play -we all hold numerous social positions -we us status the way we use "taste" or "style" its almost meaningless because it's a neural word because we don't say good or bad taste we just say taste -not about social status but it can be -Ex. Serena Williams is tennis player, wife and mother

Group Conformity

-Norms and Values -group affects the individual to conform to norms and values held by the group

Sociology and Science

-Sociology is a "soft" or human science -Emergent in its procedures and criteria rather than fixed and measurable -Theory is the result of what is observed in society, it emerges out of -Inductive rather than deductive -Idiographic rather than nomothetic (graphic ideas, research in sociology is descriptive) -Interpretive rather than casual

The Social Body - Crossely

-active entity that's essential to our identity -social body constrains the way the physical body is pursued -weakening margin between society and individual -without dress body has no meaning or identity, cannot be in society -unclothing a prisoner is violation of geneva convention because it dehumanizes them

The Social Self (George H Mead 1934)

-based on years of studying small children, looked at stages of how the self and identity develop in children -socialization process creates a self that is two sided -one part is in "I" individual sense of self (subjective) -second part is in "Me" social self that develops through interactions and expectations with others (objective) -I responds to the Me and becomes your identity: mediates societies demands with the individual desire for expression -Ex. children learn you can't always cry when you're hungry -Me works with the I to get what you want in a socially acceptable way

Group Structure

-defined as the layout of a group -combination of group roles, norms, conformity, workplace behavior, status, reference groups, status, social loafing, cohorts, group demography and cohesiveness. -sociology focuses on leadership within groups -without leaderships you don't have social groups, leader is the most important role -convention is if you're the leader of the group you sit at the head of the table

Class markers

-dress -possessions -attitude towards possessions -attitude towards fitness and health -personal hygiene

Fashion as Collective Action Kimbell Young

-folkway: social custom -folkways draw a line between right and rude -fashion is arbitrary -establish dress codes that add grace to daily interactions to convey civility -dressing appropriately is a way for you to be civil -fashion brings a ceremonial aspect into everyday life - ritual

Body and "Second Nature" : learned behaviour (norbert elias 1939)

-habitus, embodied social learning -to be social means to control the body, bodily cultures is this series of control over what the body can do and act (learned behaviour) INTERACTIONS -becomes so ingrained in society that it becomes natural -second nature is the control over the body that becomes automatic Innate behaviour:Instinct or innate behavior is the inherent inclination GENES Impression management: a conscious or subconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event. They do so by regulating and controlling information in social interaction.

Social Comparison Theory (Leon Festinger 1954)

-human nature to seek out and evaluate and compare yourself to others in order to reach validation Upward and Downward Social comparison -aspirational, compare ourselves to those we think are better, fashion media gets us inspired -downward, comparing yourself to a group that has negative connotations

Social Mobility & Immobility

-individuals ability to change their social status -theories are based on the idea that in every society, people can merit (earn) their social position: meaning your social position is subject to change. -part of the American dream, that is part of the national character in the United States, land of opportunity, rags to riches -"you can dress them up but you cant take them out": you may change appearance to match that of upper class but your behaviour is class based and will always come out - you can't buy upper class, big house won't change your class its your behaviour (Cardi B lol) -people in canada have quite a bit of agency in determining your social mobility -USA has greater income gap and more social immobility than Canada

Social Impact Theory - Latane

-influence of others depending on 1. strength (how important group members are to individuals, 2. number of group members (how large group is) 3. immediacy (how close the group is to you like proximity)

Dress and the Embodied Self (Entwistle 2000)

-not just body that needs dress but dress needs body -without the body, dress becomes fetch, not empty objects but represent someone -dress is an embodied situated practice, neither can exist without the other -dress tells about the body that wears it in certain circumstances. -all of our experiences and thoughts are from a subjective experience, our reality is made of subjective perceptions of things that are external to us, body is not an object in the world but forms our point of view of the world (physical senses) -the dress we wear shapes our perception of reality, essentially shapes our reality -ex when people put on a doctors coat, people treat them better

Distinction: Dress & Social Prestige

-only class that could be fashionable was the upper class -dress was used to tell people what class you came from -velvet was important fabric, gemstones like pearls, furs, royal privilege to wear these -Louis would control what people could wear at court, this established the style, what was in -privilege of the elite and class distinction, lower class wore cheaper fabrics -wearing of purple and dark red were restricted for persons of status -Henry 8th complexity of construction, spoke to your class level, henry wore a ceremonial sword (nobility of the sword) displaying power through dress -impracticality of fashionable dress, dress was worn to be fashionable but not for any other purpose like comfort or utility, a lot of fashion was to display how it was NOT functional -high fashion today still has that impracticality -blue jeans are fashion today but used to be considered work pants for the lower class, extreme of ripped blue jeans that are fashionable -high prices distressed jeans from nordstroms are fashion but actually distressed jeans wore by homeless people are not

