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All Consuming Images: The Politics Of Style In Contemporary Culture
A provocative, compelling, and entertaining look at how the power of images dominates every aspect of our lives.
306 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 21, 2009
You don't have to read much of this book to get Ewen's point: capitalism relies on images, and all the images we see (architecture, ads, etc.) are designed to manipulate our emotions; awareness allows for freedom. The book made me, yes, aware, but more feeling that marketers need to be sent to their own island somewhere. It reinforces why there's a commandment not to make any graven images.
August 31, 2012
Some excellent things about the selling of style, politics, advertising. On whole, also long and boring.
Read
October 15, 2024for mine and hanna's upcoming presentation that we're having for FORTY FIVE MINUTES😵💫🫠🫨
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June 5, 2018Read for DHA 1101W Intro to Design Thinking, Fall 2007 (I believe--can't remember exactly which course it was.)
Sentences I noted:
25: For Holmes, photography signaled the beginning of a time when the "image would become more important than the object itself, and would in fact make the object disposable." Holmes foresaw a time when surfaces would be routinely appropriated from any conceivable source, and would then take on an autonomous, yet objective, life of their own.
32: The new consumer democracy, which was propelled by the mass production and marketing of stylish goods, was founded on the idea that symbols and prerogatives of elites could now be made available on a mass scale. the values of elite culture were simultaneously upheld and undermined by this peculiar variant of democracy.
The impact of industrialism on the character and scale of the style market was prodigious. Industries previously characterized by artisanal handcrafts, and by a relative scarcity of output, were now able to turn out enormous quantities of goods. Elegantly worked surfaces, once the product of slow and deliberate skill, were now the product of high-speed, less-skilled, factory processes.
234: Much of what gets thrown away is packaging, the provocatively designed wrappings that we have come to expect on nearly everything we purchase. In the United States in 1984, more than 37 percent of the debris tossed into municipal waste systems was made up of paper and paperboard products. Glass, metal, and plastics--largely from disposable containers--comprised another 26.5 percent.
But it is not just packaging. Increasingly, products which in the past would have been considered "durables" quickly find their way into the trashbin. These include wristwatches, telephones and other electronic devices, razors, pens, medical and hospital supplies,cigarette lighters,and, recently, cameras. General Electric and GTE sell lamps "that sell for under $25 and are designed to be discarded when the bulbs burn out." Predictions abound that automobile engines will soon be made of plastic and will be "less expensive to replace than to repair." The "machine for living" will follow suit. "In the 21st century," one futurist forecasts, "we'll begin to see prefabricated homes that will be manufactured from inexpensive materials, will take only days to put up,and will be thrown out and replaced rather than repaired." ... Joseph Smith, a consumer psychologist, contends that the popular appeal of disposable products "reflects our changing social values; there's less emphasis on permanence today." Trend watcher Faith Popcorn, president of the Brain Reserve, concurs: "People just don't get attached to things the way they used to."
243: The purpose is to make the customer discontented with his old type of fountain pen, kitchen utensil, bathroom or motor car, because it is old fashioned, out-of-date. The technical term for this idea is obsoletism. We no longer wait for things to wear out. We displace them with others that are not more effective but more attractive.
247: Even as the machinery of the "ever-evolving new" is perpetually in search of the "memorable," the particular sources--or aesthetics--from which commercially "memorable" images are drawn are unimportant. In a society where the skinning of the visible world has become commonplace, any skin, any visual connotation, maybe drawn into service. The only requirements for appropriation into the style market are these.
1: The image must be able to be disembodied, separated form its source.
2: The image must be capable of being "economically" mass produced.
3: the image must be able to become merchandise, to be promoted and sold.
Given these three essentials, the market in style is extraordinarily plastic--capable of being molded, of receiving form.
the essential quality of a consumer society--marked as it is by the continuous cultivation of markets, obsessive/compulsive shopping, and premeditated waste--has made ever-changing style a cardinal feature of economic life, and of popular perception.
Sentences I noted:
25: For Holmes, photography signaled the beginning of a time when the "image would become more important than the object itself, and would in fact make the object disposable." Holmes foresaw a time when surfaces would be routinely appropriated from any conceivable source, and would then take on an autonomous, yet objective, life of their own.
32: The new consumer democracy, which was propelled by the mass production and marketing of stylish goods, was founded on the idea that symbols and prerogatives of elites could now be made available on a mass scale. the values of elite culture were simultaneously upheld and undermined by this peculiar variant of democracy.
The impact of industrialism on the character and scale of the style market was prodigious. Industries previously characterized by artisanal handcrafts, and by a relative scarcity of output, were now able to turn out enormous quantities of goods. Elegantly worked surfaces, once the product of slow and deliberate skill, were now the product of high-speed, less-skilled, factory processes.
