从牛仔裤看美国文化

从牛仔裤看美国文化从牛仔裤看美国文化Observing American Culture through JeansⅠ.Introduction of the Development of Jeans1.1 The Relationship Between Garment and Culture“Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of a society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning.”(Maryanne Kearny Datesman, Joann Crandall, Edward N.Kearny, 1997: 46)“Garment is a article of clothing covering for a person’s bo dy such as trousers, pants, dresses and jackets.” (English Dictionary, 1998: 223) It has unusual connotations, which reflects the history, culture, beliefs andcharacteristics of the people.The relationship between culture and garment is two-way, that is, culture influences garment; Garment embodies culture. Garment is a sign of culture and culture is inspiration of garment. With the rapid development of society, culture is changing; in the meantime, costume is accordingly changing in function and style. Garment is endowed with culture connotation, representing different meanings in different ages. The garment is not only a big factor in the material life of human being, but also the important symbol of culture. Besides satisfying the living needs of people, it also represents the culture of a period and a district, even a country.Jeans, as a fashionable garment, have undergone tremendous changes, not only in designs, but also in its representations over the course of its history. Blue jeans are probably the single most representative article of American clothing. It has evolves from a symbol of hard physical labor, to rebellious youth, to stylish casualness. In the constantly changing world of fashion and popular culture, jeans have been adjusted every step of the way to suit their new environment. In this case, the environment involves trends, attitudes and looks. With every decade and every new generation, jeans have been adapted in order to ensure their continued popularity. However, there is one characteristic that has never changed. That is, culture is embodied by jeans continually. In American culture, jeans are not only a dressing, but also the symbol of freedom, personality and creativity. Jeans has been symbolized as American culture—popular culture. Jeans created a miracle in fashion history. Even sociologists and historians have studied the reasons for its popularity. The reason is that jeansreflect the American culture or spirit.1.2 The History of JeansJeans were invented in the mid-nineteenth century by a Bavarian Jewish peddler named Morris Levi Strauss, who had settled in San Francisco. The trousers were made from a sturdy indigo-blue cotton said to have originated in Nimes, France and resembled pants worn by Italian sailors from Genoa whom the French called genes(hencethe English“jeans”).For nearly half a century jeans were worn almost exclusively by men who worked out-doors (miners, laborers, farmers, and of course, cowhands), because they were comfortable, practical and could offer durability. However since their original design, they have evolved into one of the“hottest”items available to consumers and one ofthe“necessities”in our modern times.In the 1930s, actors in cowboy and western movies wore jeans, as they were strong yet comfortable clothes. The use of jeans was popularized because of that, many Americans began buying these“waist high overalls”as they were called. Jeans were especially popular among ranchers and those working on their farms.During the next decade, World WarⅡ had decreased production of jeans. However it was during this time that jeans were introduced to other western countries by American soldiers, some of whom wore jeans during their off-duty hours.During the 1950s, the wearing of jeans became a symbol of teenage rebellion against obedience. They were popularized by teen idol James Dean in his memorable 1955 film“Rebel Without a Cause”. However, jeans were not always acceptable—as they are today—to wear. Many schools in America banned students from wearing jeans.The 1960s and 1970s were a continuation of the rebellion of youths against society. It was the start of the‘flower power’(In the middle of the sixties, the Hippie were against racial discrimination, class distinction, discipline, and especially against the American participation in the Vietnam-War. The obviously most important sign of the Hippie culture were the flowers, which you could not only find as hair decorations, but also imprinted on jeans, T-shirts, and skirts. Those flowers created terms like “flower-power”)and‘free love’(including open relationships and most consensual forms of sexual expression, except sex with children. Traditional legal constructs and religious teachings that prohibited non-procreative sex outside the bounds of marriage were widely flouted-premarital sex, extramarital sex, bisexuality and tolerance towards homosexuals.) Ideas and beliefs. During this time, most American university and college students began wearing jeans. Jeans became a pervasive element in American society. During the 1980s, jeans became a fashion entity in its own right when famous designers started making their own styles of jeans with their own labels on them. Wearing them denoted status and a higher level of “coolness”, an attainment most youths the worldover dream of.I n the 1990s, black jeans were also popular but blue jeans have always been in style. Since the year 2000, fur and feathers as well as crystal beads often accentuate designer jeans. Gold and silver spray sometimes decorated tears, frays and slashes. Many cuts are popular now such as bootcut, straight leg, stretch, flare, classic fit and relaxedfit.Bootcut: This flattering style skims the thigh and has a slight flare at the leg opening. Great with boots and shoes with chunky heels. Bootcut leg openings are wonderful for balancing proportions and creating the illusion of longer legs.Straight leg: This fit is favored for its straightforward simplicity. Straight, but not too narrow. Trim, but not too tight. Usually the same width throughthe thigh, knee and leg opening.Stretch: There is so much to love about stretch denim. First of all, it s tretches, so you get a fit that adjusts to your body fabulously, every time you put them o n! Not to mention, it’s sleek, comfortable and stylish. Perfect comes to mind.Flare: Jeans with a flare leg might be the style-brave and daring you are looking for. They are the modern version of the bell-bottom, only a little tamer. This style is typically fitted through the seat, thigh and knee, then flared at the legopening.Classic: Tried and true. This style has a traditional fit through the seat and thigh, often with a straight leg opening or slightly tapered leg opening. It is alsoknown as regular fit.Relaxed: Fits at the waist. Relaxed seat and thigh. Straight or slightly tapered leg. Clearly, this style is made for a woman’s natural curves!