Normalization of Groups and How That Influences Culture
The changing faces of the underground influencers behind pop culture. By Jheyda McGarrell.
The following is a photo series that aims to give a representation to the changing faces of the underground influencers behind pop culture. These photos aim to investigate the interconnectedness of influential tendencies and complex identities. The most important part of these three groups is their intersectionality. To separate the groups and not acknowledge the ways they are connected would be a major flaw. These groups, along with many others, work together to show where the culture is fighting to move towards: acceptance. This time period has been highlighted by artists such as Solange, Beyoncé, and Kendrick Lamar, creating content that has unapologetically embraced their identities. A look at the entire set of people running pop culture right now demonstrates a poignant feature of where the collective mindset is headed, raw acceptance of the occurrence of being in many forms. These artists and many young people behind them showcase cultural movement. The next generation is breaking out even further with shameless figureheads such as Cupcakke the rapper, who carelessly embraces her looks and personality, and Amara La Negra, who has blatantly expressed her fight for equality in the Latinx community. This time period is for the Cardi Bs, SZAs, and Art Hoes of the future.
Group One: Female Skaters
The years 2016–17 saw the rise of the female skater as a vital aspect to popular culture. BRUJAS graced the New York stage with girl skater empowerment, streetwear and their extravagantly vibrant events such as Anti-Prom where the esteemed Cardi B performed. The inclusion of this group will continue to remain prevalent in popular culture due to its further intersectional subliminal messages. Throughout the history of Skateboarding, females have been particularly excluded due to the rough and strenuous nature of the sport. Skateboarding historically has been closely tied to many other male dominated subcultures such as the punk scene and other alternative culture groups. The introduction of female skateboarders as a part of popular culture insinuates a shift toward the normalization of female involvement in the most extreme of nuanced behaviors and fascinations. The popularization of this movement suggests that the culture is thriving for the acceptance of breaking the thought of gendered interests and their ability to define the ideal femme.
Group Two: Black Artists
Black artists have always dominated pop culture since the integration of American media. But the more recent times have highlighted a particular migration towards fully black creative teams, and letting black youth take on higher directorial roles. These particular times have been comprised of people such as Sage Adams, shooting the cover of SZA’s record Ctrl and taking control of her entire creative output, and others like Tyler Mitchell directing a full fashion film for Gucci. The normalization of this group highlights a growing trust in black creatives and their obvious market value in the creative world. As culture furthers on, it enforces its evidentiary truth that the only way to revolutionize creative content for companies and artists is the acceptance of the role of young black artists in higher positions of creative power. Diversity can easily be commodified and exploited but the actual power lies in the true integration of diversity in actual hiring.
Group Three: Gender Fluidity
Through the past, gender fluidity has been featured in various influential roles with icons such as David Bowie and Grace Jones mixing the lines between the feminine and masculine. In 2017 and early 2018, we saw companies such as Urban Outfitters highlighting young trans people as part of their advertising and even high fashion designers using trans models, such as Hunter Schaefer, to open their shows without blatant effort to commodify their transness and use it as a selling point. Fashion companies such as Nosessola are now finding space to create genderless clothing that points its safety to those of us who express our identities outside of the gender binary. The normalization of gender fluidity and trans-ness in general has assisted in embracing the complexity of youth’s identity that is beginning to find comfort in popular culture. Figures such as Young Thug have headed the zeitgeist acceptance of what is acceptable in terms of gendered expression. These complex expressions of gender will continue to inform culture and fashion due to their forceful pushing of what is acceptable.
