For anyone who reads this blog regularly, there should already be a realization that "individuality" is a recurring theme in its long ranting passages. From fighting for my personal freedom at work to seeking the most unique personalities I can find during my travels, I have spent a large portion of my free time looking for sparks of rebellion against meek collectivism in some of the world's most collectivist societies.
And, in all honesty, Korea, like Japan, definitely belong in the ranks of brutal collectivism despite improving political and economic individuality over decades of opening up the countries for Western-style reforms. The resulting social bipolarity, appearing in the form of never-ending conflicts between institutional needs for absolute obedience and the economic glorification of individual materialism, has been a matter of great interest for me as I walk about the streets of the Korean metropolis dissecting its human side.
Recently, the concept of fashion trends have been catching my eyes. What goes in and out of style occurs in every country, pushed by the latest marketing ploys of the clothing retailers and magnified by the enthusiastic following of the youth. But nowhere in the world does the trend changes so drastically and so often as it does here in Korea (which has been, ironically, termed the "style capital of the world" by the Japanese media). The reason cannot be purely economic considering the spending power of the Americans, in pure cash terms, in various material goods such as clothing, is still much higher than that of this country.
Interestingly, I found a logical answer within an essay written by one of my students. The argument goes that the rush by individual youngster to imitate the "individualistic beauty/coolness" of the celebrities/models on fashion advertisements actually weaken individualism within the general society. Indeed, most Koreans, when imitating what they see on TV or billboards, do not put in enough (or any) effort to further customize what they see to create their personal styles.
The consequence is creation of an all-round stylish society in which every person is stylish in almost exactly the same way. The obvious physical aspects of rebellious individualism promoted by the advertisements (i.e. bucking the existing fashion trends by dressing in seemingly unacceptable new ways) were copied, but the underlying, consistent spirit of individual rebellion, put forth by all such fashion advertisements of totally different time periods, are not at all considered worthy of emulation by the imitators.
The ignorance of the underlying idea of individualism, of course, can be intentional or unconscious. In a society fixated with standard, almost mechanized and mass-manufactured visions of beauty and fame, what is positive in one person's opinion cannot be displayed for public consumption until someone well-known has openly endorsed it (through advertisements, for instance). It seems that in essence, a parallel social hierarchy for "fame" and "popularity" exists, where the celebrities on the top actually have some sort of social responsibilities to lead the next phase of change in social trends.
Fear for judgment props up such a structure. Anxious to be accepted by the general society, individuals avoid every opportunity to be different from their peers, whether it be behavior, dress, or language. In their eyes, only celebrities, with their huge, royal fan-base acting as stable social capital, can risk acting differently from most people and push their individuality to the mainstream. The commoners can only obey what is the mainstream, created by these self-anointed "social decision-makers."
And without revolutionary changes in the top-down decision-making structure of even something as simple as what to wear, fashion trends here will never cease to be so fast-changing and dramatic. After all, what can be worse than having your "friend" telling you that you are wearing the "wrong" kind of clothing in the "wrong" time or "wrong" location? For a Korea, or a Japanese, that is pure social embarrassment that can lower his or her position in the eyes of others. And if the position in the eyes of others is lowered, lowering in the actual position in the social hierarchy may not be that far away.
And, in all honesty, Korea, like Japan, definitely belong in the ranks of brutal collectivism despite improving political and economic individuality over decades of opening up the countries for Western-style reforms. The resulting social bipolarity, appearing in the form of never-ending conflicts between institutional needs for absolute obedience and the economic glorification of individual materialism, has been a matter of great interest for me as I walk about the streets of the Korean metropolis dissecting its human side.
Recently, the concept of fashion trends have been catching my eyes. What goes in and out of style occurs in every country, pushed by the latest marketing ploys of the clothing retailers and magnified by the enthusiastic following of the youth. But nowhere in the world does the trend changes so drastically and so often as it does here in Korea (which has been, ironically, termed the "style capital of the world" by the Japanese media). The reason cannot be purely economic considering the spending power of the Americans, in pure cash terms, in various material goods such as clothing, is still much higher than that of this country.
Interestingly, I found a logical answer within an essay written by one of my students. The argument goes that the rush by individual youngster to imitate the "individualistic beauty/coolness" of the celebrities/models on fashion advertisements actually weaken individualism within the general society. Indeed, most Koreans, when imitating what they see on TV or billboards, do not put in enough (or any) effort to further customize what they see to create their personal styles.
The consequence is creation of an all-round stylish society in which every person is stylish in almost exactly the same way. The obvious physical aspects of rebellious individualism promoted by the advertisements (i.e. bucking the existing fashion trends by dressing in seemingly unacceptable new ways) were copied, but the underlying, consistent spirit of individual rebellion, put forth by all such fashion advertisements of totally different time periods, are not at all considered worthy of emulation by the imitators.
The ignorance of the underlying idea of individualism, of course, can be intentional or unconscious. In a society fixated with standard, almost mechanized and mass-manufactured visions of beauty and fame, what is positive in one person's opinion cannot be displayed for public consumption until someone well-known has openly endorsed it (through advertisements, for instance). It seems that in essence, a parallel social hierarchy for "fame" and "popularity" exists, where the celebrities on the top actually have some sort of social responsibilities to lead the next phase of change in social trends.
Fear for judgment props up such a structure. Anxious to be accepted by the general society, individuals avoid every opportunity to be different from their peers, whether it be behavior, dress, or language. In their eyes, only celebrities, with their huge, royal fan-base acting as stable social capital, can risk acting differently from most people and push their individuality to the mainstream. The commoners can only obey what is the mainstream, created by these self-anointed "social decision-makers."
And without revolutionary changes in the top-down decision-making structure of even something as simple as what to wear, fashion trends here will never cease to be so fast-changing and dramatic. After all, what can be worse than having your "friend" telling you that you are wearing the "wrong" kind of clothing in the "wrong" time or "wrong" location? For a Korea, or a Japanese, that is pure social embarrassment that can lower his or her position in the eyes of others. And if the position in the eyes of others is lowered, lowering in the actual position in the social hierarchy may not be that far away.
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