Discourse



The purpose of discourse analysis is to identify patterns in a group of images and "it refers to groups of statements which structure the way a thing is thought, and the way we act on the basis of that thinking" (Rose, p. 190). Discourse gives out different forms of words, images, and beliefs to the general public allowing them to create their own ideology. Discourse allows the public to learn what the media wants them to know and lets them apply it to their own lives.

When looking at the popular television show, Project Runway, one thing each episode does is give the designer a task. This task includes coming up with a few pieces of clothing that the judges want to see. They want to know that no matter what the fashion industry throws at the designer within their career that they can take on the challenge and adjust to the fast changing industry. Not only does this fast changing industry tell the designers what they need to change within the upcoming fall and spring line but it also tells the viewers of the show what they believe to be "in fashion" at the time. Star designers that appear on the show, such as Michael Kors and host Heidi Klum, have a large influence on what they think is the top trends at the time.
One-way Project Runway makes applying discourse analysis interesting is the fact that it doesn't strive upon having every designer be similar to each other. They aren't looking for twelve to sixteen competitors who create the same pieces as each other. What makes it unique to discourse analysis is that it does look for people who all share the common similarity of fashion and wanting to be the next top designer. The creators of Project Runway look for designers who can bring a new type of identity to the industry. "Fashion offers fundamental models and roles for constructing identity" (Abrudan, p. 5), being a designer and being able to bring something unique and different to the industry makes being able to create a certain identity that can be sold to the American culture more possible. Viewers and judges expect individuality through each piece of clothing that is presented on the show and that's how designers are able to market themselves as being better


The way fashion television presents itself is in a way that expresses a certain type of consumer ideology. Through Project Runway, the production team is being able to not only advertise for reality television show but to advertise for the fashion industry. They have future top designers on the show creating pieces that model what fashion is suppose to look like and then the judges have the ability to agree or disagree.

Using some of the most popular designers in America on the show gives the audience a sense of truth. Truth claims, which depend on assumptions and knowledge that something is true, hold a high ground in Project Runway (Rose, p. 193). The judges have the ability to give out valuable information to the public about fashion through the show. When a contestant comes up to be evaluated they have the idea that the judges know what is best. If they didn't know what was best they wouldn't have been selected to host and judge the show. Based on what the judges tell the designer they can apply that to their next project on the show or if they were to get eliminated they can take the critique away from the show and use it for future purposes. How this effects the viewers is that the same critique the judges give the designer can then be taken from them in order to apply it to their own sense of fashion. Once it is applied to the viewers we then see it make its way to the consumption part of fashion.


The ideas that are enforced on the show are to give off an idea of what women should be buying. They buy products that show some of the same detail or style that is being reiterated on the show through the designers work. In Speaking of Fashion: Consumer's Use of Fashion Discourse and the Appropriation of Countervailing Cultural Meaning the authors state: "Fashion discourse indoctrinate consumers in this ideology of consumption" (Thompson and Haytko, p. 16). Thus meaning any type of fashion that is being presented is then prevailed into our culture as a way of telling us we need to consume certain products. As consumers we fall into the ideas media portrays to us. Reality television is one of the top ways of getting ideas out into the social world. The power that reality television holds on our culture is enormous. Not all consumers fall for ideas that are expressed through fashion shows like Project Runway. "To see his or her self as an active creator of a personally unique style, rather than as a passive trend-following consumer" (Thompson and Haytko, p. 35), is another way of how consumers feel. They too can take what they see on television and make something of their own out of it. The fashion market thrives off of creativity from designers and entrepreneur-managers that it allows for the cultural industries to expand and grow with the hope of pleasing its consumers (Santagata, p. 81).

One thing that markets Project Runway from the rest of fashion television is some of the language that is used within the show. Heidi Klum use of "One day you're in. The next day you're out" gives off a certain meaning that can be applied to different aspects of the fashion industry. In the show it refers to how a designer can be in one day and out the next. The same can be applied to any type of fashion that goes through the marketing world. Fashion is constantly changing and if the designer can't keep up with the latest trends they will not be very successful. Tim Gunn uses the expression "make it work". In order for anyone to be successful in the show they have to make sure their piece for the week is good enough to be presented down the runway. "Make it work" goes towards any designers because they have to be able to design something that the judge's feel is worthy enough of advancing to the next round. The winner of show ultimately knows how to "make it work" as well be "in" for that time.


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Bibliography:

Abrudan, Elena. "Postmodern Identity: Image, Fashion, New Technology." Journal of Media Research (2012): 3-14. Print.

Rose, Gillian. "Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials". 2nd ed. London: SAGE, 2012.

Santagata, Walter. "Cultural Industries and the Production of Culture, Creativity, Fashion, and Market." Cultural Industries and the Production of Culture (2004): 75-90. Print.

Thompson, Craig J., and Diana L. Haytko. "Speaking of Fashion: Consumers' Uses of Fashion Discourses and the Appropriation of Countervailing Cultural Meanings." Journal of Consumer Research 24.1 (1997): 15-42. Print.