Counter Culture Constantly Co-opted

Being an individual can be really important to the newer generations. Our media consumption can now be personalized to huge levels through the internet and our mobile devices. The term of “being a sheep-ple” or “copying someone” have negative connotations.

Media and big corporations probably saw this message counter the idea of “follow the latest trends and fashions” (which allows for mass production as items and trends become popular) and did the one thing that it does when opposition strikes. Absorb the opposition into your hegemonic ideas and profit from it.

One place this becomes very visible is in clothing, where in history it is very easy to see when this co-opting occurs. When women began wearing pants, it doubles the population of possible pants purchasers, and it became normalized. Hippies? A style. Grunge? A style.

So when I read about Target creating the “art class” line, I couldn’t help but laugh. When I think of older media and the image of a kid from “art class” I can’t help but remember more negative connotations. The art kid quietly in the corner, not connecting with their classmates. The art kid being “weird” while they spout on about their “postmodernistic alternative” piece that is just a blank canvas. The art kids where like the ones who didn’t follow trends, so their peculiar style that differs from those around them make them an easy target. From there the lack of art kids in older media also stands out.

But now? This idea is totally rad. Don’t fit in, don’t be like the cool kids, you want to be individualistic. The cool kids are the ones that don’t want to be like the cool kids, or follow trends. And big corporations have found a way to co-opt not fitting in into their items, able to continue their profit-driven venture. As corny and cheesy as it sounds, being yourself and having that confidence is making it’s strides in the newer generation. People love this idea of seeing people who don’t fit the status quo, so corporations take their items they are selling and put them on these people, encouraging people who see these people rocking a products clothing to purchase.

Another counter culture that turned into a consumerist movement was minimalism and tiny-houses. An idea that looks had having less things and less space for things should be a movement away from the hegemonic ideals we have, however the popping up of tiny-house building companies and furniture and storage designed to help you live that minimal lifestyle have made both of these counter cultures into a profit-driven movement.

Will there ever be point where a counter culture can’t be co-opted? Is falling into the capitalist hegemonic ideas of society a thing we should even worry about? The questions continue endlessly.