234: Much of what gets thrown away is packaging, the provocatively designed wrappings that we have come to expect on nearly everything we purchase. In the United States in 1984, more than 37 percent of the debris tossed into municipal waste systems was made up of paper and paperboard products. Glass, metal, and plastics--largely from disposable containers--comprised another 26.5 percent.
But it is not just packaging. Increasingly, products which in the past would have been considered "durables" quickly find their way into the trashbin. These include wristwatches, telephones and other electronic devices, razors, pens, medical and hospital supplies,cigarette lighters,and, recently, cameras. General Electric and GTE sell lamps "that sell for under $25 and are designed to be discarded when the bulbs burn out." Predictions abound that automobile engines will soon be made of plastic and will be "less expensive to replace than to repair." The "machine for living" will follow suit. "In the 21st century," one futurist forecasts, "we'll begin to see prefabricated homes that will be manufactured from inexpensive materials, will take only days to put up,and will be thrown out and replaced rather than repaired." ... Joseph Smith, a consumer psychologist, contends that the popular appeal of disposable products "reflects our changing social values; there's less emphasis on permanence today." Trend watcher Faith Popcorn, president of the Brain Reserve, concurs: "People just don't get attached to things the way they used to."
243: The purpose is to make the customer discontented with his old type of fountain pen, kitchen utensil, bathroom or motor car, because it is old fashioned, out-of-date. The technical term for this idea is obsoletism. We no longer wait for things to wear out. We displace them with others that are not more effective but more attractive.
247: Even as the machinery of the "ever-evolving new" is perpetually in search of the "memorable," the particular sources--or aesthetics--from which commercially "memorable" images are drawn are unimportant. In a society where the skinning of the visible world has become commonplace, any skin, any visual connotation, maybe drawn into service. The only requirements for appropriation into the style market are these.
1: The image must be able to be disembodied, separated form its source.
2: The image must be capable of being "economically" mass produced.
3: the image must be able to become merchandise, to be promoted and sold.
Given these three essentials, the market in style is extraordinarily plastic--capable of being molded, of receiving form.
the essential quality of a consumer society--marked as it is by the continuous cultivation of markets, obsessive/compulsive shopping, and premeditated waste--has made ever-changing style a cardinal feature of economic life, and of popular perception.
June 25, 2009
Written in media studies lilt before there was media studies lilt. Neat stuff throughout.
January 2, 2019
Llibre una mica vague sobre l’evolució del concepte d’estil –classe, gust, distinció- a l’època contemporània. Entesa sovint com a ‘gust dominant’. Una idea que hi planeja, ambígua e indefinida: “el estilo es una manera a través de la cual valores, estructuras y supuestos humanos en una sociedad determinada son expresados y recibidos estéticamente” (18).
Components que hi són presents: l’estil es pot comprar, implica consum i dispendi, més enllà del valor utilitari del que físicament es compra. A més, l’estil porta implícit un valor elitista. Les operacions d’estil impliquen una sobresignificació d’uns valors de l’objecte i la infrasignificació d’altres, que són sovint els més utilitaris: “en el mundo del estilo, las ideas, las actividades y los compromisos se vuelven adornos, agregan connotaciones y valor a las prendas mientras ellas son, simultáneamente, desprovistas de significado” (36).
Components que hi són presents: l’estil es pot comprar, implica consum i dispendi, més enllà del valor utilitari del que físicament es compra. A més, l’estil porta implícit un valor elitista. Les operacions d’estil impliquen una sobresignificació d’uns valors de l’objecte i la infrasignificació d’altres, que són sovint els més utilitaris: “en el mundo del estilo, las ideas, las actividades y los compromisos se vuelven adornos, agregan connotaciones y valor a las prendas mientras ellas son, simultáneamente, desprovistas de significado” (36).
October 17, 2023
What potential negative impacts does style bring us?
1. Style creates an illusion of surpassing class, but this illusion is an unattainable goal.
2. The pursuit of style makes us part of external control, and we lose the opportunity to establish ourselves.
3. Style is disguised by the illusion of freedom from a formalized life, but still trapped in consumerism.
4. Style may make us obsessed with form, but overlook the essence of things, leading to a decline in information acquisition ability.
1. Style creates an illusion of surpassing class, but this illusion is an unattainable goal.
2. The pursuit of style makes us part of external control, and we lose the opportunity to establish ourselves.
3. Style is disguised by the illusion of freedom from a formalized life, but still trapped in consumerism.
4. Style may make us obsessed with form, but overlook the essence of things, leading to a decline in information acquisition ability.
