Cultures of Consumption

There are many issues concerning social class when it comes to the perspective of taste.  Taste can be seen through class itself as certain types of consumers have similar interests. Many goods, items and products can be seen as many objects of consumption of which people may or can purchase or even just admire. “Taste is a vital determinant of cultural consumption and it can be considered providing a holistic view on both cultural preferences and actualised consumption.” (Vertanen 2005) This explains that taste is of high importance in cultural thought though it is hard to define the word taste as it depends on the person, the approach and the purpose it causes and the actual product being bought or sold. This essay will analyse the famous department store Harrods and closely assimilate the idea of taste when discussing the issues around social class explaining middle class, upper class and the working class by focusing on ideologies, spectacle of consumerism, the theory of distinction by Pierre Boardieu and cultural capitalism through Harrods department store. Pierre Boardieu was a French man who was a professional in the studies of sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy. “Taste is an acquired disposition to ‘differentiate’ and ‘appreciate’” (Lees-Maffei & Houze pg. 466) What Kant in Boardieu’s theory is trying to express is that taste allows a division and a line to occur between different people and the different classes and separating cultures from others. I will focus mainly on Pierre Boardieu’s work through this essay to explain the issues of class and comparing it to other sources and theorists such as Zygmunt Bouman a Polish Sociologist.

      Harrods is one of London’s most famous department stores and has over 15 million consumers each year. It is well known all over the world and is extremely popular to its city and the cities tourists due to its incredible views and stories. “The Knightsbridge store was established in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod.”(BBC News 2010) This explains the historical content of the store Harrods and how far back it originates from. Throughout the nineteenth century to the twentieth century we see a dramatic development of the spectacle of consumerism through the department stores and the development of a new form of consumerism in the modern society. The spectacle is the material structure of a society and the experience of living.  Leisure was also a significant development in the spectacle of consumption due to consumer’s needs of entertainment standards. This is highly seen through the store of Harrods through the art, design and products as it is a much more modern society. “The rise of the department store from the mid 1850s to the end of 19th century was nothing short of a major revolution” (Robert .D 2002) This expresses that department stores had significant changes throughout the years which then effected the consumers in a positive way making certain people and certain classes have a similar taste due to it being a worldwide change. “The department store was from the late nineteenth century central to the iconography of the consumer culture”(Falk & Campbell pg. 64) This connotes that department stores started to help represent cultures from a consumer’s perspective through the stores , products and brands and the store itself even at a very early stage of the industry. This relates to Harrods as it shows a specific type of class of consumers who are likely to come and be consumers at a store like this one.

      Harrods architecture and designs of its buildings has been created to allow consumers to feel that certain type of class, middle and upper class but mainly the upper class status. This is due to the building being extremely tall with many classy and detailed designs on the walls.  It expresses a specific taste of wealth and richness which is shown throughout the store.  As a consumer walking through the departments of the store the architecture is key to the feel of fitting into the right class. “Scientific observation shows that cultural needs are the product of upbringing” (Lees-Maffei  & Houze pg. 402) This is represented through the store harrods by the upper class being use to this type of surrounding as it has been in their everyday life style from a young age.  The design and architecture will not be new to them where as a working class man or woman would be astonished and amazed by the building’s design and art. This could be seen as an extreme concern in relation to

Social class as it is forcibly separating the boundaries of society which is expressing more on Pierre Boardieu’s theory of distinction. The incredible designs are very eye catching to the consumers and draw them in. Egyptian art is shown on the walls of the store. The country Egypt is known for its great architecture such as the statues of Egyptian gods and its fine pyramids. It is also known to be a wealthy place in the sense of art and living as it is a much designed country. This is a great relation to the upper class as art is common in their life style and many wealthy people visit Egypt. The owner of Harrods Mohammed Al Fayed himself is in fact Egyptian. The layout of the store is very spacious which expresses the term of designing the ideal consumption space and creating dwell time. Glenn Adamson says: “the main challenge for a shopping centre's designer, apart from creating a prosperous and stylish look, is to maximize what Paul Sutliff calls ‘dwell time.’ (Adamson .G 2009) Although Harrods is not a shopping centre per se it is still a very large store and can relate to what is being said. This quote expresses that not only the style of the store is important but the space and the idea of keeping the customers there to shop by using the term dwell time as well as objects to express their class.  The way in which Harrods creates Dwell time is by having no clocks and many entertainment choices in the store which fits into the certain class it represents.  Spectacle of consumption is shown in the store through the adequate of leisure such as: Wine, high class dining, art, areas for children and many more. This allows the upper class to have a great experience when shopping. Every day stores do not connote this idea as much due to class.  Harrods design is somewhat similar to the design of a museum. This is due to the art and work put into the building itself. When we think of museums we think of class. It was known for the rich and the upper classes to visit museums for their entertainment as it expressed their certain life style and taste. Harrods is allowing this same visual experience and helping to create the same feel for designing this museum look. “Taste is thus the source of the system of distinctive features which cannot fail to be perceived as a systematic expression of a particular class of distinctions” (Warde 1997 pg. 10) Boardieu’s theory is conveying that taste is very specific and that it has to be shown through particular classes. We can see this by the features of the architecture and design. Around the department store of Harrods consumers can also see signs of which say: “Do not touch” This gives off the impression that the products are like artefacts as such, just like museums.  Some of the items on display are also kept in glass containers just like a museum. The products are seen as too valuable to touch. This fits very well with the upper class and not so well for the working class due to the heavy expense it portrays. A man or woman may feel like they do not fit into this particular department store which could be decreasing the numbers of consumers as well as making them uncomfortable to even visit the store as the store is known as a tourist attraction as well as a place for consuming.

