N0377257 Politics of Everyday Life Report 07/03/14

Is Shopping Political?

Introduction:

In this report we will discuss whether the art of shopping and the form of consumption has

now become a political matter with the growing sense of mass consumerism in the everyday

life. This report will consist of five headings, including this introduction and a conclusion that

will affirm if I believe shopping to be political. The report will then contain three images

demonstrating various forms of political consumption whilst relating them in detail to the

political thinkers of Marcuse, Lefebvre and Bauman.

In order to answer the question of whether shopping is political we must first propose clear

definitions of what we understand as ‘politics’. This is a complex term with many different

definitions and as the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics states ‘there is considerable

disagreement on which aspects of social life are to be considered ‘political’ (McLean, 1996,

Page 388). Bernard Crick simply puts forward a very clear, concise definition of politics; ‘it is

not just a necessary evil, it is a definite good. Political activity is a type of moral activity…it is

inventive, flexible, enjoyable and human’ (Jones, 2010, Page 261).

False Needs and the Manipulation of the Consumer:

The first image in this report will reflect the work of Herbert Marcuse, who had a

contemporary neo-Marxist perspective that reflects the everyday life as a frantic consumer

society in the fast-moving and constantly changing 21st Century. He argued that consumers

nowadays have fetish behaviour with their irrational actions and strong need for acquiring

the newest ‘it’ product simply so they fit in with their social sphere, stating “the

distinguishing feature of advanced industrial society is its effect suffocation of those needs

which demands liberation” (Marcuse, 1964, Page 5). This is evidence of a master-slave

relationship with shoppers these days succumbing to the increasing political and profit-

driven nature of multi-national companies.

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The recession of 2007 and the slow, arduous economic growth since then has seen the

UK’s high street stores suffer a 37% decline in sales volume in the second quarter of 2012

(See Confederation of British Industry Website, 2014).

Figure 1 shows supermodel Kate Moss standing amongst the mannequins in the front window of the Topshop Oxford Street store on the launch of her new collaboration, wearing a dress designed by her for the collection, in 2007.

Due to this decline in consumer spending, many high street stores have taken the approach

of forming collaborations with celebrities or fashion designers as a way of enticing new and

old consumers to buy into the brand. Figure 1, shown above, shows Supermodel Kate Moss

promoting the launch of her new Topshop clothing range in May 2007. Her launch caused

such fanfare and hysteria that Topshop put limits on how long shoppers were allowed in

store for and for how many pieces of the Kate Moss for Topshop range they could buy (See

BBC Website, 2007), thereby creating even more media and consumer buzz around the

launch. Despite these restrictions on the exclusive collection, Moss’s first clothing range sold

out on the very first day. In spite of the difficult economic conditions in the initial aftermath

of the launch this new collaboration, of which Kate Moss was paid £3 million for, helped to

boost Topshop sales by 10% in the forthcoming year, taking their sales to 1.86 billion in

2008 (See Daily Mail Website, 2008).

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This example of collaboration between a high street retailer and a celebrity is what

Marcuse would describe as creating false needs for consumers and manipulating their

thoughts. We can see through his One Dimensional Man thesis that Marcuse believes that

this mass consumption is one of the driving forces between a growing feeling of isolation

and alienation between consumers and consumerism with the consumer being sucked into

the newest trends because their favourite celebrity has designed it or has been spotted

wearing it, and as George Monbiot states in the Guardian “materialism forces us into

comparison with the possession of others” (See Guardian Website, 2013). Marcuse argued

that this notion of consumers simply buying into happiness through false needs is the main

catalyst in a growing capitalist society as he argues; “…to behave and consume in

accordance with the advertisements, to love and hate what others love and hate, belong to

this category of false needs” (Marcuse, 1964, Page 3).

Self-Creation of Social Space:

Figure 2 shows two different angles of the Tollington Arms Holloway Pub on Hornsey Road in Islington, North London. A pub famed for hosting Arsenal supporters on match days, this picture reflects the busy rush of ‘punters’ just twenty minutes before an Arsenal game is due to start on a Saturday afternoon.

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Figure 2, shown above, can be linked to Henri Lefebvre’s radical critique of the everyday

life and his analysis of social space in which he argues that all societies produce their own

space; “a social transformation, to be truly revolutionary in character, must manifest a

creative capacity in its effects on a daily life” (Lefebvre, 1974, Page 49). The split-image

above shows the Tollington Arms Holloway Pub in Islington, North London. A hugely popular

and prestige bar it was recently voted ‘Best Bar None’ and ‘Best Arsenal Pub’ in 2013 (See

Tollington Arms Holloway Pub Website, 2014). Due to the pub being located just next door

to the Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal Football Club, it is renowned amongst Arsenal

supporters as a place to gather, socialise and interact with people both before and after a

football game. People flock to this pub to get a sense of the atmosphere created inside it,

producing a collective and open feeling amongst old friends and new acquaintances.

This pub reflects Lefebvre’s neo-Marxist view that the task of creating a new society is

dependent upon the creation of new spaces, which are both inseparable from everyday life;

“any ‘social existence’ aspiring or claiming to be ‘real’, but failing to produce its own space,

would be a strange entity” (Lefebvre, 1974, Page 53). Lefebvre argued that people self-

create their own social space with a strong need for socialness in a public arena and this is

evident in this pub as the allure of the atmosphere and the aura created by this social space

has made what would normally be considered as just an everyday-type pub, a fortress and

almost a ritual for many people.