Ⅱ.Analysis on the Embodiment of American Culture on Jeans“Different peop le in different culture have various types of dressing. The way people dress can reveal their attitudes and views.”(华梅,2004:65) For instance, today, young people likes adventure and some exciting sports, such as bungee and roller-skating, so they like to wear leisure, informal clothes. Youngsters are given more freedom in this new era, and they are not trapped to old clichés or traditions, they are more inclined to seek something new and fun. So they would like to wear modern and fashionable clothes. The cl othes not only reflect just one person’s character, but also revealing a society’s values and cultures. “Values refer to the goodness or desirability of certain actions or attitudes among members of the culture which are broad, abstract, shared standards of what is right, desirable, and worthy of respect. Values set the general tone for cultural and social life.”(John J. Macionis, 2002:74) Different culture shape different values, personalities and effect how people perceive their surroundings they learn from families, school and religious organizations to think and act according to approved principles, to pursue worthy goals. In view of culture, people tend to appeal to values as the ultimate ration for the choices they make in life. The Declaration of Independence in America which shows American culture and values said:“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pu rsuit of Happiness”. From the angle of ideology, there are four main features for American culture in the course of development and evolvement : equality, individualism, liberalism and ethnocentrism. American people express and realize their ideals by all kinds of ways such as fashion.2.1 Embodiment of Equality on JeansRunning through American social relationships is thetheme of equality. Each person is ascribed as an irreducible value because of his or her humanness. Americans believe in the ideal, as stated in their Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. Although they sometimes violate the ideal in their daily lives, Americans have a deep faith that in some fundamental way all people are of equal value, that no one is born superior to anyone else. This is the important reason why immigrants have traditionally been drawn to the United States. Generations of immigrants from the earliest settlers have come with this expectation. They went to America because individuals are free from excessive political, religious, and social controls; they have a better chance for success. Of particular importance is the lack of a hereditary aristocracy. Because titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution, no formal class system developed in the United States that is group of people at the same social or economic level.In America, a sturdy symbol that has now spread throughout most of the world is not the dollar, not even Coca-Cola. It is a simple pair of pants called blue jeans, and what the pants symbolize is what Alexis de Tocqueville called a manly and legitimate passion for equality. Blue jeans are favored equality by bureaucrats and cowboys; bankers and deadbeats; fashion and beer drinkers. They draw no distinctions and recognize no classes; they are merely American. Blue jeans now are ubiquitous among everyone from the business executive to workers, grown women to little boys, the rich to the poor, crossing boundaries of class, age and nationality. We can’t limit people who wear jeans according to any social category such as gender, rank, race, religion, education etc. Blue jeans are the first to accomplish a rather revolutionary cultural achievement-bring upper class status to a lower class garment. This process of elevating a product of low culture/fashion to that of high culture/fashion is the gentrification of blue jeans. As a result of this phenomenon, jeans have the ability to conceal class distinction. When a person wears blue jeans-be it President Bill Clinton or a truck driver-the viewer is nebulous about the beholder’s status. This power to overcome class distinction accounts for its popularity and equality. Blue jeans personify America. They embody the notion that their country of origin was founded on the principles of anti-status, equality and inclusiveness. Blue jeans originated in the rough mining camps of Gold Rush California more than a century ago and still influence clothing designs today. It is a classic example for equality. From president to straggler, everybody can wear it. Jeans embody equality. Jeans expressed profoundly democratic values-equality. There is no distinction of wealth, status, or even countries. Today the symbolic meaning —equality of jeans spread all over the world.Everybody loves jeans.2.2 Embodiment of Individualism on Jeans Individualism is a dominant theme in American culture too. It was Benjamin Franklin who epitomized early American individualism in his writings and suggested that God helps those who help themselves. The Americans stress on the individual as a concrete point of reference begins at a very early age. Before age one, the child has already