      Class can be seen through style, money, items, life style, attitudes and many more different perspectives but is this really the case? There are many different questions when it comes to class and how to actually categories’ people and products. It is especially a very big question in the United Kingdom. “It's often said that the British have a unique obsession with class” (Heyden.T 2013) This article taken from the BBC goes to discuss class further and question it fully. “But what is class today? An attitude? An accent? Is it what you buy, or what you can buy? Your background or your present?”(Heyden.T 2013) This is expressing the concerns of class and challenging what each class actually means and thought of who decides. However Boardieu explains in depth how consumption behaviour does in fact show and represent certain classes. “Consumption behaviour, broadly conceived, is a means whereby social classes display their cultural capital and their place in the hierarchical system of social distinction.”(Warde 1997 pg.10) From this quote we can pick out that Cultural capital occurs due to the consumptions bringing a specific type of class together.  Cultural capital creates very sharp boundaries in social class it can be associated with people you know and people you don’t but meeting people for similar reasons. We clearly see this in Harrods as we see the separation between the classes through the products, the design, the dining and many more.  It allows there to be an incredible contrast between the classes through the ideology shown in the department store allowing Boardieu theories to be correct again. However it does bring society together in some ways. Carrying on from that there are many theories and debates about the idea of identity. Identity can be known as ones expression, one’s conception and ones characteristics individually or in forms of groups.  Is your own specific identity the way to define which class you are? Or is it truly about ideologies of consumption which chooses your class for you? Bouman’s argues this case against Boardieu in his own theories. “No longer are people placed in society by way of their linage, caste or class, but each must invent and consciously create a personal identity.” (warde 1997 pg.10) This quote discusses exactly what Bouman and his theory is trying to say. Class is not the case when it comes to society; it is one’s personal identity according to Bouman whereas Boardieu disagrees.  Comparing these arguments to Harrods I strongly believe that Boardieu’s case is much stronger due to his idea’s focusing closely on class which is represented at Harrods store and not one’s identity as an individual. However Bouman’s theory does touch up onto the idea of identity construction which could be seen in stores like Harrods due to it creating a one way feel for visitors.

