The Hipster in a Fashionable Discourse

What I found most interesting about the article is that deviant dress, when absorbed into society, does not necessarily neutralize what is politically, socially, or sexually significant about a particular vestementary mode. Silverman claims that if a given look is appropriated by the fashion industry from subculture or subordinate class, it is because its ideological force and formal bravura can no longer be ignored - because it has won not only a style war, but pitched cultural battle. I disagree with this notion, as it is contradicted by the current hipster “subculture.” Like that of their hippie counterparts, hipster style has been absorbed by the fashion industry, however, its significance has indeed been neutralized in a political, social, and sexual sense. The ideology of the hipster is not strong enough to “pitch a cultural battle,” as it is commonly characterized as an affinity for certain clothing rather than a shared set of social and political ethos (i.e. those of the hippies in the 1960’s and 70’s). Therefore, the prevalence of such style in mainstream fashion may just be a current trend as opposed to Silverman’s idea of a cultural transformation.

Another idea that caught my attention was the assertion that male gender distinctions have hardened since the end of the eighteenth century. In essence, modern conceptions of masculinity have become the primary marker of power, privilege, and authority. This claim also relates to hipster culture. According to Silverman, male dress has been given a small margin of variation. This notion may explain the animosity that some 'unmarked men' have for hipsters, as their style falls outside of this margin. Such attitudes towards nonconformist behavior illustrate the rigid gendered mentality of contemporary society.