Hello Blog!
The quote “The concept of a genuine style becomes transparent in the culture industry as the aesthetic equivalent of power” (Adorno and Horkheimer 57) really struck me. For the past few days, I’ve been trying to think of something that is actually original, and if authenticity or a “genuine” style really exists in our late stage capitalist society. What Adorno is saying here is very true though - people, especially celebrities, who have a unique “style” tend to have a lot of followers and supporters for showing their “uniqueness”. One example that comes to mind is Harry Styles. His fan base scare me a little bit, I’m not going to lie. His popularity rose a lot after he did the dress photoshoot for Vogue back in 2020. Even though there were many black, queer, and gender-non conforming artists who did this before him, he was still considered to be “unique” and “original” by the masses, so he garnered attention from it. Whether the attention was good attention or bad attention, he brought the eyes of the media to him, and with that comes a lot of power. When I say I am scared of his fanbase, I mean I am scared of how much power Harry Styles holds over them. Hypothetically, if he tweeted some fake news, there are some very loyal fans out there who would wholeheartedly believe it. This goes for any celebrity; look at Kanye West. Even though he has spread antisemitic rhetoric on Twitter, a lot of his fans are defending his actions. There are people out there that also believe whatever he is saying is true because they idolize him and see him as a “genius” due to their infatuation with his “unique” style.
I still am contemplating whether or not unique styles can exist under late stage capitalism. I think it is society’s perception of “uniqueness.” In this day and age, individuality is very profitable, and this fact added into the equation makes me want to ponder the idea of "originality" a little more.
That’s all for now.
Signing off,
Aveyourfavblogger
Sarah Hussey
ReplyDeleteCritical Frameworks Comment Blog on 13/11
Dear Aveyourfavblogger,
I wanted to respond to your blog post because I agree with you wholeheartedly! I do not believe anything these days is authentic! Let’s talk about Harry Styles….and his style….get it? Hah. Anyways, when Harry Styles did his vogue photoshoot with him in a dress back in 2020, you mentioned the reaction from the media. People went crazy. There was good feedback and negative feedback, as goes with most things. However, the media acted as if he was the only man to have ever done this whereas there were several queer, people of color also doing the same things yet receiving minimal attention from the media. This reminds me of the concept of queer-baiting and I how I believe Harry is profiting from this. First off, I do not believe anyone’s sexuality should be anions business unless the person felt comfortable, including the media. However, in this case I feel slightly differently due to the circumstances. Harry is profiting on the fact that people think he may be gay but he is not confirming it, therefore, young girls out there feel they “still have a chance” along with young men. Harry has not responded to these remarks by the media and is technically profiting off of it greatly. Now, I do not believe he should have the obligation sharing such a private detail but it is evident and clear he IS profiting from these rumors. These rumors feed into his unique styles as a white man in the music industry. Adorno and Horkheimer talk a lot about originality and genuine style in a capitalist society and how it is impossible to find this anymore. The example of Harry Styles elevates this idea because he is as popular as he is because of the fact he is a white man. Therefore, the circumstances people are born into effect this notion.
That’s all I got for you today! Awesome blog post! I really enjoyed it!
Signing off,
SarahSlays