      Harrods is also known for its many different departments such as fashion, beauty, food, home and fine jewellery catering for the wealth.  There are many well-known high end designers throughout the departments such as: Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith, Gucci, Chanel and many more.  These specific designers are very known to wealthy people as the prices of items are very expensive compared to high street fashions.  This indicates that certain classes represent these designers such the upper class due to the intake of money.  This also can connote the idea of a selling of a lifestyle as when a person would walk into these different departments they are confronted with specific products which could represent one person’s life style to another such as the upper class men and woman due to seeing home furniture and many life style items. Throughout the store every product on display has no price tags what so ever. This could cause a concern for the working class or even the middle class as it could make them feel undermining and not good enough to even consider buying the products. The reason this shows the upper class system is because many rich people are not afraid of money. They do not care of the price and money is not a problem or issue to them.  Whereas if you would visit high street brands there would be price tags on every single item and product on display.  “Zygmunt Bauman has suggested that one of the hallmarla of late modern global capitalism is the ultimate replacement of real competition with symbolic competition” (B Pick & Chipper S 2007 pg.67) This quote discusses how Bouman believes that symbolic competition is greater than realism. This relates to Harrods store as every product and everything you see is symbolic to cater for a certain person or in Boardieu’s perspective of class. Many consumers buy expensive brands and designers just to fit in to the category they want too.  This clearly represent the taste of the middle and mainly upper class. This is because if a man or woman decides to wear a specific brand or designer you straight away recognise what it is and the wealth and quality in the items and you then presume that the person has money. Upper class consumers are known for wanting the best of the best which these designers are creating for them.  Throughout the store you see classy fine dining areas where visitors can sit relax and eat good quality food.  “Taste classifies, and it classifies the classifier. Social subjects, classified by their classification’s” (Lees-Maffei  & Houze pg 403) What Boardieu is trying to say Is that people identify themselves through the distinctions.  He also quotes “The distinguished and the vulgar” This is expressing eating habits connotes ones taste and that taste can be of luxury and of liberty. The way in which Harrods store does this is by the presenting of the dining areas, the way in which it is served to the consumer and the overall look which is being portrayed in a “Posh” manner.  Ideologies of branding are a way of persuading customers and to meet the needs of what they exactly want.  “A product is something that is made in a factory; a brand is something that is bought by a customer ‘“Klein 2000 pg. 29) this quote goes on the idea of how a brand represents the customer and class of a customer and how easily persuading people are  just because of the name and not just the product itself.  I believe this examines and represents the upper class thoroughly because Harrods have these expensive brands for people to consume as this is allowing class divisions between the hierarchies.  The working class go into Harrods for the fact that they can admire that life style and admire the luxuries that the upper class has. This could be seen as a strong concern in social class.

      This essay has fully addressed the topic I perceived to express from my opening introduction. I closely analysed the famous department store Harrods in the formation of taste. I also discussed the concerns it can cause when talking about social class looking mostly at the upper class consumers and how taste at Harrods relates to them, comparing it to the concerns of the working class and how Harrods is negative and not aimed at that hierarchy of consumers.  I discussed mainly the theories thought about by two men Pierre Boardieu and Zygmunt Bouman.  The idea that Boardieu believed that taste separated and made divisions between classes due to taste in comparison to Bouman who believed that  class is not the case when it comes to placing somebody into society and that it is one’s identity which does that. Before I went into the depth of my essay I discussed the history of the store Harrods and the history of department stores to help me to understand more about my subject of matter.  I also focused on three main ideas’ to express Harrods and class. Firstly, an in depth analyse of Harrods architecture and design and how it represents the upper class, spectacle consumption and “dwell time.” Secondly, overall interpretations of the idea and concerns of class itself, challenging the question of what is class, Cultural capitalism and the argument between Boardieu and Bouman.  Lastly, I discussed specific branding and how it persuades consumers and the ideologies of branding which represents a certain taste for a certain class, the idea of luxury fine dining and how it represents upper class in comparison to the working class. To conclude, Harrods does cater for a specific class status which is known as the upper class due its costly prices and astonishing items and luxurious designs. I believe the most concerning issue when it comes to social class is the idea of separation in society due to the hierarchy and class systems which expresses more closely to Boardieu’s arguments and theories of how class and taste does however cause a division in distinction. “aestheticization of daily life = the ultimate act of class distinction, and an affront to the working class” (Sinn Reich.A 2005) This quote sums up an analyse of my strongest argument which is conducted in this essay which is the argument of boundaries and lines in class due to the idea of taste.  Taste and class is very hard to define but expresses the many concerns in today’s society.

Bibliography
Books:

Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (R. Nice, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

B. Bick, P., Chiper, S. (2007) ‘Swoosh Identity: recontextualizations in Haiti and Romania’, New York: Berg

 

Falk P & Campbell .C (197) the shopping experience   London, The Cromwell Press  

Klein, N. (2000) ‘No Logo’ In. Clark, H., Brody, D, (2009) Design Studies: A Reader, New York: Berg.

Lees-Maffei, G. And Houze, R. (2010) the Design History Reader, Oxford: Berg
Warde. A (1997) Consumption, Food & Taste, Bonhill Dtreet :London
Main Source:
Harrods Department store Knightsbridge 87-135 Brompton Rd London SW1X 7XL (May 2009) 

Online books:

Nice. R. (1984) Distinctions. A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste. Conclusion. Harvard University Press [online] Available at <http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/bourdieu.htm>  [Accessed on 29^th May 2013)


Robert. D (2002) The wonderful world of the department store in a historical perspective Ecole des sciences de la gestion [online] Available at <http://faculty.quinnipiac.edu/charm/dept.store.pdf>[Accessed on 29^th May 2013