The Pop Culture of Jeans

by Joe Coates & Kaze Murego

One of the most notable fashion clothes in American culture is “Blue jeans”. Jeans has influenced so many Americans over time and have come a long way from being worn as work pants to a fashion necessity. We now wear jeans for different occasions with all types of colors, fits, and styles. Jeans has influenced the people of our era because of some associations that were given to jeans. Jeans add to our course conversation because everything is always being sold in some kind of way. The ads sell us extraordinary stories so we are convinced into buying the product. Advertisements also sell us imaginary lifestyles so we fell the need to buy certain things to look like certain celebrities or to have a specific swagger. If we understood pop culture, we would see that everything that we use, wear, and do is considered is influenced by the past. A lot of our activities have a long history behind just as blue jeans.

It all began in the 1850’s around the time of the California gold rush. Levi Strauss made work pants that were durable and sturdier for the miners. As his jeans gained more popularity, they became a daily wear for farmers, miners, lumberjacks, rancher, and cowboys. The pants were reputed to be tough, comfortable, and affordable. Although jeans were originally made for male workers, in the 1870’s, western women who worked alongside men began to wear men’s jeans. First, they started wearing jeans just as a sexual revolt, then they became sports clothes, and later used as casual wear. About Eighty years later, In the 1950’s actors and actresses began wearing, what they called, “Denim jeans”. Jeans started being worn by celebrities such as James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe. All in which were trendsetters for other celebrities and thousands maybe even millions of fans. In the 1970’s, designer jeans made an appearance in high-end shops. Calvin Klein promoted his jeans as refined sportswear. About ten years later other companies followed behind releasing jeans as a new natural style for our American community. In the 90’s, the style of jean started to impact our society in a great way. Baggy jeans wear associated with thugs or rappers and skinny jeans were for young white boys, or skateboarders. The different styles of jeans were each given a specific lifestyle that we all end up believing is true about our community.

It is safe to say that jeans are one of the major inventions that relate to American pop culture.  The American history itself explains well enough how jeans became a major role in the lives of Americans. With pop culture mostly aiming for the younger crowd,  jeans have really affected how people dress, carry themselves, and mostly how they all look at others based on their jeans. For example, baggy jeans are for tougher guys, while if you wear skinny jeans your sexual preference could be questioned. This goes to show how just like everything else that relates to pop culture it influences the communities’ mind on what they perceive that style is for specific social groups.

The evolution of jeans in American pop culture shows how consumerism has turned what was originally intended for the working class into a fashion necessity.