How Fashion Fuels the Romanticization of Poverty and the Poor Aesthetic
Observing how poverty has been portrayed in the media and pop culture has become an increasingly interesting and sometimes disturbing phenomenon. Previously, I’ve discussed how homelessness is portrayed on various social media platforms. While some have been good, a lot more have been very bad.
All of us learn about the world through various types of social media. Of course, this is probably more the case for Gen Z and Millennials. And, in a way, that’s why it’s that much more important we are aware of what kinds of conversations are happening about poverty and homelessness on these platforms.
Consider the previously viral YouTube video, Millionaire Goes Homeless To Prove Anyone Can Make $1,000,000. In it, millionaire Mike Black does some LARPing (live-action role-playing) and cosplays (a portmanteau of “costume play”; performance art) as a homeless person for a short period. During this experiment, he manages to eliminate the primary obstacle of homelessness – the lack of a home. He then starts his own business and finds a cosigner for a house.
None of this is realistic for homeless people. The main takeaway from this video is how poorly he portrays real poverty and homelessness and, frankly, makes a mockery of it.
Why do rich people love to pretend to be poor?
Whether it’s Mike Black, celebrities Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, or “Trustifarians” (wealthy youth adopting a homeless lifestyle), the great thing about pretending to be homeless is when you’ve had enough, you can return to the comfort of your own home. It’s just poverty play. There is no real threat. You can pretend, perhaps, for the “street cred” (trusted and accepted by people who live in working-class cities because you have the same interests, culture, or opinions.)
Poor people know that there is nothing fun or cool about being poor. Rich people earning “street cred” isn’t an actual thing, while poverty trauma definitely is. But for some reason, a kind of romanticization of poverty has been a big part of popular culture.
Rich people don’t want to appear rich. They don’t want others to perceive them as privileged, as though everything has been handed to them on a silver platter, and they never struggled a day in their lives. As Drake would say, “started from the bottom, now we’re here.”
Coming from nothing, being a self-made man is attractive. Popular culture has made struggling a charming feature about a person.
This romanticization of poverty has dramatically backfired. For one, it distracts from what is most important: that there are millions of homeless people and millions more living in poverty. The more we admire pain and suffering, the further we get from ending it. Pain and suffering aren’t beautiful.
The unjust systems that put people in these circumstances shouldn’t get away with it because it “builds resilience.” We romanticize the resilience, strength, and struggle that poor people go through to survive, and as a result, these deeply rooted systematic issues are swept under the rug.
The irony of this trend is striking. The ‘poor aesthetic’ is not a fashion statement for those who actually experience poverty. Yet, fashion brands, celebrities, and pop culture icons have been adopting this trend for decades, further disconnecting it from its harsh reality.
Kanye West began selling torn-apart, distressed sweaters. Responding to those questioning his taste, he tweeted, “Yes, I believe in my ripped homeless sweaters.” These clothing items cost several hundred dollars, sometimes in the thousands. Thrift stores and “vintage” items have also been trending for years.
The romanticization of poverty has historically made things that much harder for poor people.
While the poor and working-class aesthetic is trending in pop culture, shoppers swarm charity and secondhand shops for high-quality items. These items then get resold at a massive markup. However, this isn’t a new concept.
When rich people “adopt” something once affordable for poor people, those goods are no longer accessible to those demographics. During colonial times, lobsters were considered a poor man’s food. They were primarily served to the working class, peasants, prisoners, and slaves and used for fertilizer. Then, rich people discovered it was quite good. No longer was lobster an accessible food for the poor working class.
This has also added another obstacle to poor people accessing affordable housing and homes. “Trustafarians“ purchase RVs and tiny homes. Tiny home prices go up as poverty lifestyles continue to trend.
As consumers of media and participants in popular culture, we have a role to play in shaping these trends. I wish that our collective interest would shift from the ‘homeless aesthetic’ to the real issue at hand: ending homelessness.