Community

-primary, usually relationship, ethnicity, religion. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. -about relationships and maintaining those relationships, there's online communities

Upper class wealth display

-real upper class doesn't want anyone to know -no flaunting -only for people from their class recognize them as equal (connects to hermes customer) -look ordinary but are very exclusive -can't buy their clothes in store -expensive fabrics that can be cheaply copied but are not the same - appearing ordinary but to those in the know understand they are upper class -downplay visible expressions of wealth (can be for their own protection) visible display of wealth makes you vulnerable

Self-Presentation (Erving Goffman 1956)

-self presentation as dramaturgy -no inner self: identity as the role that we play in socializing: role performance w/ costumes/ props/ scripts and a stage -Ex going to an interview: there's a specific dress/ script/ you're putting on a performance -front stage is identity you project to strangers and wider world -backstage is identity and self you have with intimates (friends/ family/ neighbours) -for both stages it's not that public self is inauthentic and private stage is real you: they're both expressions that are managed by you. -front stage or back stage you're still performing a role (ex performing the role of a daughter) part of impression management is -defensive practices = tactics to avoid embarrassment on any of these stages -protective practices = done by society around you to help you avoid embarrassment -What's behind all these displays of self? Is there a core inner self? Post-Modern Theory = there is no authentic self: just the sum of the roles that we play

Impact of Group Size

-smaller groups have more effect on the individual, also effects diversity- small groups are homogenous -class size has an impact on education and learning

David Moore Thesis

-social class is something that provides benefits to society, helps society to function -winners and losers is simply a recognition that people are rewarded for what they contribute to society -people get what they deserve -Ex. Bill Gates net worth of 98 billion and Beyonce earns 105 million have both contributed things to society that are highly valued in order to achieve their status -problem with thesis is that rewards are proportionate to social contribution, some people lack the opportunity needed for social contribution and then reward, doesn't measure lucky breaks of right place, right time, right manager...etc -Bill gates income is 20x what the president makes, do financial rewards and social rewards match a persons contribution to society? -negative consequences: low SES is higher mortality, poor health, higher rate of drug abuse, mental problems..etc

Postcolonial Theory

-the "other" -cultural appropriation -cultural hybridity

Sexual Counter-Revolution

-the pill in the 60s -passing of laws

Functionalism or Structural Functionalism

-theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability -looks at society through a macro-level orientation -broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole -believes that society has evolved like organisms -society as a function of its constituent elements - norms, customs, traditions, and institutions.

Symbolic Interactionism

-theory that society is reborn every time people interact -social life, symbolic communication, social objects, self -symbolic worlds shape individual behaviours

Involuntary groups

-those that we are forced to join or those that we are automatically members of without choice -ex. Hospital patient

Solomon Asch's Experiment in Group Conformity (1951)

-two cards w/ lines on them, goal to see how individuals vs groups perform in being able to match which line on second card is the one on first card -individually people had 98% correct response rate, would then put them in small groups with one person trying to persuade everyone to pick the wrong answer, a lot of people conformed and picked the incorrect answer, shows compliance is strong and someone will take on leadership role, who your leader is in a group is very important because of human nature to follow rather than to lead. - how individuals and groups perform in direct response rate to "line image" - will do what others think is right even if not. Elevator experiment.

The Reflexive Self (Anthony Giddens 1991)

-your self story is that it has to be worked on to maintain it's authenticity -must be true to your idea of yourself, in order for yourself and your identity to be accepted by you and yourself at large -reflexive self where each character responds to social courses

How is social class identified

1. Ethnography: reputational method, ask people what they think other people's social class is 2. Subjective: class, ask people what they think their own social class 3. Objective: method that uses facts and measurements to determine social class, SES: social economic status, ranking combined on household income, level of education and reputation. Institutions use this ranking for tax bracket, need for scholarships, benefits claimed. Government policies are created on basis of SES of a given population ex. How heavily a neighbourhood is policed, access to services

