Before you get pounced on for "promoting the symbols of aristocratic elitism" or resisting the zeitgeist of "comfort and commonality"... while it doesn't strike an emotional chord with me, I've noticed it, too. IMHO, something worth keeping is being lost to the culture-flattening effect of internet video and the 8-second attention span.
In fashion, it's not
tradition that should be served for tradition's sake. It's the hierarchy of values that serve and preserve social order, and the
greater importance of certain moments that needs to be recognized and preserved, because those things ultimately communicate respect for
people and what they've done, or the responsibilities with which they've been entrusted.
One's appearance used to be a way of showing respect for the people who are physically there, but especially for the people behind the scenes (who will never be seen) who worked so hard to make that moment happen. That's a tradition that's functional and worth maintaining.
But instead, we're seeing more "respect" being shown to the
impression that images will make on a valued target audience. It's not that the images lie--the UTAD and athletic community at Tennessee really do relate and function like a family. But that's kind of the pattern with technology: it's always a blind trade for convenience. Then it takes a generation or two to realize what was lost in that trade.
One of my best friends hosts and co-directs a PBS show devoted to that exploration:
Reconnecting Roots. It's worth a family's half hour together! This season there's actually a show devoted to clothing and fashion.
And if you're a reader, nobody has had Jacque Ellul's grasp on this, going back into the previous century.
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Okay... reactionary nerd post is over!
There's always somethin' for everybody here on Volnation.