Sweaters of enlightenment

February 11, 2009 7:10 AM

The cult of fashion; the fashion of cults.
posted by fiercecupcake (41 comments total)

Thanks to a non-MeFite who knows who she is for the link. ;]
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:14 AM on February 11

All members of my new cult wear Snuggies.
posted by chillmost at 7:19 AM on February 11 [2 favorites has favorites]

Interesting stuff. Thanks.
posted by WPW at 7:30 AM on February 11

All cults and communes depend on a certain suspension of rational thought to exist, as do all religions. Thereign lies their allure, as well as their danger. In the same way, fashion and personal style have nothing to do with rational thought.

I challenge her to explain Flava Flav's clock.
posted by mannequito at 7:37 AM on February 11 [2 favorites has favorites]

Ultimate cult fashion
posted by grippycat at 7:37 AM on February 11

I'm not sure what the gladiator sandal photos have to do with the rest of it, but I would like to put this on the record:

CHEERS to gladiator sandals
JEERS to the Manson family
posted by Greg Nog at 7:39 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

...one of the more cult-y periods the leader, Michael Rapunzel (born Michael Metelica)...

Dude, quit bogarting the cool last names.
posted by DU at 7:40 AM on February 11 [2 favorites has favorites]

This blog is great, never seen it before and it seems much more thoughtful and clever than most. Thanks!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:55 AM on February 11

David Koresh = Anna Wintour LOL

Good stuff, thanks.
posted by fungible at 8:00 AM on February 11

Whoa! Where's the Heaven's Gate crew, with their stylish jumpsuits and Nikes?
posted by orme at 8:04 AM on February 11 [5 favorites has favorites]

My wife always wears white sweaters and only buys me brown sweaters. She's also into group sex and recently changed her name to Princess Bomb. Should I be worried?
posted by diogenes at 8:05 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

Aside from these well-known groups that fit into the traditional view of cults as extremely negative and harmful...

Involuntary shudder as blog reminds me too much of a thousand lame freshman essays; can't go on reading. Far prefer their take on He's Just Not That Into You.
posted by RogerB at 8:11 AM on February 11

Cults need not be antithetical to style.
posted by Joe Beese at 8:12 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

Somewhere the Polyphonic Spree is feverishly taking notes.
posted by jonp72 at 8:19 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

What does this say about athletic teams, military and police uniforms and wearing a vest at Wallmart?
posted by Bitter soylent at 8:21 AM on February 11

I challenge her to explain Flava Flav's clock.

That one is perfectly rational: it allows Him to demonstrate that He is timeless.
posted by aramaic at 8:33 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

Ha, jonp72, I was thinking that Members of the Source Family bunch looked familiar. . .
posted by resurrexit at 8:33 AM on February 11

I love the cult history, with the color-coded sweaters indicating levels of spiritual enlightenment, but there are a lot of cults that are not from the 60s in the Western US. At the end of the piece, it devolves into OMG ALL FASHION IS A CULT AMIRITE which... is not the ending the research deserves.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:47 AM on February 11

I was amused that after all of that, she posts a picture of herself wearing the same gigantic bug-eye sunglasses that have been trendy for two years or so.
posted by explosion at 8:50 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

Am I crazy or does Father Yod with his Moses-Meets-Jimmy-Page thing look like he'd be kind of cool in a crazy way?
posted by jonmc at 9:03 AM on February 11

You're crazy, in a crazy way.
posted by mannequito at 9:06 AM on February 11

I can't stop reading this terrible writing. It's like that time (last month) that I read Clueless (based on the major motion picture).
posted by anoirmarie at 9:08 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

crazy, man, crazy...
posted by jonmc at 9:09 AM on February 11

people sometimes employ style as a means of social control?! i think this writer's onto something big here. the piece was mainly a list of examples illustrating a premise that is plain as day. but i'm with jonmc, i think father yod looks completely rad. i'd relinquish my autonomy to him in a heartbeat.
posted by barrett caulk at 9:44 AM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

I think we can all agree that Father Yod looks like he was pretty awesome.
posted by diogenes at 9:55 AM on February 11

Father Yod is one colorful character. WW2 vet, Marine, martial arts expert turned vegetarian beatnik restauranteur. That alone is the makings of a great life, let alone founding a spiritually-based commune.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:09 AM on February 11

Plus he has one of those guitars that are, like double guitars!

(which isn't as cool as this, but what is? Then again, the beard, the multi-neked axe...is Rick Neilsen one of yod's missionaries? Is that what they mean by "Surrender?")
posted by jonmc at 10:19 AM on February 11

Flav's clock was always awesome. You gotta know what time it is.
posted by cashman at 10:20 AM on February 11

I'm actually pretty disappointed by the fasion selections. When I think "cult", I want to see something traditional, like say, this, this or this. Or even something sexy like this. This isn't rocket science we're talking about: grab a hood and a robe, and you're good too go, unless you're the sexy priestess, in which case you want something slit up the sides, and with cleavage down to your belly button. But not something that looks like a hippy version of Donny and Marie Osmond.

Really, cultists these days need fashion consultants. It's just sad, really.
posted by happyroach at 10:39 AM on February 11

We all wear lederhosen over here. It helps to keep our community isolated from outside influences.
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:06 AM on February 11

Needed more Elegant Gothic Lolitas & girls in geek glasses. Maybe Geeky Gothic Lolitas, for the best of both worlds.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:42 AM on February 11

Father Yod is one colorful character. WW2 vet, Marine, martial arts expert turned vegetarian beatnik restauranteur. That alone is the makings of a great life

Yup. Then he convinces your grandma to take out a reverse mortgage, change her name to Titania, and carry his hellborn seed.
posted by kid ichorous at 12:09 PM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

He's an archetypal fraud
posted by kid ichorous at 12:10 PM on February 11

Happyroach, link #2 there is somewhat NSFW.
posted by yath at 12:10 PM on February 11

*warning: contains cartoon bondage*
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:12 PM on February 11 [1 favorite has favorites]

My Seventies Cult (Divine Light Mission, featuring the teenage faux-Guru Maharaj ji) had but one fashion quirk: Earth Shoes!
posted by kozad at 12:35 PM on February 11

Yes, chillmost, but will your cult be there for THIS?
posted by bitter-girl.com at 12:37 PM on February 11

I would love to be in the boardroom as the Snuggies people try to figure out how to reproduce their success.
posted by diogenes at 12:51 PM on February 11

Am I crazy or does Father Yod with his Moses-Meets-Jimmy-Page thing look like he'd be kind of cool in a crazy way?

Obviously!
posted by Liquidwolf at 2:15 PM on February 11

I get the cult = fashion thing. But can anyone make beef with a pair of chucks and a pair of nice jeans?
posted by lazlo_80 at 3:55 PM on February 11

The guy in the foreground of the Manson Family photograph pretty much dressed almost exactly how I do on most days. Are jeans, a t-shirt, and a hooded sweater that cultish and weird? Granted, I don't tuck the shirt as that's just plain creepy.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:06 AM on February 12