learned to express her own preferences and make her own decisions, at least with regard to food. In most societies such extreme forms of personal preference would not be cultivated, or tolerated. But American society implicitly accepts that children should be encouragedto make decisions for themselves, develop their own opinions, solve their own problems, and have their own possessions. Individualism plays an important role in the American value system. Americans consider the ideal person to be an individualistic,self-reliant, independent person.American love wearing clothes which can display their personalities, characters and values. The world-famous jeans make a statement for individualism, as each pair feature a personality of their very own. Jeans fashions such as bleached, stone-or sand-washed, destroyed, fade-out, used-look, over-dyed, authentic or clean-look are all products, which can reflect all sorts of personalities.Western stars of the 1940s and the early 1950s such as John Wayne started the popular association of jeans with the hero myth of rugged individuals who braved harsh elements and savage attacks and helped build the American West. Later in the 1950s stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean, portraying desperate men on the fringe of society gave jeans an association of rebelliousness and individualism. The jeans worn in these movies were espoused by impressionable youth as a symbol of individualism they wished to emulate. Today, there are many styles of jeans people wear to reveal their personalities. For instance, if you wear designer jeans, boutique jeans and tailored jeans styles by well-known brands, you are all about projecting a fashionable image. You love to show that label off to the world because you know it gives you status. If you wear baggy jeans, it reveals that you like comfort. If you wear flare jeans, it reveals a wish to stay a teenager forever. If you wear tight jeans, you're all about putting your gorgeous self on display. If you wear decorated jeans, embroidered jeans and jeans with sparkles or extra designs on them, you are a unique and creative person. You like to show your artistic talents to others, and you use your jeans as your canvas! You probably have talents in at least two or more artistic fields. You have a great eye for color and design and you're probably much attuned to music. If you usually wear basic jeans, just your average normal blue jeans, not tight, baggy, decorated, flared, etc. It shows you are happy the way you are. You're pretty content with yourself, your friends and your current lifestyle.2.3 Embodiment of Liberalism in JeansIndividual and freedom are the most basic and most strongly held of all American beliefs. They complement each other, associate with each other. American value of freedom means that everyone favors individual initiative over collective conformity. Perhaps the word“freedom”is one of the most respected popular words in the United States. By“freedom”, American mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, or any other organized authority. Americans prefers an atmosphere of freedom, where neither the government nor any other external force of agency dictates what individual does. When they encounter a person from abroad who seems to them excessively concerned with the opinions of parents, with following traditions, or with fulfilling obligations to others, they assume that the person feels trapped or is weak, indecisive, or overly dependent. They assume all people must resent being in situations where they are not free to make up their own minds. They assume that after living for a time in the United States people will come to feel liberated from constraints arising outside themselves and will be grateful for the opportunity to do their own thing and have theirown way. So they always express their views and ideas through dress. American dress is distinctive because of its casualness and informality especially jeans.The age of freedom, real freedom set in at the end of Second World War. It came at the end, of what is said to be the most brutal war in mankind’s history, which affected nearly four-fifth of the world population, stretching from late 1930’s to mid 1940’s. The age of freedom ushered in the age of free expression,liberty, speech, and a deep sense of relief from the age gone by. A feeling of joy and natural urge to do what one wants to do come through. To sum it up it came as a whiff of fresh air from the gone by repressive and senseless killings of World War II, the worst in the history of mankind. At that stage, the world saw the fall of many dictatorial and colonial regimes and quite coincidentally it was at this period of time the advent of jeans took place. The end of World War II and the fall of many colonial regimes resulted in the air of freedom. The garment symbolized the same meaning—freedom. It also espoused the values of democracy, made no kind of discrimination between wealth and status and more importantly shunned the attitude of elitism. People took to wearing jeans across barriers of race, region, and religion. Young and old, men and women alike of the nation have taken to the garment with relish. The same has been more so in the urban areas. Rooted in the rugged American West, jeans embody freedom. They are young at heart. Strong and adaptable, they have been worn by generations of individuals who made them their own. Freedom is perhaps the most valued privilege in society today. It is an entitlement that no one has the right to take away, although some will try; yet the boundaries of freedom are not defined. Today, it is no more confined to America alone, and has stretched its reach to any other country of the world. Jeans cast off the limit of status-“To be yourself freely”. Wearing jeans mean freedo m, which has no pressure of identification or position given by society. So Americans love jeans that represent freedom andcasualty.2.4 Embodiment of Ethnocentrism in JeansEthnocentrism, which means literally centrality of culture, is the tendency to view one’s own culture as central to apply one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism contributes to social solidarity, a sense of value and community among people who share a cultural tradition. People everywhere think that there familiar explanations, opinions, conclusions are true, right, proper, and moral. They regard different behavior as strange, immoral, or savage. People everywhere consider their own values, norms, and beliefs to be natural and right. They want other people who don’t have the same values and custom to know, even absorb their culture.Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging other culture by standards of one’s own culture. In the trend of globalization, every nation linked tighter than ever before. Instead of the guns and planes, the wars between different countries are more taking the form of commodity, film, costume and other things related with business. Every country wants to take up other countries’ markets to earn profits. With the rapid development of America, because of ethnocentrism, it uses all kinds of ways to enter markets in other countries such as magazines, newspapers, movies,and advertisements.America transmits its culture and values by the market, ads and other media means. Forexample, when American films begins to dominate the cinemas through ads, when pop-music is loved by almost every youth by concert music tape, ready-made foods are sold by the markets. In general, mass media such as ads, films don’t mean to educate or illustrate. It is a fundamental tool, which aims to show what they want to express to the public. However, owing to its peculiar goal, it unconsciously or consciously tell the public diverse aspects of a country, which can include the landscape and scenery of the country, the particular culture and customs, its social thought and concept. Jeans, as a kind of America product, is an important part of American culture. Jeans have spread through every level of the fashion spectrum, embraced internationally for their unmatched comfort and appeal. They reflect the passing of both trends and time, capturing the ethos of each succeeding decade. They are attractive, penetrating and competitive and have strong impact on other nations. While their charisma springs from their legendary American roots, their commercial strength through the influence of U.S. servicemen stationed overseas, the popular influence of the cinema, and distribution of mass marketing media spread around the world. Jeans mirrors American culture. When we consider the differences of cultures, we always pay more attention to the religious, the etiquette and the custom. But if we look into the jeans, we will be surprised to see that how great the effect is. Jeans are injected into the spirit of America. I t has come to embody “two centuries” worth of the myths and ideals of American culture. This archetypal American garment spread its symbolic meaning all over the world through mass media. When jeans enter the other country’s markets, this means that not only a garment occupies the local market, but also its culture invades and influences the local culture. Eventually jeans, as a kind of American product, become a tool that exports Americanviews and values.Ⅲ. The Influence of American Culture on Jeans3.1 The Influence of Hippie Culture on JeansAs jeans appeared more and more in popular culture, it has been branded as freedom, equality, uniqueness and naturalness. Now everybody wears jeans, regardless of gender,age or rank.With the development of technology and time going by, people are influenced by culture. They change some features of jeans, as they like fashionable elements in American culture. In terms of their bio-fashion styles/ sub-species, jeans have evolved from the worker jeans to the designer Jeans, the oily [Bush] Jeans, the dowdy, the cheesy [working class folks], the rebel [Marlon Brando, James Dean- "Rebel without a Cause"], the celebrity [Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Britney Spears], the casual-classy-chic [Jackie Kennedy], the macho Jeans [John Wayne, Robert Redford], rock music [Elvis Presley], the arty/freaky [Andy Warhol], the country [Jimmy Carter], the comedy [Charlie Chaplin], the freedom-fighter [Martin Luther King], the spiritual /hippie counter culture Jeans [ Ginzburg, Bob Dylan, Woodstock] the power presidency [ Reagan, Clinton], and the royalty Jeans [Prince William].The changes can satisfy almost everyone just as a large contain can hold all the novels coming from people who need to show their special personality, life style, and so on. Jeans no longer remains blue; they can be white, black, green, and even red. Thin people wear tight fitting jeans to show their litheand graceful body. People who often do things at will wear shirt to match jeans. People who like hip-hop wear lenient jeans, which look like a big bag.In America many generations have come and gone, and many have made an impact on American life. The Sixties were definitely one of those generations that left its mark in history. The people of this generation didn’t follow the teachings of i ts elders, but rejected them for an alternative culture, which was their very own. This new subculture was such a radical society that it was given it’s own name which is still used to this day. Theycame to be known as the Hippies. (Ju Yongtao, 1999: 47)The Hippie movement originated in San Francisco, California and spread across the United States, through Canada, and into parts of Europe. All Hippies were young, from the ages of 15 to 25.They left their families and did it for many different reasons. Some rejected their parents’ ideas, some just wanted to get away, and others simply were outcasts, who could only fit in with the Hippie population. Most Hippies came from wealthy middle class families. Some people said that they were spoiled and wasting their lives away. But