I see what you mean about Cayse's obsession with removing all of the labels from her clothing. She is supposedly "allergic to fashion," but she takes time picking out the clothing that she wears, and she seems pretty distraught when her vintage, original jacket is burnt by a cigarette. Maybe Gibson is posing the argument that in today's consumer driven society one can't differentiate themselves. Gibson suggests in his text that more money is spent on advertising a product than producing it. Advertising is all around us, there is no avoiding it, and as a result of this individuals living in a society internalize the billboards that surround them. As a result of this, people, like the Emo kids, conform without even knowing it. On a side note, I find it interesting how Cayse is allergic to name brands and fashion, yet she loves her Starbucks coffee ...something seems problematic about that one!

Hi Allison,

I’m glad that some other people in class share my view of Cayce’s allergy to brands. I guess I just approached it from an entirely different angle than Dr. Middleton. I read Cayce’s label/logo phobia as legitimate, but I also felt like Cayce was putting a lot of effort into her look, almost like she was marketing herself. The narrator doesn’t say that she threw on jeans, her black t-shirt, and a leather jacket, but goes into great detail about her Paco boots, 501s, Rickson, DKNY skirt, black Fruit of the Loom t-shirt, and her shopping spree at a London department store that the narrator tells us would put Fred Segal to shame. Really, would someone truly allergic to allergies shop at Harvey Nichols?

Also, Cayce is highly conscious of the image she’s projecting, as well as the images of others, especially Dorotea. Gibson writes, “Dorotea may have attempted to out-minimalize her this morning, Cayce decides. If so, it hasn’t worked. Dorotea’s black dress, for all its apparent simplicity, is still trying to say several things at once, probably in at least three languages” (10). Later we are told, “Dorotea enters in serious Armani business drag, blackly deconstructed. This is, Cayce senses, for Dorothea virtually an anti-fashion statement” (96). I read these comments as Cayce feeling threatened that her rival is either emulating or competing for the same anti-fashion, minimalist image. These examples imply that Cayce was annoyed that someone else was trying to brand themselves as being above a brand.

Beth