Consuming Fashion and Producing Meaning through Online Paper Dolls

Abstract

The design in figure 7.1 shows a fairly shapeless (and headless) cartoon model, displaying a top with a plunging neckline and a matching low-riding skirt; the top is marked with the “fcuk” label, and “you” appears as a label on the skirt. The message, “fcuk you,” replicates slogans available on T-shirts from the popular clothing company, French Connection UK (FCUK). The design was produced by Dani, a twelve-year-old girl, in the context of a study of online fashion and identity. This fcuk you outfit epitomizes positions of the girls in a study I conducted—the clothing design is original, stylish, and technically quite advanced, expressing skill, creativity, and originality: the outfit is sleek, black, and sexy, expressing the fantasy play with future versions of the self; and the message (fuck you) is teen-speak, expressing confidence, independence, disregard for authority, and belonging to the group of teens who speak that language. In line with this interpretation, Rocamora’s (2004) study suggests that teen girls wear “cheeky logo T-shirts” to make social statements (unlike a reading of the T-shirts that would place the wearers as victims of an industry that sexualizes girls and women). One could also interpret Dani’s use of the label FCUK as a marker of the “tribe” she wishes to belong to (Sahlins, 1976). She is a member of the large tribe, “young teens,” but belongs to a particular teen girlhood tribe—a tribe that knows “cool” labels, expresses itself through clothing, and is ready to play with sexy images. Open image in new window Figure 7.1 Dani’s paper doll outfit.

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