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Smith, Michelle Knovic; And OthersImage & Identity: Clothing and Adolescence in the1990s.

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Office ofElementary and Secondary Education.Brother International Corp., Somerset, NJ.9047p.

Smithsonian Institution, Office of Elementary andSecondary Education, A&I 1163 MRC 402, Washington, DC20277-2915.Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (ForTeacher) (052)

MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.*Adolescents; *Clothing; Consumer Science; 'CulturalInfluences; Elementary Secondary Education; FashionIndustry; Global Education; Home Economics; 'MaterialC,..lture; Personality; *Self Concept; socialStudies

The kit p,.ovides students and teachers new ways tostudy culture through its material evidence: the objects andartifacts of daily life. In the four activities comprising this kit,students study clothing as an aspect of their own material culture.They move from general observations about clothing to considerationof their personal wardrobes, then focus on school/community styles,and finally to the global aspects of outside influence on individualchoices. Each activity contains a brief teacher's background section,a lesson plan, reproducible worksheets and handouts, along with othersuggested writing or other assignments. The kit provides thefollowing activities: (1) "Clothes Talk: Themes Found in Apparel":(2; "Clothes Count: PerscLal Wardrobes"; (3) "Clothes Perception:Identifying Styles"; and (4) "Clothes Appeal: Commercial Arbiters ofStyle." Contains eight references. (EH)

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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This publicatmn has been made possible by agenerous grant from Brother International Corporation.

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Copyright 1990Smithsonian InstitutionWashington, D.C.

Second Printing 1993

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Introduction 2

Activity 1 Clothes Talk: Themes Found in ApparelForm 1 Clothing .-luvrowcs

Activity 2

Activity 3

Activity 4

9

Clothes Count: Personal WardrobesForm 2 Clothing Inventory 13

Form 3 Clothing Pmjile 15

Clothes Perception: Identiffing Styles 19

k 1 Style Iclentyication 25

Form Optional Section / 27Form .41) Optional Section // 29

Clothes Appeal: Commercial Arbiters of Style 31

Following up 37

Form z). Submissiwt 39

Form 6 Eiziluation 41

2

To the chagrin often of both parents and teachers, clothing and personalappearance are subjects that almost never fail to win the attention of

young people. Is clothing in fact a driving force in late-twentieth-centuryYoung America? Or is this a phenomenon limited to the major metropolitanareas that have absorbed the bulk of the consumption ethic? Do predominantclothing styles have regional flavors? Do public and private schools exertwidely variant influences on their students' wardrobe choices? Are mediainfluences the strongest determinants of what people wear today? These aresome of the questions the Smithsonian Institution considered in developingthis clothing research kit.

Image and Identity is the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education's secondkit in a series of education outreach projects sponsored by Brother InternationalCorporation, Somerset, New Jersey. One of the primary goals of these kits is toshow students and their teachers new ways to study culture through its materialevidence: the objects and artifacts of daily life. The kit methods are based onapproaches used by historians and curators at the Smithsonian Institution andother museums around the world. Although they require abstract and analyticalthought, these methods are active and "hands-on."

Our first project, prepared for the 1989-90 school year, Carbons to Computers:The Changing American Office, explored technology and cultural values bystudying the common workplaces of most American lives. In Image and Identitywe look for meanings in the American adolescent's relationship with clothingand fashion. Both kits were designed to he useful to teachers of various subjectsin senior high school but may be adapted for older or younger students. Imageand Identity is particularly relevant to English, sociology, home economics,history, and current events classes.

While Image and Identity has much to offer students and teachers, we at theSmithsonian also hope to gain from its use. Young people today are invalu-able reporters and analysts of their own culture. anti we want to hear fromthem. We '2xpect to gain a body of firsthand reports on adolescents cloth-ing in contemporary America. In addition we hope the submissions lead tonew clothing acquisitions for our collectionsobjects that will document lifein our own time for us and lOr historians and museum visitors in the future.Instructions in the kit explain how to submit this information.

