Politicizing fashion: Inconspicuous consumption and anti-intellectualism during the Cultural Revolution in China

Abstract

For many years, fashion has been an area of interest in consumer research, but scholars have paid little attention to how political ideology influences fashion. This article examines how Chinese consumers used fashion to seek identity and differentiate themselves during the Cultural Revolution. Furthermore, the study connects fashion and consumption and examines how Western fashion theories manifested themselves during this period. Based on my research, in contrast to trickle-down theory, when the lower social class adopted the fashion, the superordinate social class did not distinguish themselves by assuming a new trend. Furthermore, unlike conspicuous consumption theory, instead of showing off their wealth, consumers displayed their poverty during this era. Finally, different from other societies, having high cultural capital was neither popular nor fashionable during the Cultural Revolution.