I'm so glad this essay popped up in my notes! My mind is flooding with thoughts. The connection you made between taste and desire is so apt! I was raised in a religious community and my relationship with desire is fraught. I was taught that desire = sin and sin = alienation from my community (separation from family, loved ones, etc after death) I feel this sense of arrested development when it comes to taste. How do you develop taste when you're not allowed to have desires? And then, in that vacuum of personal desire, what came in to fill the space? Capitalism? Classism? The self-effacing aesthetic of the "desire-less" woman? (Definitely a very specific aesthetic, especially in my religious community).
Compound all this with the (admittedly misogynist) idea that caring at all about your aesthetic is inherently vain/shallow, and you've got a recipe for taste confusion. I'm really excited to see how you engage with this topic, and I can't wait to read other perspectives too. I'm so glad I found your Substack!
When I was leaving the Navy, we had a class that was mandatory that was about re-integrating into society. I remember one of the guys in the class was absolutely flabbergasted by the idea of different clothes for different aspects of jobs. Military uniforms generally are either work or formal and even though there are "More formal" options a grunt doesn't need to use them.
So as the presenter was talking about business, business casual, dressing for interviews and being one degree more formal for interviews than you'd expect to dress this man was out of his depth. He had just planned on applying to a local garage as a mechanic and not worrying about clothes again.
I fall closer to him than to people with brand awareness, and it's always been about money. I've always figured that money allows you the right to express yourself, and until you have enough of it you just make do. It's interesting that even money might not be enough if you don't have power as you mentioned in the post.
Here's hoping that we all get to express ourselves more fully.
Great read! So many points of note. Love the reference list provided at the end. I also can’t stop thinking “the theory of pleats”, which I had no idea existed and now must go learn. I’m filtering so much of this through my own life, all my own subversions along the way, and “people with a strong sense of self”… yes! Looking forward to reading more!
You might enjoy Theophrastus from 2300 years ago (Loeb Classical Library #225, Harvard Press) p. 121 - “Bad taste, to put it in a definition, is a manner of behavior which causes distress without injury.” He has a very brief piece on “Bad Taste” along with many others in “Characters” . It implies to me that good taste brings comfort without advantage. That may fit well into your syllabus ;)
I love how you phrased "our lack of interest in cultivating selfhood" because it feels like with the rate of trends dictating what "fits in" and is "in fashion/in style" there is a loss of individuality, personal style and self expression. This was such an insightful piece, thank you for sharing 🫶🏻
This focused on your upbringing in Detroit, but I feel like it could have been my family’s story in Los Angeles and also my cousin’s from down south. I love seeing our stories shared.
I devoured each sentence, had to stop eating lunch. Very insightful and honest.
Yes citations!!! Welcome to substack(hell’s playground) I am honored to be invited into your brain space 🌸🫡
I'm so glad this essay popped up in my notes! My mind is flooding with thoughts. The connection you made between taste and desire is so apt! I was raised in a religious community and my relationship with desire is fraught. I was taught that desire = sin and sin = alienation from my community (separation from family, loved ones, etc after death) I feel this sense of arrested development when it comes to taste. How do you develop taste when you're not allowed to have desires? And then, in that vacuum of personal desire, what came in to fill the space? Capitalism? Classism? The self-effacing aesthetic of the "desire-less" woman? (Definitely a very specific aesthetic, especially in my religious community).
Compound all this with the (admittedly misogynist) idea that caring at all about your aesthetic is inherently vain/shallow, and you've got a recipe for taste confusion. I'm really excited to see how you engage with this topic, and I can't wait to read other perspectives too. I'm so glad I found your Substack!
When I was leaving the Navy, we had a class that was mandatory that was about re-integrating into society. I remember one of the guys in the class was absolutely flabbergasted by the idea of different clothes for different aspects of jobs. Military uniforms generally are either work or formal and even though there are "More formal" options a grunt doesn't need to use them.
So as the presenter was talking about business, business casual, dressing for interviews and being one degree more formal for interviews than you'd expect to dress this man was out of his depth. He had just planned on applying to a local garage as a mechanic and not worrying about clothes again.
I fall closer to him than to people with brand awareness, and it's always been about money. I've always figured that money allows you the right to express yourself, and until you have enough of it you just make do. It's interesting that even money might not be enough if you don't have power as you mentioned in the post.
Here's hoping that we all get to express ourselves more fully.
Fantastic essay. Thank you for the reading list.
Great read! So many points of note. Love the reference list provided at the end. I also can’t stop thinking “the theory of pleats”, which I had no idea existed and now must go learn. I’m filtering so much of this through my own life, all my own subversions along the way, and “people with a strong sense of self”… yes! Looking forward to reading more!
You might enjoy Theophrastus from 2300 years ago (Loeb Classical Library #225, Harvard Press) p. 121 - “Bad taste, to put it in a definition, is a manner of behavior which causes distress without injury.” He has a very brief piece on “Bad Taste” along with many others in “Characters” . It implies to me that good taste brings comfort without advantage. That may fit well into your syllabus ;)
I love how you phrased "our lack of interest in cultivating selfhood" because it feels like with the rate of trends dictating what "fits in" and is "in fashion/in style" there is a loss of individuality, personal style and self expression. This was such an insightful piece, thank you for sharing 🫶🏻
Excellent read - thank you for sharing!
Immediately subscribed. Excited to read you in this format, Tahirah!
Wonderful read, thank you
omg this was brilliant
Love love loved this.
So excited to hear more from you here! 💙
What an excellent Sunday morning read, immmedddddiiiaately got me thinking and writing. Thank you so much for sharing
This focused on your upbringing in Detroit, but I feel like it could have been my family’s story in Los Angeles and also my cousin’s from down south. I love seeing our stories shared.