IMAGE AND IDENTITY IN BRIEF-

In 1(wr activities that comprise this kit students study clothingan aspect oftheir own material culture. 'Hwy will move from general observations aboutclothing to consideration of their own personal wardrobes. then to focus Onschool community styles, and finally to the global aspects of outside influ-ences on individual choices.

ach activity contains a brief teacher's backgnAind section, a step-by-steplesson plan, reproducible worksheets and other handouts, and suggestedwriting or other assignments. Activity 3 contains instructions for submittinginformation to the Smithsonian. The kit's final section offers suggestions forfurther exploration and study of the topic.

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Clothes Talk: Themes Found in Apparel

OBJECTTVE:Begin thinking about the meanings and values ascribed to clothes

FOCUS:Determining "clothes awareness I' studying pictured clothe,, cues.

TEACHER'S BACKGROUFM:This acuvity is based on a classic research study of social and psychological meanings ofclothing conducted bv a home econonlist. Dr. Mary Lou Rosencranz. in the early 1900,s.

In Dr. Rosencranz's test, seven drawings depicting incongruities between clothing and otheraspects of the characters in the pictures were administered to a selected group. Interviewersasked participants to tell a story about each picture: these stories were tape-recorded for laterreview.

Analysis of the responses showed that clothing cues represented a significant number of thetotal responses. Several clothing themes occurred in the stories of more than half of theinformants.

This study and others done in the same period established the importance of clothing cues inmaking judgments about a person. Contemporary 1-elicfs that a person can "dress !Or success-and create a physical Image- descend from stuales like this one.

3

6

MATERIALS PROVIDED:Four drawings, scoring form

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:Writing materials, blackboard or flip chart, duplicate copies of drawings

Step 1sTell the class that they are going to see a series of pictures and write a 5-minute story abouteach picture. DO NOT MENTION CLOTHING IN YOUR INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. Then,

give each student a photocopy of page 8. Allow about 5 minutes for students to write a briefstory about what is going on in each picture. for a total writing time of about 20 minutes.

Step 2:When they have stopped writing, ask the students to jot down an answer to the followingquestion for each picture/story they observed:

What part of the picture made you think of your story?

Step 3:Tell the students that one purpose of the exercise was to see how important clothing cueswere in their interpretation of a situation. Suggest that this might indicate something about theimportance of clothing in their own lives. Another purpose was to probe the values theyattach to clothing: values that will be examined in the other activities in this kit.

Have the students form small groups or work individually to analyze what they have written:

a. Use a highlighting pen to mark off the number of lines written about clothing, or underlineor circle the lines.

b. Count the number of characters whose clothing is mentioned in the comments.Maximum score, 12.

c. Count the number of times students answered the question posed in step 2 (what part ofthe picture made you think of your story?) by mentioning sonic aspect of the way adepicted character was dressed. Maximum score, 4.

d. The pictures show people dressed incongruously for the social situations they seem to bein. Look at the comments about clothing and appearance in the stories and try to identifythe themes expressed. Give each student a photocopy of Form I on page 9 or list on theblackboard the themes it identifies in Part 1. Then have each student make a personal"clothing themes" tally by checking the number of themes in their stories.

e. Now obtain a "clothing awareness' score for each student by adding up the responses tothe items discussed in this step. Part 2 of Form 1 provides places to total the following:

number of lines about clothing written

number of characters whose clothing is mentioned

number of stories based on clothing worn in the pictures

number of clothing themes

1 0

7

Then. find out the range of clothing awareness scores in the class by asking studems what

their scores were. I. 'sing the blackboard. write the highest. kmest. and average scores. soeach student can place his or her own score within the class.

Talk about the range of scores in the class and ask if anyone was surprised bv his or her

score. Win?

Look at the data in different ways. Compare girls scores with boys' scores: who is moreaware of clothing? See if more comments were written about female characters than about

male characters (311).

The results of this quiz should indicate that clothing "talks."and that many people willmake similar interpret:aions of clothing cues. What factors might have something to dowith people agreein2 tor disagreeing) on the meaning of clothes? Would being older oryounge, or from a different part of the country or part of the world, have an effect on

how a person interpreted the four pictures?

