Apathy or agency? Strategies and tactics of dressing up by Warsaw youth in the 80s.

Abstract

Fashion was an important element of social life of Warsaw’s teenagers in the 1980s, it influenced their well-being and social position. During the crisis years young people had to show great resourcefulness to create their dream style. The article focuses on presenting specific dressing practices, such as sewing, alterations, exchanging clothes with friends or traveling abroad. By referring to the notions of “strategy” and “tactics” by Michel de Certeau, it was shown how young people obtained clothes that were not available in state stores. Knowledge made possible to get the dreamt clothes and create one’s own style based on their taste was a significant capital. Pierre Bourdieu links this concept with the habitus, which defines what seems real to an individual and possible to implement in his/her own life. The habitus is made up of norms imposed by the environment, which the individual recognizes as his/her own.