Question 11

The image on the left is one from Urban Outfitters, a popular retail store that sells "indie" and "hipster" clothing. However, this is ironic because the "hipster" and "indie" culture prides itself on being individual, while Urban Outfitters is a corporate entity commodifying the "indie" culture. UO tries to hide this fact, however, and promotes its unique products and how its consumers are cool, intellectual, and individual. For example, the ad on the left displays the copy "We Like You," as if the company understands its off-beat consumers. This is not unlike Frank's article "Why Johnny Can't Dissent" which describes how corporate America tries now to appeal to teens and rebellion. It is the corporatization of identity.

In her article "Inventing the Cosmo Girl," Ouellette explains that Cosmopolitan's goal under Helen Gurley Brown was to help their "pink-collar" readers transcend class roles and rise to the top. The emphasis was on illusion and trickery, not necessarily being the most beautiful woman in the room. This idea of thought could also relate to Urban Outfitters as it carries sophisticated and "hip" clothing for a decent price, therefore appealing to a wide range of customers. The emphasis again is on illusion because many people wear UO to look "hipster," but most customers of UO cannot call themselves a true hipster.

These articles both relate to my topic of the semester of wealth signifiers with teens, especially with my first paper which analyzed Vera Wang's Preppy Princess advertisement. Like Urban Outfitters, Vera Wang sells products that appeal to a wide range of consumers but advertise a high-class feel. It is all about illusion and pretending you are one of those Upper East Side prep school students or etc. Again it is the corporatization of identity.