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CLOTHING AWARENESS

Part 1-Clothing Timms's

Formal vs. Informal(e.g., "too dressed up")

Ago(e.g.. "too old/young (or attire")

Body six.(any comments)

Status(e.g.. clothing indicates low or high class, wealth or poverty.power or its absence)

Sox(appropriateness of clothing to a man or woman)

Cultural(e.g., "dressed like someone from . ")

Othor(specify)

Thome totals

Part 2-Clothing Awaronoss scar*

Number of lines about clothing written

Number of characters whose clothing is mentioned

Number of stories based on clothing worn in the pictures

Number of clothing themes

Total ClothingAwaronoss

Picturo1 2 3 4

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Clothes Count: Personal Wardrobes

OBJECTIVE:Explonng some ()I the meanings and motivations of one's own clothing choices by analyzing

and interpreting data.

FOCUS:Listing. rating, and interpreting personal wardrobe choices.

TEACHERS BACKGROUND:Activity I illustrated that clothing provokes emotional responses and that many people haveideas about the appropriateness of what people wear. This activity looks at how collectively

held notions of appropriate appearanceby boys and girls about themselves and each other,

by parents about children, by groups of friendsinfluence personal cic nhing choices.

From the perspectives of fashion manufacturers and retailers. style. cut, color, price, and sales

figures are of' primary interest. To those who look for pc.rsonal and social meanings inclothing, however, clothing as people wear it is the engaging subject. Cknhing presents thephysical self to the world. Young people attach great importz.nce to clothing partly becauseit tends to say so much about who they arc and how they see themselves. At a time in life

when figuring out who you are and what kind of adult you want to be are of primary impor-tance, clothing becomes a significant indicator of emerging identity.

Most adolescents dress to conform to some group. whether it is the dominant group inschool: a small, fringe, or rebellious group: or a group they can't belong to (like famous

musicians) hut can identify with.

At the same time as group membership is of extreme importance to adolescents SC ) IN devel-

oping a sense of self and individuality. Breaking away from some parental controls whileholding cm IC/ some (A their values is a crucial task. Conflioing needs and interests may nukethese individuals' clothing choices confusing or difficult, for both themselves and observers

This activity helps students gain new perspectives on clothing. But a word of caution. The-Personal Clothing Prc)file" in this activity, while informative, is not scientific. It introducesideas. provides insights, and promotes discussion, but it does not create a definitive picture

of personality or behavkir.

Further, although studies have shown that Americans of all income levels often dress fashion-ably (or unfashionably!), some students' clothing choices may be dictated more lw economicnecessity or deprivation than by fashion dictates or group norms. Allow students -scores" toremain private (as is suggested in the lesson plan) if the activity is likely to In. sensitive.

12

MATERIALS PROVIDED:Personal Clothing Inventory and Personal Clothing Profile forms

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:Writing materials, duplicate copies of forms

Stop I sDiscuss the very personal nature of clothing choices, how one's self-image is both depictedin and derived from one's wardrobe selections. Tell students that one of the most valuabledocuments a historian can work with is a household or personal inventory, tied as it must beto the life and circumstances of its owner.

Say that making a personal clothing inventory by surveying one's own wardrobe is anappropriate first step toward understanding clothing in our own lives. Then ask students tocomplete their copies of the Personal Clothing Inventory form, possibly as an overnightassignment to allow them time for research and decision making.

Stop 2:Discuss the several aspects of concern reflected in clothing likes and dislikes, e.g., parentalopinions, self-expression, peer approval. Then ask students to transfer their personal inventoryanswers to the Personal Clothing Profile (Form 3).

Stop 3:Discuss with students the five categories (A through E) presented on the Clothing Profile andexplained in "Some ways to think about . . ." on the form.

Stop 4:After the students have completed their Personal Clothing Profiles, initiate a discussion.

Does your profile accurately describe you? If not, what do you think are the reasons?Besides the influences of parents and group norms, what else influences how a persondresses?

Could a person he a clothing conformist but a strong individual in other areas of his orher life?

What are some of the advantages of dressing well? of dressing indifferently? What are someof the disadvantages of dressing well? of dressing indifferently?

Optional activitioo:\Vrite an essay about what influences your clothing choices, based on yruir profile.Illustrate with snapshots or drawings.

Add up individual Personal Clothing Profile totals to make a Class Clothing Profile.Write a news or feature story about the findings.