A Consuming Life within a Liquid Life:

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Zygmunt Bauman famously stated a “liquid life is a consuming life” (Bauman, 2005, Page 7)

simply demonstrating his thesis that individualised consumption is at the very heart of liquid

life. This post-modernist philosophy by Bauman reflects a rather gloomy image of

consumers within the shopping sphere as it suggests that consumers simply cannot resist

purchasing new and advanced materialistic objects; “the liquidity of life and that of society

feed and reinvigorate each other” (Bauman, 2005, Page 1). The image below shows the

iconic logo for Apple, ranked in the top 20 biggest technology companies in the world (See

Independent Website 2013).

Figure 3 shows the world-famous logo for

technology giants Apple.

After initially being introduced by Ronald Wayne in 1976, the Apple logo has undergone

some subtle, but important transformations over recent decades with the now-famous

silvery mercury version of the logo being in effect since 1998. Apple’s logo is universally

recognisable and was voted by Complex as the fourth most iconic logo of all time, an

impressive statistic considering the logo is the ‘youngest’ of all the logos in the top five of

that particular survey (See Complex Website 2013). Apple is a global corporation that

represents the insatiable nature of today’s society, particularly when it comes to

technological innovations and the fixation of brands, as Bauman states “what starts as a

need must end up as a compulsion or an addiction” (Bauman, 2005, Page 80),

N0377257 Politics of Everyday Life Report 07/03/14

demonstrating the pressure that individuals are increasingly being faced with to seek out

acceptance from within society; a new theory that Bauman refers to as neo-tribalism.

Conclusion:

This report is evidence that shopping has become more political in recent years and that it

is a direct result of the nature of politics itself changing and becoming more interlinked with

what was previously just considered a social matter, or at most an informal political issue.

Each of the three images that have been chosen in this report have the underlying theme

that the consumer has become more materialistic in its need for social popularity and

acceptance, with shoppers wanting to buy into the ‘next big thing’. The Journal of Consumer

Research found that there is statistically a link as materialism fosters social isolation, and

isolation fosters materialism (Pieters, 2013, Page 621) particularly due to the political

influence taking over in consumerism and as a result of the materialistic and profit-driven

nature of today’s society. Although evidence in this report suggests that shopping has

become political, it is important to recognise that individuals do have the power to stop this

sense of consumerism by becoming more aware and educated about the political ploys used

to entice the shoppers. Ultimately, the research used in this report simply demonstrates the

popular culture of the western world in the 21st Century and it is rather evident to see that

this pattern of ‘political shopping’ looks set to continue on a similar path for generations to

come.

Bibliography:

N0377257 Politics of Everyday Life Report 07/03/14

Bauman, Z (2005). Liquid Life. 1st Edition. Cambridge. Polity Press.

BBC Website, (2007) ‘Hundreds Hit Shop For Moss Launch’ (online) at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6606649.stm (03/03/14)

Complex Website, (2013) ‘The 50 Most Iconic Brand Logos of All Time’ (online) at

http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/03/the-50-most-iconic-brand-logos-of-all-time/

apple (04/03/14)

Confederation of British Industry Website, (2014) ‘Sales Growth Halts but Retailers Expect

Pick Up’ (online) at http://www.cbi.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2013/03/sales-

growth-halts-but-retailers-expect-pick-up-cbi/ (03/03/14)

Daily Mail Website (2008) ‘Kate Moss Helps Topshop Lift Sales by 10%’ (online) at

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-489645/Model-figures-Kate-Moss-helps-Topshop-

lift-sales-10.html (03/03/14)

Figure 1 from People StyleWatch, (2007) ‘Kate Moss causes frenzy at London’s Topshop!’

(Online) at http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2007/05/01/kate-mosss-line/

(01/03/14)

Figure 2 is an original image taken by myself of the Tollington Arms Holloway Pub on 115 Hornsey Road, Islington, London, N7 6DN on Saturday 22nd February 2014 on an iPhone 4s mobile phone.

Figure 3 from Brand Channel, (2011), ‘Steve Jobs and the Evolution of the Apple Logo’

(online) at http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/steve-jobs-evolution-apple-logo.aspx

(27/02/14)

Guardian website, (2013) ‘Materialism: A System That Eats Us From The Inside Out’ (online)

at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/materialism-system-eats-us-

from-inside-out (01/03/14)

Independent Website, (2013) ‘Ranking of World’s Largest Technology Companies’ (online) at

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/samsung-ranked-as-worlds-

largest-tech-company--even-bigger-than-apple-8697842.html (03/03/14)

N0377257 Politics of Everyday Life Report 07/03/14

Jones, B. (2010). Dictionary of British Politics. 1st Edition. Manchester. Manchester University

Press.

Lefebvre, H (1974). The Production of Space. 1st Edition. Oxford. Blackwell Publishers.

Marcuse, H (1964) One Dimensional Man. 2nd Edition. Boston. Beacon Press.

McLean, I (1996) Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics. 1st Edition. Oxford. Oxford University

Press.

Pieters, R. (2013) ‘Bidirectional Dynamics of Materialism and Loneliness’ in Journal of

Consumer Research, 40 (4), December 2013, pp 615-631.

Tollington Arms Holloway Website (2014), (online) at http://www.tollingtonarms-

holloway.co.uk/ (02/03/14)