Prague Papers on the History of International Relations (Nov 2020)
Longing for the West. Youth Fashion in the 1980s Warsaw
Abstract
In the 1980s in Poland, many young people dreamed of having western clothes. They were considered the most fashionable, created/signified the social position and allowed teenagers to “feel cool”. On the basis of the ethnographic research, the paper presents the sources of inspiration for the clothing choices and the deeper meaning of fashion in those times. Thus, this text is not only a description of teenage clothing choices, but most of all, it is a story of resistance and cultural changes among teens which led to the collapse of socialistic culture. By referring to postcolonial theories, it is shown how international influences impacted everyday decisions and how they enabled the success of consumerism in Poland.