PERSONAL CLOTHING INVENTORY

I.ist 10 of your favorite items of clothing: List. 10 of your least favorite itemsof clothing:

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F2 1.2

F3 1.3

F4 1.4

F5 1.5

F6 1.6

F7 1.7

Fa La

F9 1.9

F I 0 LI 0

Answer the following questions about these items. Write the item numbers (e.g., F3. 1.2) onthe line following the question.

1. Which items did vou get because a 6. Which items are similar to items wornfriend of the same sex liked them? by members of the opposite sex?

2. Which items did you get because afriend of the opposite sex liked them?

3. V'hich items did you get because yourparent(s) liked them?

4. Which items did you get because v mrparent(s) did not like them?

5. Which items did you get because agroup of friends, ( lique. cluh . or ganghad them?

7. Which items are yer .. differentfrom those worn by members of theopposite sex?

B. Which items are unlike anythingowned or worn by anyone else vouknow?

9. Which items did vou get because theywere the "right- brand or label? Thismeans, for example. 1..A. Gear shoesrather than Reeboks, or vice versa.

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PERSONAL CLOTHING PROFILEDirLctions: Take the responses from the Personal Clothing Inventory and fill in the hlankshelow. Read carefully so that you enter favorites (1:) and least favorites (1.1 in the correct

spaces.

Conforming Nonconforming

q.3 F I. A. Parental approval/disapproval

q.4

q.1

q.5

q.9

F L B. Group identity

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F

q.6

q.7

F L C. Gender identity

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q.2 F L D. Sxual attraction

q.8 L F E. Individuality

Students' Guide to th Personal Clothing Profile1. Lo()king at the five categories, where do most (more than half) of Your answers cluster, inthe -conformity- column, on the left. or the -nonconformity- column on the right? For thepurposes of this exercke, determine whether you are a clothing conformist, nonconformist, or

a mixture.

2: Then compare the five categories (A through F.) to see which seem to he the strongest andweakest influences oil yInir clothing choices. Again look at where most of your answerscluster. If. fOr example, most of your answers are in the "nonconformity" «Aumn for A andthe "confOrmity- column for H. you may he trying to move away from parents influencetoward dressing like your friends.

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Some ways to think about each of the categories:GROUP A looks at your parents' influence on your clothing choices. How old you are,whether you earn your own clothes money, and other factors may influence how many itemsyou placed here.

GROUP B has more questions than the other,categories because group memberships areextremely important to preteens and teenagers. By being part of a group that is interested inacademics, athletics, or behaving in different ways. young people try out ways of living andthinking that help determine and define the kind of adults they will be.

GROUP C. "gender identity." looks at whether you dress to strongly differentiate yourselffrom the opposite sex or in a more "unisex'. way. Clothing is not by definition masculine orfemininepeople make these decisions and change them all the time.

GROUP I) looks at the age-old question of whether people dress to please themselves or toattract members of the opposite sex.

GROUP E looks at individuality, which may be explained by many different things. If youhave close ties to a cultural group. are an immigrant or vkitor from another country, makeyour own clothes, plan to have a career in the fashion industry. are artisticor many otherreasonsyou might have your favorites in the nonconforming column.

Finally, remember that this test is for fundon't take your totals too seriously! You may seesome patterns in your answers. but this quiz can't tell everything about you and why youdress the way you do.

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Clothes Perception: Identifying Styles

O BJECTIVE:Considering two key questions about clothing and style in the students lives:

What styles are worn in the school or fw young people their age in the community?What do these styles mean?

FOCUS:Observing. naming. and interpreting individual styles.

O PTIONAL SECTIONS:Contributing to Smithsonian Institution research.

TEACHER'S BACKGROUND:Solving the puzzles of w hat clothing. style. and style changes mean is the work of costumeand clothing historians, social psychologists, and cultural commentators, as well as some ofthe thbusands of people who work in the clothing and fashion industry. This acti\ ity involvesstudents in trying to answer the same questions.

In the preceding activities students have recognized clothing's power to communicate mes-sages and considered some of the reasons for their own clothing choices. These insights willinform their efforts in this activity to define and understand the styles they and other youngpeople wear today.

