Radical chic
Encyclopedia
Radical chic is a term coined by journalist Tom Wolfe
in his 1970 essay "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's," to describe the adoption and promotion of radical political
causes by celebrities
, socialite
s, and high society
. The concept has been described as "an exercise in double-tracking one's public image: on the one hand, defining oneself through committed allegiance to a radical cause, but on the other, vitally, demonstrating this allegiance because it is the fashionable, au courant way to be seen in moneyed, name-conscious Society." Unlike dedicated activists
, revolutionaries
, or dissenters
, those who engage in radical chic remain frivolous political agitators. They are ideologically
invested in their cause of choice only so far as it advances their social standing.
"Terrorist chic" is a modern expression with similar connotations. This derivative, however, de-emphasizes the class satire
of Wolfe's original term, instead accentuating concerns over the semiotics
of radicalism (such as the aestheticization of violence
).
article by Wolfe, titled "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny’s", which was later reprinted in his books Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
and The Purple Decades
. In the essay, Wolfe used the term to satirize composer Leonard Bernstein
and his friends for their absurdity in hosting a fundraising party for the Black Panthers
—an organization whose members, activities, and goals were clearly incongruous with those of Bernstein's white elite circle. Wolfe's concept of radical chic was intended to lampoon individuals (particularly social elites
like the jet set
) who endorsed leftist
radicalism merely to affect worldliness, assuage white guilt
, or garner prestige, rather than to affirm genuine political convictions.
, prior to the publication of "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's", a fact Wolfe details in it. The essay appeared in the June 8, 1970 issue of New York, 20 weeks after the actual fund raiser at the Bernstein residence was held on January 14. The first report of the event appeared the following day in a piece by New York Times
style reporter Charlotte Curtis
, who was in attendance. Curtis wrote in part: "Leonard Bernstein and a Black Panther leader argued the merits of the Black Panther party’s philosophy before nearly 90 guests last night in the Bernsteins’ elegant Park Avenue duplex." According to Wolfe, the release of the story worldwide was followed by strong criticism of the event: "The English, particularly, milked the story for all it was worth and seemed to derive one of the great cackles of the year from it."
The negative reaction prompted publication of an editorial in the Times on January 16 entitled "False Note on Black Panthers" that was severely critical of the Black Panther Party and Bernstein:
Felicia Montealegre wrote and personally delivered a response to this editorial to the Times offices, however the newspaper did not publish her letter until several days later. In her response she wrote:
of symbols, objects, and aesthetics related to radical militant
s, usually in the context of pop culture
or fashion
. When such imagery is deployed subversively
, the process exemplifies aestheticization as propaganda. Regardless, because terrorist chic derives its iconography
from groups and individuals often associated with violent conflict or terrorism
, the term carries a greater pejorative tone than "radical chic."
Instances of terrorist chic have variously been interpreted as morally irresponsible, earnestly counter-cultural
, ironically hip
, or benignly apolitical. According to Henry K. Miller of the New Statesman
, the most well-known example is the ubiquitous appearance of Marxist
revolutionary Che Guevara in popular culture
. Other cases that have been labeled terrorist chic include: the Prada-Meinhof fashion line (a pun on Prada
and the Baader-Meinhof Gang
) and the wearing of keffiyeh
s outside of the Arab World
.
Essays & editorials
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
in his 1970 essay "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's," to describe the adoption and promotion of radical political
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
causes by celebrities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
s, and high society
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
. The concept has been described as "an exercise in double-tracking one's public image: on the one hand, defining oneself through committed allegiance to a radical cause, but on the other, vitally, demonstrating this allegiance because it is the fashionable, au courant way to be seen in moneyed, name-conscious Society." Unlike dedicated activists
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, revolutionaries
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
, or dissenters
Political dissent
Political dissent refers to any expression designed to convey dissatisfaction with or opposition to the policies of a governing body. Such expression may take forms from vocal disagreement to civil disobedience to the use of violence. Historically, repressive governments have sought to punish...
, those who engage in radical chic remain frivolous political agitators. They are ideologically
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
invested in their cause of choice only so far as it advances their social standing.
"Terrorist chic" is a modern expression with similar connotations. This derivative, however, de-emphasizes the class satire
Social commentary
Social commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...
of Wolfe's original term, instead accentuating concerns over the semiotics
Semiotics
Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes , indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication...
of radicalism (such as the aestheticization of violence
Aestheticization of violence
The aestheticization of violence in high culture art or mass media is the depiction of or references to violence in what Indiana University film studies professor Margaret Bruder calls a "stylistically excessive," "significant and sustained way." When violence is depicted in this fashion in films,...
).
Origin and meaning
The phrase "radical chic" originated in a 1970 New YorkNew York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
article by Wolfe, titled "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny’s", which was later reprinted in his books Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers is a 1970 book by Tom Wolfe. The book, Wolfe's fourth, is composed of two articles by Wolfe, "These Radical Chic Evenings," first published in June of 1970 in New York magazine, about a gathering Leonard Bernstein held for the Black Panther Party and...
and The Purple Decades
The Purple Decades
The Purple Decades: A Reader is a collection of the non-fiction writing of Tom Wolfe, published in 1982. The book contains 20 pieces of Wolfe's best-known writing....
. In the essay, Wolfe used the term to satirize composer Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
and his friends for their absurdity in hosting a fundraising party for the Black Panthers
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
—an organization whose members, activities, and goals were clearly incongruous with those of Bernstein's white elite circle. Wolfe's concept of radical chic was intended to lampoon individuals (particularly social elites
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
like the jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
) who endorsed leftist
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
radicalism merely to affect worldliness, assuage white guilt
White guilt
White guilt refers to the concept of individual or collective guilt often said to be felt by some white people for the racist treatment of people of color by whites both historically and presently...
