In 1850, the Gold rush was in full swing in California, people were rushing there from all over the world to join in the dream of becoming wealthy. But little did they know that they will be experiencing the world's most phenomenal pair of garment. Additionally, they will not only bring gold back home but also this particular culture.
In 1853, Levi Strauss arrives in San Francisco together with some rough canvas to use for tents and wagon covers for the miners. however, the miners soon realized that it is not these that they need, they needed something else to cover themselves... pants! This is due to the fact that they couldn’t find a pair of pants strong enough to last their hard labour. Strauss had the canvas made into pants. and soon he substituted a cotton cloth from France called "Serge de Nimes," which became known as denim.
Just like any other form of popular culture, it got popular in America in 1906s. Back then, young adults and teenagers wore jeans as a form of protest against conformity. This quickly evolved into a general fashion trend in 1970s. Today, the blue jeans are everywhere – in the classroom, on the streets, in boutiques, both big and small, and of course around humans’ waists.
The question : how did this culture spread to the rest of the world when it was actually just an American way of clothing? The answer : Cross border cultural contact!
The question : What happened when there is cross border cultural contact?
Cross cultural contact brings about a homogeneity in culture in the world and in this case, clothing culture around the world. Today, people are wearing jeans, regardless of race, religion and gender. It is indeed a form of culture, an American culture, but now a global culture. Is this globalization? YES it is. Not only has it revolutionized lifestyle, altered the norms of gendered dress code, it has also seeped into the minds of the consumer to create consumerism. Jeans are not just jeans, jeans has become a way of living, jeans has become a way of life. When there is insufficient time, when pace of living gets faster, the jeans is the piece of clothing that provides the fastest way of making a decision for clothing. It is not just a pair of pants; it’s one that provides fast and efficient results.
If this is a new way of life and it has spread to almost every corner of the world, with everyone having at least a pair of jeans in their closet, how else can we classify this phenomenon other than globalization? Thus, I hereby present the jeans as a form of globalization, a globalization of clothing culture.
In 1853, Levi Strauss arrives in San Francisco together with some rough canvas to use for tents and wagon covers for the miners. however, the miners soon realized that it is not these that they need, they needed something else to cover themselves... pants! This is due to the fact that they couldn’t find a pair of pants strong enough to last their hard labour. Strauss had the canvas made into pants. and soon he substituted a cotton cloth from France called "Serge de Nimes," which became known as denim.
Just like any other form of popular culture, it got popular in America in 1906s. Back then, young adults and teenagers wore jeans as a form of protest against conformity. This quickly evolved into a general fashion trend in 1970s. Today, the blue jeans are everywhere – in the classroom, on the streets, in boutiques, both big and small, and of course around humans’ waists.
The question : how did this culture spread to the rest of the world when it was actually just an American way of clothing? The answer : Cross border cultural contact!
The question : What happened when there is cross border cultural contact?
Cross cultural contact brings about a homogeneity in culture in the world and in this case, clothing culture around the world. Today, people are wearing jeans, regardless of race, religion and gender. It is indeed a form of culture, an American culture, but now a global culture. Is this globalization? YES it is. Not only has it revolutionized lifestyle, altered the norms of gendered dress code, it has also seeped into the minds of the consumer to create consumerism. Jeans are not just jeans, jeans has become a way of living, jeans has become a way of life. When there is insufficient time, when pace of living gets faster, the jeans is the piece of clothing that provides the fastest way of making a decision for clothing. It is not just a pair of pants; it’s one that provides fast and efficient results.
If this is a new way of life and it has spread to almost every corner of the world, with everyone having at least a pair of jeans in their closet, how else can we classify this phenomenon other than globalization? Thus, I hereby present the jeans as a form of globalization, a globalization of clothing culture.
- David Lim
No comments:
Post a Comment