2 0

MATERIALS PROVIDED:Three ."correct style" illustrations: Clothing Style Identification form: optional forms

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:Writing materials, overhead projector or duplicate copies of illustrations, copies of forms

Stp 1 :Conduct a class discussion about styles in Your school. Say that there is frequently more thanone style of dressing in a school. (If students wear uniforms, talk about whether differentstyles can still be distinguished.)

Point out that people have been concerned about the correctness of their clothing andwhether they are wearing the right styles, or styles in the right ways, for many years. Toillustrate this point, look at the pictures on pages 23 and 24.

"The Right Stuff" appeared in the Washington Post in July 1989. How do the styles depictedcompare with what students themselves wear?

Look at the images that.show "correct style" for college-bound boys in the 1950s, girls inthe 1920s. How do these styles compare with what students themselves wear?

HOW accurate are these "style guides' likely to be? V'hy or why not?

What are some of the reasons many people care about wearing the "right stuff"?

St.p 2:Ask the class to imagine that they work in a museum 100 years in the future. Their job is toshow how children and teenagers dressed in the last decade of the twentieth century. Somequestions might help to structure the discussion.

What sources of information would you look at?

What Would having .S00 random samples of clothing made during the time period tell you%

Would looking at popular films, television programs, and advertising help? How aboutpaintings and statues?

What do you think would give the best information about what teenagers wore?

The Smithsonian Institution thinks that the best information comes directly from the peopleho wear the clothesin this case, today's voting people. The next steps of this activity

provide suggestions for structuring research into adolescents styles today.

2qThree "correct style" illustrations: clothing Style ldentif icatton Checklist form, optional forms

21

Stop 3:Working ,is a class or in groups, try to decide whether there are distinctly different styles

worn by young people in your school (or community). Assuming these groups exist, assign a

name to each style or. better. identify what everyone calls each style (e.g.. "preppy.- "punk-).

Still working in groups, have the students use a Clothing Style Identification Checklist torecord and structure their observations of each style they have identified. The checklist has

two optional parts for submitting information to the Smithsonian.

Stop 4 (Optional):I lave the class use the photographs they have taken and tile information they have gathered

on Form 4 to put together an exhibit about school styles. Or. as in Activity 2. use the informa-

tion to write news or feature stones about school styles.

Some Questions and Answers about the Smithsonian,curators, acquisitions . . .

Why does the Smithsonian want clothing and what does it want to know about it?

The Division of Costume of the National Museum of American History, SmithsonianInstitution, is continually trying to improve the museum's collection of garments andaccessories worn by civilian Americans from the 17th century to the present time. Thegoal is to acquire a range of clothing that shows what people of all socioeconomic levels,national origins, races, and religions wore in the past or are wearins today.

What does the Smithsonian want to know about an item of clothing?

In a sense. the Smithsonian wants to know everything about gartn,mts it accepts ashistoric artifacts. Curators ask questions about clothes that reflect their best guesses aboutwhat kinds of questions people are going to ask in the future. Some often-asked ques-tions: Who made the garment and where? How much did it cost? When was it purchasedor made? Was the garment ever altered?how? Where was the item worn (geographicarea)? What about the person who wore the clothesman, woman, or child; race, reli-gion. and ethnic background, height and weight, dates of birth, marriage. death?

Who are curators and what do they do?

Curators are the people who take care of museum collections. They study and ofter.acquire new objects; they interpret and try to explain the meanings and significance ofobjects.

Curators prepare exhibitions, often over a period of several years of studying, collecting.collaborating, and planning with scholars, technical experts, and designers. Curatorsconduct original research that relates to their collections. Image and Identio is an exampleof such a research project.

In another approach, the case study, the Division of Costume is studying individuals andtheir clothing in depth. In addition to facts and figures, curators want to know of specificindividual circumstances that may have influenced individual cl-ithing choices such asmembership in a social group. occupation, or a condition of disability.

Does the Smithsonian put donors' clothing on display in the museum?

When the museum "accessions" an object it enters the study collections where it i. used tofulfill the broad educational and scholarly goals of the Smithsonian Institution. These goalsinclude research and exhibition for present and future generations. NO item is acceptedwith the stipulation that it must be exhibited. Donors also can't use acceptance of clothingby the Smithsonian as an endorsement or for advertising purposes.

