Australian Fashion and Dress as Popular Culture.

This article explores the role of fashion and dress in Australian history as popular culture. It challenges the notion that fashion has been primarily feminine and elite, highlighting its presence in popular culture since the late nineteenth century. The author defines popular culture as the practices and meanings people create from commercialized cultural resources. Examples of dress as popular culture include studio photography, spectator sports, and costumed events. The article also examines the role of young people in shaping fashion as popular culture, showcasing examples from the late 1980s to late 1990s. The author suggests incorporating fashion into history teaching on popular culture by considering it as a component of various cultural developments. The text delves into the role of fancy dress in popular culture and its various purposes, such as promoting social harmony, challenging norms, exploring identity, and championing causes. It highlights the use of fancy dress in events like the Sydney Mardi Gras and fancy dress balls as fundraisers. The text also explores the relationship between fashion and youth culture, noting that young people have long used fashion to distinguish themselves and create a sense of belonging. It emphasizes the significance of dress in both challenging and reinforcing gender conventions and shaping experiences of gender. [Extracted from the article]