CLASSIFICATION STRUGGLE IN ADVERTISEMENT

Running head: CLASSIFICATION STRUGGLE IN ADVERTISEMENT
Classification Struggle In Advertisement
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CLASSIFICATION STRUGGLE IN ADVERTISEMENT1
Pierre Bourdieu, in his book Distinction, has presented his view on French culture and
stated that his view on the class struggle in the society and how the taste and preference of the
dominant social class influences and mold the thinking of the masses. In the year 1988, it was
voted as one of the top ten books by the international sociological association. In his book, he
states that people of the society who has a high volume of cultural capital, as well as nonfinancial
assets, influence social mobility, which is beyond the economic means. People who have a lower
set of income accept this as legitimate and natural, accepting the restriction which exists between
various forms of capital. This paper focuses on how the concept of Bourdieu is evident in
contemporary advertising media. The following section of the paper will firstly discuss the ideas
which are presented by Bourdieu in his book 'Distinction' and will explore how the brands have
associated this in their advertisement and their impact on the masses. Brands through their
advertisement have used influenced the taste and preference of the mass and tried to mold theirs
into the higher class of people.
In Pierre Bourdieu's book "Distinction: A Social Critique of taste," they stated that the
"taste' of people is a significant signifier of social class (Bourdieu 2016). However, before the
exploration of the taste, it must be understood that what is meant by taste and social class. The
dictionary of oxford defines taste as the tendency of the people to prefer, like or get associated
with the things and quality of possessing an extraordinary aesthetic standard (Spence 2015).
'social class' on the other hand, is defined as the social division which is based on the economic
or social class (Schor et al. 2016). When these two concepts are applied in the statement of
Bourdieu as he stated that 'taste' is a signifier of a social category' he statement was that when
individuals prefer or like of what they grasp for example a luxury car or designer wear like a
Blueberry jacket as opposed to a local coat this is the implication of economic or social status

CLASSIFICATION STRUGGLE IN ADVERTISEMENT2
(Barr 2014.). As stated by Bourdieu, someone who has a Blueberry jacket would be signified that
they have a high social standing and wearing a local jacket would, of course, suggest that the
person has a lower social class. This has happened because, according to Bourdieu, preference,
likeness, or taste is a form of 'social weapon' as people use this to crate and develop their
identities which makes them distinct from others like the distinction in the way high to low and
difference as a blessed to cursed.
Bourdieu has presented several arguments to back his position, this is observed,
especially in the case when he talks about the formation of taste and the reason why people
consume what they consume (Bourdieu 2003). Bourdieu has stated that the consumption of
individuals is always a reflection of the society and their social class (Bourdieu 2016). He further
stated that that taste is formed due to the dominant social class in the society, which imposed
their taste and preferences on the lower strata of the society. This statement can be further
exemplified by how the diverse taste and preferences of British people like food, their
preferences on sports, their taste in films, the clothes they wear, and even their leisure
consumption signify their social class. The author explains that the dominant taste is at all times
is the taste of the society, which dictates the cultural standards because they have the capital to
do so.
Different social classes, people will try to condition them by acquiring the taste, which
resembles the dominant social class, which can legitimize their classification by the application
of their liking. It is always witnesses that people who belong to the higher social strata always
guide people of lower levels about their taste for example which events to attend, which films
should be watched by them which results in the conditioning of the people of their society to
possesses particular taste which is worthy of the dominant social class (Lizardo 2014).