#8 Cultural Politics

 "Fashion Models and Postmodern Consumer Society" was written by Julia Chan in 1996. I read that article from the chosen categories. Fredric Jameson is an important person for this article because his ideas have been used. The first term that I learned is Pastiche, as a concept, that involves the loss of personal identity and distinct creativity. The model serves as an illustration of this loss, as she lacks individuality and an original perspective. Her clothing isn't her own choice but rather selected by someone else, and she adopts a style created by another person. She merely repeats what others have prepared for her to say, and her so-called "unique" appearance lacks depth and authenticity. The second term that I learned is schizophrenia which means the loss of meaning and coherence. The idea is that models are always young, appearing to exist outside of time; if one does start to get older, she is replaced by someone younger. The unnamed figure is "condemned to live in the perpetual present" but the public pays little attention. I discovered that a model becomes a spectacle and is reduced to becoming something to look at because she lacks identity, is an envious and glamorous result of others' labor, and presents in a schizophrenic way. Only on the visible plane can we see her. The main goal of the approach is to stimulate consumer desire. The model must adhere to specific standards established by the fashion industry in order to do that.