to Hippies themselves this was a way of life and no one was going to get in the way of their dreams and ambitions. With their alternative believes and practices they stunned America’s conservative middle class. Their ambition is to abolis h any kind of hierarchy to make sure that their race, gender, religion or social class no longer judges people. The hippies stood for peace, love and tolerance. They thought the society’s biggest mistake was reducing the judgment of people to narrow definitions. It was important to bring virtue and humanity into the system. Being open-minded you were able to attend a state of mind that allows for maximum of personal growth. Searching for something that was lacking in our capitalistic and materialistic societies they turned to eastern cultures, which strongly influenced their philosophy. They developed a close relationship to nature. Through meditating and other “spiritual”rites they tried to enter higher spheres, new dimensions and the subconscious. Hippies have strongest feelings for the Vietnam War and for the Civil Rights Movement, also having other feelings about racism and persecution. They took part in the civil rights movement, just as they did in the for the Vietnam troops. They still fought for racial equality. Hippies shocked America with their alternative lifestyle and radical beliefs as well as other countries on music, dress and other aspects. Hippies’ dressing was changed. Instead of crew cuts, male were wearing long hair, sometimes longer than the females who, themselves, were wearing their hair in old ways. Instead of the carefully coiffured look, some young women were wearing their hair long and stringy! Clothing among the young began to defy conventions. Regardless of their political views, students began wearing workingmen’s clothes (blue jeans) and underwear as outerwear (T-Shirts). Established practices of coloring clothing were abandoned in many instances; students, for example began to tie-dye clothing. They wanted to display their individuality. Hippies borrowed clothing from folk cultures, used strong colors, flamboyant styles and a love of humble items such as jeans and other tattered and embellished street wear items to proclaim their non-conformism and thirst from freedom. Using anti-fashion as yet another form of protest against the establishment, they utilized clothing to tell of their plightfor social equality and diversity.The hippie movement embraced jeans. Jeans were routinely worn in colleges anduniversities around the United States. Jeans had acquired a social connotation-as the uniform of the anti-war movement. In the fight for civil rights, at anti-war demonstrations on the streets of Paris, at sit-ins and love-ins everywhere, the battle cried was heard above a sea of blue. During that era, jeans were much in demand by teens in European countries and especially in Russia, where they were considered a sign of Western decadence by the adults-while the teens saw them as a symbol of American culture and the good life. Jeans were modified to suit the fashion of the decade; psychedelic colors, embroidery and cut-offs all became new and essential features of the popular clothing. Jeans became a symbol of “western decadence” in non-western country’s eyes and individuality and as such were highly sought. Pre-washed jeans were first marketed. Jeans were the great equalizer, the perfect all-purpose garment for the classless society sought by the hippy generation. Hippie injects vitality into jeans, making jeans individual and casual. The Hippies sent the blue jeans image all around the world.3.2 The Influence of Punk Culture on JeansPunk first emerged in the 1970s in London as an anarchic and aggressive movement. About 200 young people defined themselves as an anti-fashion urban youth street culture. Closely aligned was a music movement that took the name punk. Those who associate themselves with anarchism: absence of government. To a punk, the government is the most dangerous form of control and punks tend to set out to achieve a less restricted lifestyle. Punk doesn’t tend to associate himself or herself, with the government at all which at all, which usually means the stand for the following: anti capitalism, anti militarianism and anti conformity. In punks’ thought, it is about achievi ng a state of non-conformity. This means that punks think for themselves, however someone who associates himself as a punk maybe just conforming to the punk image which in fact does not make himself a punk as a state of mind. Punks refrain from being involved with the government, their plan for whatever political change they wish to obtain usually results in direct action riots and protests. Punks are also anti capitalist meaning they won’t hesitate to steal items or live in squats. It is almost impossible to be a non-capitalist in the society we live in, however punks usually refrain from using money and only use it when they need to, they won’t deliberately earn thousands of dollars a week, instead they would go on the dole. Punks are also anti-sellout, which is in relevance tocapitalism.Punk fashion has also changed dramatically as the image became less important. 7 0’s punks uses to create clothes from bin liners and safety bins (now a punk cliché) however as time went on it developed man y more out there looks such as leather or denim jackets filled with spikes and studs with stencils of there favorite bands or beliefs. “They also are embroiled with patches, badges, chains (sign of oppression), etc and also wear vintage or homemade clothes such as bondage trousers, tartans, acid washed jeans and torn shirts.” The punk image is different with everyone, however most punks identify other punks by they portray as a form ofexpression.The clothes suited the lifestyle of those with limited cash due to unemployment and the general low-income school leavers or students often experience. Punks cut up old clothes from charity and thrift shops, destroyed the fabric。