Does the Smithsonian pay for these acquisitions?

No. but gifts are tax deductible and a signed copy of a Deed of Gift will be sent to thedonor in I formal letter of acknowledgment.

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THE RIGHT STUFF

SWEATSHIRTS:thersized, wit hcollege 11:1111es.pushed upsleeves

PANTS:Stone-washedor acid-washedJeans, cuffs rolledabove the ankle

BOYS

BACKPACKS:Denim or leather,earned overone shoulder

SHOES:

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CLOTHIN4 STYLE IDENTIFICATION CHECKLISTPLEASE NCYFE I .se separate checklists to pnitile each style you have identified within viairstudent body or local community. l'se extra paper if you need more space, but mark thepages -.113 continued... for example. if you submit them to the Smithsonian.

Date

Name of style

Do people who wear the style call it this name?

Do pk.ople who do not wear the style call it this name or did you make up the name?

Please estimate the percentage of persons in the school who wear this style.

List the other styles vou have identified and estimate the percentage of individuak ho wearthose styles.

Would a person from a particular race, religious group, or ethnic backgreand wear this stylemore often than a person from a difTerent background? If so. please explain.

Is this style worn hy hos, girls. or both?

If both boys and girls wear the style and you are going to submit information to the..+inithsonian, please make up one t 1ie klist for a bov and another for ,t girl

liow old are most of the wearers?

29 (L'onlinited iU back)

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Describe the elements that make up the st lc for either a boy or a girl. What do you have tohe wearing to look like this? Note color or colors, if they are important. Note how items ofclothing are worn, for example, tight or big and loose, cuffed up, short or long, inside out.Here's a possible way to make your observation, in top to bottom order. Use more paper ifnecessary.

Head (e.g hairstyle, hat, make-up. facial hair)

Ntain dress (e.g.. pants. skirt, dress)

Outerwear (e g . c(mt. jacket )

Accessories worn (e.g., jewelry. st art, belt, keys)

Accessories carried (e.g.. bag. cane)

)escribe this style k writing a p:irograpli aNnit it

Vory hilportant:/Mach a phop,graph or drofroig ('f II)), .%trh, y'.17,11 submit this ( thc

27

OPTIONAL SECTION I

you send in Clothing Nyle Identif Kation checklists to the .,Initlisonlan. \could also heinterested in responses to the following questions. These questions are to be answered lwindividuals. rather than by the group (have only ime person answer these questions. or makecopies for each member of the group). i'se extra paper if you need more space.

Row vou feel about the style described on Form -1?

Do you dress this way Yourself?

If your answer to the previous question IN nO. how do you think that affects how you feelabout the style?

Note: ..I/sofill ma Form S. the Cicithing Research rmiect submIssual./i,rm

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OPTIONAL SECTION IICan you think of someone who is a great example of this style? We'd like you to take somepictures of him or her and use the questions included here to gather additional information.You might first like to try out interviewing each otherthen you can change questions thatdon't make sense, or add more of your own. You don't have to get an answer to all of thequestions to submit the information you have obtained to the Smithsomjn. Use extra paperif you need more space.

I low would you describe the way you dress?

Do you have a name for your style?

What is the biggest influence on your style?

Why do you dress this way?

Where do you see or read about clothes and fashion?

Do you dress like some star or famous person?

Try to complete the following phrases:"If someone wanted to dress the way I do they'd have to wear

"I usually shop at

"The next thing (to wear) that I want to buy is

"One thing that's changed about my look in the past 6 months is

If you'd Ilk*, give us some Insights about yourself:Your favorite solitary activity?

Your preferred pursuits with friends?

Is this person willing to be contacted by the Smithsonian? Yes tio

If yes, fill in the following:km' In pi !AU IV,11,410 \ VW

Silt! II 1,01,1,s

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Note: A /so fill out Form 5, the Clothing Res:arch Project submission jam.Very important: Include photograph olperson weartng the style.

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Clothes Appeal: Commercial Arbiters of Style

OBJECTIVE:Learning-to analyze media images, primarily those conveyed in advertising, as they mayinfluence clothing choices; increasing awareness and understanding of media influences.

