identities are commodified by capitalism

tags : [[identity]] [[commodification]]

Speaking at least only in terms of American society over the last 70-ish years, capitalism has managed to subsume every subculture and counterculture back into itself. This process seems to occur as follows:

1. A genuine subculture or counterculture is formed, at first appearing subversive
2. The sub/counter culture becomes widespread enough that it takes on a name and an aesthetic
3. Marketers begin to fence in the parameters of the sub/counter culture and make products marketed to that culture
4. Brands eventually come to dictate the terms of that culture and sell it back to a wider audience

Consider two examples, [[punk]] and the [[LGBT movement]]:

• For punk, punk first appeared as a rejection of the musical gaudiness of the 70s. Early punk bands created an aesthetic of black, damaged clothing, piercings, non-natural hair colors, and the like. Punk came to influence several other aesthetics and genres, and punk clothing can now be purchased at major retailers, thereby undermining the original spirit of the “movement”, such as it was.
• For the LGBT movement, this has taken on the form of what we could call [[rainbow capitalism]]. Gay subculture and counterculture in particular always maintained a certain aesthetic, and as time has gone on, LGBT people have become more and more accepted into the broader society. With that comes firms selling “gay” products, or even LGBT people themselves selling what they believe to be products that are made for LGBT people. At the heart of this however is still a commodification of an aesthetic. “LGBT” is now (albeit among other things) a demographic to market to.

There are a couple of lessons to be learned:

1. Identities in themselves are not radical
2. Political ideologies must work to avoid falling into this trap of commodification