The Poverty Cycle

1. Family in poverty 2. Child grows up in poverty 3. Is significantly disadvantaged in education and skills 4. Struggles to get a job 5. Fail to escape the poverty cycle

Postmodern Perspectives

1. Feminism 2. Queer Theory 3. Postcolonial Theory

Classical Perspectives

1. Functionalism or Structural Functionalism 2. Conflict Theory 3. Symbolic Interactionism

Class system: 4 types of social stratification

1. Those who owned land and wealth and those who owned nothing and were owner (slavery) 2. Cast system: cast that you're born into is the one that you will die,cast determines your access to education, occupations. Popular across Asia, could move down but not up 3. Estate system: society ranked among clergy, nobility, property owners, laborers, workers. Common throughout Europe from middle ages to french revolution, very hard to change your position in estate system, purpose of marriage is to unite their estates, status comes from hunting on estate, growing grain on estate, labor is either a prerogative or peasants 4. After industrial revolution: class system, open system, boundaries between classes are not clean cut, possible to move up or down, individuals have some control over social position, can marry above or below your class, sociologist think there's between 3-6 social classes. Upper-class, middle class, working class and under-class

5 dimensions of social class

1. class is an objective location in society 2. dimension of class (every society is a subjective location) 3. Relational explanation for social opportunities (social class gives and takes, gives you certain opportunities and denies you others 4. Social class is a demonstration of inequalities across time and place (macro level analysis, functionalist perspective) 5. A main component in social and economic oppression and exploitation, a mechanism

3 types of GROUP CONFORMITY

1. compliance = short term conforming to a group but doesn't have a great affect on individuals, conform to norms and values in order to be accepted, don't have to believe in what the group represent, submit but may quietly disagree, when in Rome... 2. Identification = group only has impact on the individual as long as...may abide by these norms and values in group but not necessarily in your private life. Ex marathoner celebrating marathon with a beer while still in marathon clothes, behaviour didn't match social group 3. Internalization = you believe and behave in accordance to group pressure, no conflict between private and public life, most permanent response to social groups, does not depend on social surveillance or esteemed social position, groups credibility is most important when maintaining your credibility. Groups norms and values are internalized, when group loses credibility

The Unified Self (William James 1890)

Components of the self -material self = 40% (body: appearance and function) -social self = 35% (connections to others) -spiritual self = 25% (existential self: meaning of love/existence) -when your body undergoes a radical change it can alter your sense of self which is why material self makes up 40% -there is one self but it has these attributes that contribute to it's single self

Power Relations and the Body: bio power (Michael Foucalt 1975)

DOCILE BODIES "one that may be subjected, used, transformed, and improved -peoples power over their bodies comes out as self disciplined regulated thoughts -if you don't meet the current body ideal you're expected to lose or gain weight -use the body to express the sense of self you want -in the past people controlled their bodies with external processes -today it's expected to control bodies with internal processes (working out and dieting now vs wearing a corset) (positive thinking and changing self perception to change reality) BIOPOWER -according to foucalt, government exercises power by increasing amount of physical control over its members (prison system, states control over expression of sexuality, US capital punishment) we all live in a modern nations day with biopower exerted over our bodies -laws that limit and protect what may be done to and by the body (laws about safety, public decency, states recommends what is a good diet Howard Schatz & Beverly Ornstein: -body a reflexive mobilisation, individuals reflect on their body and act on their body -don't do it to submit to biopower but to achieve their self narrative

Working class wealth display

Ex. Snooki - dress is trashy (skimpy and loud, attracts attention) - uses dress to call attention to herself (not a middle or upper class characteristic) - openness about mental health and alcohol issues is not middle or upper class

Nature vs Nurture Debate

MACRO approaches -External influences -nurture is the defining role in who you are -structural functionalist, conflict theory sociology -we are the result of learned behaviour -identity is formed by external influences, individuals blindly adopt and abide by society MICRO Approaches -internal influences -nature is the defining role in who you are, DNA, genetic inheritance -symbolic interactionism -identity is innate, identity is created through interactions in society, norms of society are there to be interpreted, adopted or modified by the individual -individuals are influenced by close social groups, don't blindly adopt behaviour, they pick and choose from what's surrounding them -we may know what the media wants us to do but we can also recognize that's not our lived experience and reject that idea ex. triplet story: nurture

Separate spheres ideology

Terms such as separate spheres and domestic-public dichotomy refer to a social phenomenon, within modern societies that feature, to some degree, an empirical separation between a domestic or private sphere and a public or social sphere -gender roles determine work

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