FOCUS:Collecting and discussing commercial images of clothing.

TEACHER'S BACKGROUND:If you have progressed through the activities in this kit, your students have been thinkingabout how they dress, in particular. how other people may affect the way they dress. Thisactivity explores influences from the larger society, mostly mass media, that also affect

clothing choice.

-Mass media images, especially those on television and in magazines and newspapers, usewords and pictures to influence, persuade, even manipulate us to purchase new styles anditems of clothing. This activity helps students see, analyze, and understand the inessagesbehind those words and pictures.

A goal of Image and Identity is to promote objectivity and self-awareness about clothing sothat students may make informed choices rather than be passive consumers of fashion.Having a better understanding of the influence of advertising encourages self-expressionrather than imitation in wardrobe selection.

jii35

31

3 2

MATERIALS PROVIDED:Two advertisements from the Smithsonian archives

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:Additional material culled by students from mass media

Stop 1:In class ask for definitions and explanations of advertising. \X'hy do companies and Organiza-tions advertise? \X'ho creates ads? Consider the following points:

Advertising creates desire for a product.

Advertising plays on genuine human needs (food, shelter. security, love, sex). hut thoseneeds may or may not he satisfied by the product or item advertised.

Advertising is "targeted.- Advertisers figure out whom they are trying to reach and whatvarious groups exist within that audience (market segments). Advertisers determine whatappeal the product has to these audience groups and then plan to reach them.

Stop 2:As homework, ask students to bring in to class copies of ads or images that may have aneffect on the clothes they buy and wear. These may include magazine advertisements orillustrations: videotaped segments of television programs (including music videos) and filmson videotape, if you have access to a VCR machine.

Then, start the class discussion of the two ads on pages 34 and 35 using the questionsincluded here. If students have trouble understanding the appeals being made, explain thatthe ads were written for their grandparents or great-grandparents when they were young.\X'hat seems comfortably familiar in the ads? What seems strange because of the passage oftime?

Analyzing Advertising:1. What is the promise or appeal being made? Examples:

wealth popularitybeauty social acceptance

success with the opposite sex status

fun and happiness sexual attractiveness

affiliation with famous person avoidance of rejection or embarrassment

2 What part of the ad is making the appeal?

words pictures

music sound

drama or story told

3 Who ( )r what groups are the target of the acl'

age groups occupational groups

males or females regkmal groups

SUGGESTED ANSWERS:mu* Moon1. beauty. sophistication, sexual allure

2. pictures of sexy, sophisticated women with whom one can ident4

3. women. probably younger women who fantaize about being carefree. wealthy, and s.exy

The Britisher1. equates masculinity, power, physical activity, intelligence with clothingno details of

fabric, price, style

2. words, with picture supporting

3. men who aspire to power and social sophistication

Step 3:Now move on to the examples students have brought to class. Start by answering the samethree questions ahout appeal, medium used, and target. then go on to general discussion.More possibilities for discussion:

You will probably see more pictures than words. Does that in itself mean anything?

Are pictures in black and white or color, sharp, or blurred, showing motion?

Do the models look perfect, or like real people? flow old are they?

SUMMING UP . . .

Do dominant themes emerge in clothing ads aimed at young people? What are these themes?Why do you think they sell clothes?

Is it possible to be completely individualistic in clothing chot(eN With so much influencefrom others, can a boy or girl have a personal style?

37

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We develop personalities!

The BritisherPower and vigor mark The Britisher,our most recent interpretation of thedouble breasted suit. Every elementof proportion expresses a weighted per-sonality. Every detail of line givesfacility to the enthusiastic physical

activity that is born in an agile mind.To see The Britisher is to know howwell we have developed clothing design-

ing 2S an expression of the best charac-teristics of effective personalities.

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If you want to continue your study of clothing, find out if there are any clothing collectionsheld by the museums in .our area. If so. try to arrange a tour or visit and a meeting with a

person knowlegeable about the ,...ollection. Ask questions about who wore the clothing, for

what occasions, and what the clothing may have meant in the wearer's life.

