Authentic Southern Class

The clothing company Southern Marsh epitomizes southern life. Southern Marsh describes its mission as a clothing line in the following statement: "Known for its unique culture, beautiful people and timeless dress--The South is an area of the country that still finds time to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life. We do our best to package up a piece of that charm and give a snapshot into life with a little authentic southern class." As a native South Carolinian, I find it fascinating that a company is essentially selling the southern lifestyle by way of polo shirts, oxfords, and hats.

During Winter Break, I was in a men's clothing store in Charleston, South Carolina and stumbled across an advertisement very similar to the picture at the top of this post. Our textbook discusses how we interpret images and the historical and cultural contingencies that are bound up in interpretation. From the ubiquitous ads on New York taxis telling us to visit Sao Paolo via Continental Airlines to the advertising mecca of Times Square, we are constantly surrounded by advertisements. Unveiling the most fascinating aspect about advertising involves the knowledge that most corporations aren't necessarily advertising a product--they are selling a particular lifestyle. Due to the influence of advertising, we believe that our lives will resemble the lives of rock stars if we fly Virgin America or that we will look like Abercrombie models if we purchase their jeans (the company rarely displays actual articles of clothing in its advertisements). In class, we discussed how different models used in ads represent a clothing company's target consumer. The picture of the young man and woman in the advertisement for Southern Marsh is undoubtedly an icon for southerners and the southern way of life. This advertisement tells us, "Purchase these items and you will live a classy and happy existence." That the man and woman are donning "preppy" clothing and wearing sunglasses on a warm and cheery day reinforces the advertisement's role as a cultural icon. The next time I buy a T-shirt that has the phrase "Authentic Southern Class" written on the front pocket, I will look more closely at what I am actually purchasing. Am I buying the idea of a lifestyle or a cotton t-shirt?

photo 1: http://www.southern-marsh.com/collections/dress-shirts/products/oxford-dress-shirt

quote: http://www.southern-marsh.com/pages/about-us