, or garner prestige, rather than to affirm genuine political convictions.
Background
The concept of 'fashionable' espousal of radical causes by members of wealthy society in this case had been argued against by Bernstein's wife, Felicia MontealegreFelicia Montealegre
Felicia Cohn Montealegre was a stage and television actress. From 1951 until her death, she was the wife of American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein....
, prior to the publication of "Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's", a fact Wolfe details in it. The essay appeared in the June 8, 1970 issue of New York, 20 weeks after the actual fund raiser at the Bernstein residence was held on January 14. The first report of the event appeared the following day in a piece by New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
style reporter Charlotte Curtis
Charlotte Curtis
Charlotte Murray Curtis was the first female journalist to head the New York Times. She was born in 1928 in Columbus, Ohio, attended Vassar College, and died of cancer in 1987. She was married to William E...
, who was in attendance. Curtis wrote in part: "Leonard Bernstein and a Black Panther leader argued the merits of the Black Panther party’s philosophy before nearly 90 guests last night in the Bernsteins’ elegant Park Avenue duplex." According to Wolfe, the release of the story worldwide was followed by strong criticism of the event: "The English, particularly, milked the story for all it was worth and seemed to derive one of the great cackles of the year from it."
The negative reaction prompted publication of an editorial in the Times on January 16 entitled "False Note on Black Panthers" that was severely critical of the Black Panther Party and Bernstein:
Felicia Montealegre wrote and personally delivered a response to this editorial to the Times offices, however the newspaper did not publish her letter until several days later. In her response she wrote:
Terrorist chic
Terrorist chic (also known as "terror chic" or "militant chic") is a more recent and specific variation of the term. It refers to the appropriationCultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation is the adoption of some specific elements of one culture by a different cultural group. It describes acculturation or assimilation, but can imply a negative view towards acculturation from a minority culture by a dominant culture. It can include the introduction of forms of...
of symbols, objects, and aesthetics related to radical militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
s, usually in the context of pop culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
or fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
. When such imagery is deployed subversively
Subversion (politics)
Subversion refers to an attempt to transform the established social order, its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy; examples of such structures include the State. In this context, a "subversive" is sometimes called a "traitor" with respect to the government in-power. A subversive is...
, the process exemplifies aestheticization as propaganda. Regardless, because terrorist chic derives its iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
from groups and individuals often associated with violent conflict or terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, the term carries a greater pejorative tone than "radical chic."
Instances of terrorist chic have variously been interpreted as morally irresponsible, earnestly counter-cultural
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
, ironically hip
Hipster (contemporary subculture)
Hipsters are a subculture of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with musical interests mainly in alternative rock that appeared in the 1990s...
, or benignly apolitical. According to Henry K. Miller of the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, the most well-known example is the ubiquitous appearance of Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
revolutionary Che Guevara in popular culture
Che Guevara in popular culture
Appearances of Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in popular culture are common throughout the world. Although during his lifetime he was a highly politicized and controversial figure, in death his stylized image has been transformed into a worldwide emblem for an array of causes,...
. Other cases that have been labeled terrorist chic include: the Prada-Meinhof fashion line (a pun on Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
and the Baader-Meinhof Gang
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
) and the wearing of keffiyeh
Keffiyeh
The keffiyeh/kufiya , also known as a ghutrah , ' , mashadah , shemagh or in Persian chafiye , Kurdish cemedanî and Turkish puşi, is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds...
s outside of the Arab World
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
.
See also
- Lifestyle anarchismLifestyle anarchismLifestyle anarchism is a term derived from Murray Bookchin's polemical essay "Social Anarchism or Lifestyle Anarchism: An Unbridgeable Chasm." He used it to criticize those anarchists who dress the look or live in certain ways, but who don't really act on the basic tenets of anarchism at the...
- Geek chicGeek ChicGeek Chic: The Ultimate Guide to Geek Culture is a book co-written by Neil Feinman, Rob Davis and Chelseah Kalberloh. The book charts the history of the geek from Ancient Greece to the Xbox. It is published by Thames and Hudson , BIS Publishing and Ginko Press ....
- Heroin chicHeroin chicHeroin chic was a look popularized in mid-1990s fashion and characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, and jutting bones.The look, which promoted emaciated features and androgyny, was an alternative that stood in direct contradiction to the "healthy" and vibrant look of models...
- Liberal eliteLiberal eliteLiberal elite is a political stigma used to describe affluent, politically left-leaning people. It is commonly used with the pejorative implication that the people who claim to support the rights of the working class are themselves members of the upper class, or upper middle class, and are...
- Limousine liberalLimousine liberalLimousine liberal is a pejorative American political term used to illustrate perceived hypocrisy by a political liberal of upper class or upper middle class status; including calls for the use of mass transit while frequently using limousines or private jets, claiming environmental consciousness...
- List of chics
- Porno chic
External links
Lists of examples- Darling, it's so radical chic
- Radical sheep
- The revolution will not be accessorised
- 'Radical Chic' Loses Luster by Joshua Goodman, Sun JournalSun Journal (Lewiston)The Sun Journal is a daily newspaper published in Lewiston, Maine, USA, covering western Maine.In addition to its main office in Lewiston, the paper maintains satellite news and sales bureaus in the Maine towns of Farmington, Norway and Rumford....
, November 26, 2007 - TERROr.chic - the artist
Essays & editorials