When you arc in Washington. D.C.. you can see numerous examples and images of clothing,

fashion, and personal adornment in the Smithsonian's many museums. In addition to themajor collections within the National Museum of American History. other sources of informa-

tion on the legacy of clothing throughout the ages include the following:

Uniforms, military, aviation. aerospace: National Museum of American History. National Air

and Space Museum

Jewelry and other objects of personal adornment: National Museum of African Art. Arthur

M. Sackler Gallery (Asian art), National Museum of American Histor

Clothirg. body shape and size: in paintings and sculpture at the National Museum ofAmerican Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Portrait Gallery

Early manclothing. objects of personal adornment: National Museum of Natural History

Design: Cooper Hewitt Museum. New York City

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY13atterberry, Michael, and Ariane Batterberry. Mirror, Mirror: A Social History of Fashion.

New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. New York: Penguin, 1977.

Hollander, Anne. Seeing Through Clothes. New York: Viking. 19-')

Kaiser, Susan 13. The Social Psychology of Clothing and Personal Adornment. New York:

Macmillan. 1985.

Kidwell. Claudia Brush. and Valerie Steele, eds. Men and Women. Dressing the Pan.

Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1989.

Roach, Mary Ellen. Neu. Perspectives on the History Westent DrOss. New York:

NutriGuides. 1980.

The Visible Self Perspectives on Dress. Englewood Cliffs. N.J.: Prentice-Ilan. 1973.

Rosencranz, M. L. "Clothing Symbolism,"journahy. lwne Economics. 01. 5.1 ( January 1962).

pp. 18-22.

41

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CLOTHING RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMISSION FORM

Directions: You may submit form form -ta, form .tb. or all of them, but 'he sure to fill out and

attach this form with your submission.

Today's date

Name of school

School mai,ing address

Is the school in: inner city? suburbs?

small town? rural area?

Teacher's name

Teacher's telephone

Class (subject taught and the approximate age of students)

Mail to:Clothing Research Project

Smithsonian Institution

Division of Costume, .1202 NNIAI

Washington, D.C. 20560

Do not mond clothing.

Photographs become the properly qf the Smithsonian Institution and cannot be returned.

43

kiEST CUPY AVAILABLE

Image & Identity: Clothing and Adolescence in the 1990s

Please take few minutes T) complete this form. This page is a postage-paid self-mailer. Fold as

marked, staple or tape the form together, and mail. Thank you!

A. AN)lit ,.ou . .

1. Profession.'occupation

Last degree you have year ot graduation

2. Employer:

Educational institution State or local government Other (specify)

3 Gender: Female Male

Fold f. Residence.

Washington. D C.. metropi;litan area 3 Other state J Other country

B. About the kit ..

1 How did yi)ll first hear als nit this kit, (Mark only one response.)

Received information in mail -D Newspaper Radio or television

Professional journal newsletter Friend or colleague Other ( specify ).

2. What was the main reason you requet,ted these materials? (Mark only one response.)

Theme/topics j Opportunity to use a different educational resource

Interest in museum work studies `3 Material was free of charge

CI Other (specifv):

Fold

3. How did you use the kit?

In class As extra-credit assignment or individual study project

As library or media center resource Other (specify):

4. If you did use the kit in class, how many classroom hours did you spend on it? (Mark only one response.)

1-2 hours 2-4 hours J 4-6 hours 6-8 hours J Other (vecify)

Class in which the kit was used:

'J Social studies Home economics J English Art .7.3 Other (specifY

h. Please rate the usefulness to you of handouts and contents of the kit package. (.I fark one response for each.)

a. Lessons

b. Worksheets

c. Assignments

d. Photos Drawings

Very Somewhat Marginally Notuseful useful useful useful

Please rate each of the fi ilk ming aspects of the kit (Mark one response fbr each )Superior Above Average Bekiw

average average

a. General information about clothing

b. Relation between objectives

and contents

c. Value to students

d. Stimulatnin of interest in topic

e. Development of writing skills

f Devekipment of critical thinking skills

45

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41

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C. Please give us your continents on tlus kit and suggestions for lutute topics

Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use $300

BUSINESS REPLY MAILFirst Class Permit No. 12915 Washington D.0

Postage will be paid by Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian InstitutionOffice of Elementary andSecondary Education, A & 1 1163 MRC 402Washington, D.C. 20277-2915

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