Seduced_&_Repressed

In this assignment I plan to discuss the role of the concepts of the seduced and repressed for understanding the place of consumption in consumer society within the UK.  Living within a consumer society gives us the freedom of choice although how we use this depends on our social and financial status.  Consumption covers a range of social issues that shape our lives, makes us who we are, it has changed over the last century but as we will see it is still divided.  We will use Bauman’s concepts of the seduced and repressed to explore how they affect society.   In the early part of this century when we lived within a more industrial society, a person’s identity would have come from either permanent employment or citizenship or those with what was seen as a more important profession within the community (doctor/lawyer).  These roles were seen as shaping a persons identity therefore as giving status to the individual. It was perceived that only the rich could afford to consume more than the essentials in life and lead a more luxurious lifestyle and they liked to display their wealth through possessions. These would have been bought from specialist shops where goods were under the counter or on shelves behind the counter; these goods would have been limited and costly, therefore discouraging those who couldn’t afford them from entering the stores and making a purchase. Then the department store was born and for the first time people from any walk of life could actually see and touch goods. The store owners employed great marketing techniques, lighting, special offers and due to mass production and lower costs the choice of items, goods and services grew and with it the aspirations of the individual did too. Consumption would change, no longer were goods bought for necessity or to display your position within society, they were bought to create an identity, a lifestyle. This introduces Bauman’s theory of the seduced and repressed. Bauman’s theory claims that ‘within contemporary western societies we can be broadly divided into two groups of consumer, the seduced and the repressed’ (Zygmunt Bauman (1988)). He argues that we are no longer divided by social class or status, ie. middle/working class or occupation but by our ability to consume and create an identity or lifestyle that reflects who we are. We have moved on from the industrial society and it is no longer just the wealthy who can afford to consume, its those who have a good secure job and surplus income or those who want to buy into a consumer society, that he calls the seduced. Obviously the seduced does not cover everyone in society, Bauman states that the repressed are people within society who could be unemployed, casually employed, perhaps have disabilities, the sick or the old.  These people are more restricted within society, due to lack of income or opportunity in their ability to consume effectively.   Everyone wants to consume and belong in society in some way and everything we buy tells people something about us. The seduced are using their financial freedom and self-expression to create a lifestyle through material gains. They are using their disposable income and freedom of choice, therefore allowing themselves and their identity to become shaped by what they consume.  You could argue that they may not need the goods or services but they still buy designer label clothing, premium foods at the supermarket, take luxury holidays, buy better cars or own a bigger home. They buy these because they feel they will gain membership within society thus projecting an image of higher status. The seduced could, of course, at anytime become repressed within our economic climate or due to recession. A lack of disposable income would take away their means and lower them within society. There is much pressure to belong, Bauman comments “that your identity becomes devalued” if you are unable to consume effectively. No one wants to be excluded from society but as the repressed have less ability to consume effectively, they may be. They may not own mobile telephones, are more likely to have smaller cars and possibly not own their own homes. They may live on benefits or have low income occupations but still want to consume the latest trends/fashions, and will do so at the expense of other more important necessities in life. It could be said that they live out-with their means, using credit to obtain the luxuries in life, for example mail order catalogues or high interest credit lenders, so they are not excluded. Not everyone can be described as seduced or repressed. Within society there are people who possibly would be more interested in the ethics and politics behind goods and services, whether they are rich or not. They may want to buy organic foods or fair trade products regardless of costs due to what these products stand for. Consumers are keen to support more ethical causes no matter what their background. Not everyone was to be part of the mass consumption. Being either seduced or repressed still contributes to society, but in different ways. It could be said that the “repressed” provide the services for the “seduced”. If we look at supermarkets for example, they pay minimum wage, therefore people that Bauman describes as having lower income would possibly fill the job vacancies within the store. Supermarkets now have more goods on sale than ever before, offering huge choice to the buyer. The seduced could enter a supermarket and buy what they wanted, be it a CD or a book, a magazine or branded make-up alongside their groceries, which would no doubt be the “best” brands that the shop offers, plenty of fresh foods, nice wines, regardless of price. The repressed could be the people working in the store. After their shift finishes you may find that they go out into the store, but are looking for the bargains, goods that have been reduced in price due to sell by dates for example they would avoid the CD’s/books, only buying exactly what they needed, no doubt the supermarkets own brands, there can be no impulse buying for them. The flip side of this is that they may not even be able to afford to purchase from their employer, the repressed may spend their money in cheaper supermarkets, as this is all they can afford. In conclusion, while the seduced consume to acquire possessions that show people their wealth and status within society, using their disposable incomes, the repressed struggle and can be excluded because of their lack of income. Social division still exists as it did back in the industrial society of the UK, but we have more freedom of choice these days due to the growth of the food and clothing industries within our country, therefore no one should be fully excluded, rich or poor. Word Count: 1172 References: Bauman, Z. (1988) Freedom, Milton Keynes, Open University Press Bromley, S., Clarke, J., Hinchliffe, S., and Taylor, S. (2009) Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University