March 20, 2025
Both a fascinating review of how style operates across multiple aspects of contemporary culture and a critique of the same. Some history, much assessment, and a stern reminder that we're still having the same debates, 40 years on. . .
August 22, 2018
Talk about a fork in the road!!!..I read this book in 1993 after the author spoke at, of all places, the Broadcast Designer's Association awards. I was there to receive 4 prestigious awards for my computer animation designs in advertising. (I wonder if the event organizers knew of his beliefs and had even read his book?) He completely lambasted the entire culture of advertising / consumerism at an event focused on presenting awards to those who "designed" the packaging for exactly that type of psychological manipulation. True, tv is slightly less of a style-driven medium aiming to influence your consumption habits, but television advertising is truly at the forefront, along with print.
Needless to say, or rather, very necessary - I was appalled by my naivete˙. How could I have overlooked the premise of the industry I worked in and believed that I was contributing value to a field that coerced? Why did my ethics come into play so strongly? Was Emmanuel Kant's moral philosophy that "the means do not justify the ends"(sic) making me have second thoughts about my career choice? Damn straight!
I was aiming towards a field of show opens and image assembly that would've vaulted my place in the annals of design. LA was on my horizon. Motion pictures were next. Means DID justify the ends. But now it no longer felt right. Damn conscience!
I subsequently backed off my blind pursuit of stardom and ventured into less commercial arenas - sports and news graphic design - both sensationalized in their own way, but less manipulative.
Now I'm writing a tv episodic that focuses on the blind subservience the masses provide to the industries of coercion, and how commercial art is subject to the market's demands. It's a comedy of sorts!!! This book completely changed my direction in life. Not sure for the better, yet, but change it did!
Needless to say, or rather, very necessary - I was appalled by my naivete˙. How could I have overlooked the premise of the industry I worked in and believed that I was contributing value to a field that coerced? Why did my ethics come into play so strongly? Was Emmanuel Kant's moral philosophy that "the means do not justify the ends"(sic) making me have second thoughts about my career choice? Damn straight!
I was aiming towards a field of show opens and image assembly that would've vaulted my place in the annals of design. LA was on my horizon. Motion pictures were next. Means DID justify the ends. But now it no longer felt right. Damn conscience!
I subsequently backed off my blind pursuit of stardom and ventured into less commercial arenas - sports and news graphic design - both sensationalized in their own way, but less manipulative.
Now I'm writing a tv episodic that focuses on the blind subservience the masses provide to the industries of coercion, and how commercial art is subject to the market's demands. It's a comedy of sorts!!! This book completely changed my direction in life. Not sure for the better, yet, but change it did!
August 26, 2007
This book, as I recall, discussed in length the problems with slick advertising. It goes into commonly discussed topics such as how advertisements tend to try and make you feel like you'll be a more attractive or better person by buying some product.
Being in high-tech it was probably a good book to read! It might have reminded me of what I was doing as soon after reading it I drastically cut back on high-tech purchases.
I remember it as a pretty good book; typically academic in nature.
Being in high-tech it was probably a good book to read! It might have reminded me of what I was doing as soon after reading it I drastically cut back on high-tech purchases.
I remember it as a pretty good book; typically academic in nature.
June 9, 2012
Ewen places the notion of style within its economic and social context, arguing that larger businesses developed our current conception of style in the early twentieth century in order to sell goods beyond mere necessity. If you'd rather die than wear uncool clothes, if you feel like a loser because you don't have the latest gadgets, or if you think you are different from others because of the shoes you wear, then this book will explain how you've been had.
October 26, 2007
a terrific commentary on the politics/history of advertising and its effects on the American class system and culture. i took a class with the author of the book as a freshman (it was a total ego trip for him) and it changed my perspective on many subjects. i need to read it again.
March 29, 2010
I used to read books like this all the time. I guess I thought they were dealing with one of the more significant ethical issues of our age: how advertising images shape and reflect our desires. Why isn't that a topic that philosophers write about?
March 6, 2022
I first bought and read this book sometime in the late 1980s. Luckily I have kept it in my reference library ever since, and I will re-read it again shortly. My interests are lifelong, and time has caught up with the subjects analyzed in this book. Highly recommended.
April 23, 2008
sometimes, you lend this book to your not-yet-ex and then realize you need it for a paper the day after you cut off all communication.
Want to read
December 19, 2008Been on my list for a while. Recommended by Betsy, a very socially consicous friend.
April 20, 2012
Essential reading for culture watchers.
August 27, 2019
Some good insights about society in the "media age" yet before the age of the internet. The Marxist perspective of the author gets old quickly, however.
June 23, 2014
very interesting, useful in understanding american consumer culture
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews