Blue Jeans (Object Lessons)

by Independent Scholar Carolyn Purnell

Christopher Schaberg (Editor) and Ian Bogost (Editor)

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

Few clothing items are as ubiquitous or as casual as blue jeans. Yet, their simplicity is deceptive. Blue jeans are nothing if not an exercise in opposites.

Americans have accepted jeans as a symbol of their culture, but today, they are a global good. Levi Strauss made blue jeans in the 1870s to withstand the hard work of mining, but now, jeans are the epitome of leisure. In the 1950s, celebrities like Marlon Brando transformed the utilitarian clothing of industrial labor into a glamorous statement of youthful rebellion, and now, you can find jeans on the chicest fashion runways. For some, indigo blue might be the color of freedom, but for others, it's the color of oppression and slavery.

Blue Jeans considers the versatility of this iconic garment and investigates what makes denim a universal signifier, ready to fit any context, meaning, and body.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

• ISBN10: 1501383744
• ISBN13: 9781501383748
• Publish Date: 12 January 2023 (first published 15 December 2022)
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Out of Print: 9 May 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Blue Jeans is a collection of short essays and reminiscences by Carolyn Purnell about a ubiquitous and often overlooked item in everyone's landscape in every part of the world, humble blue denim jeans. Due out 12th Jan 2023 from Bloomsbury Academic, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook currently available as of Dec 2022). 

This is one of a series of books on everyday items called "Object Lessons" which team writers' observations and experiences with material foci which make up our lives: recipes, stickers, bookshelves, bulletproof vests, traffic, TVs, and trees to give a few examples. Currently there are 80 books available on a wide variety of objects and I've been impressed with the quality of the writing and frankly, the profundity, to be found in contemplation of these everyday objects.

The author does a very good job of first objectifying and deconstructing the concept of jeans - what they are, where they came from (which includes fascinating and not entirely comfortable cultural history), how they came to be part of the daily life of virtually every human on the planet, and how they've shaped, changed, and broken social barriers.

There's a solid bibliography included with resources for further reading as well as a cross referenced index.

I have enjoyed a number of the books in this series. This one is erudite and thought provoking. It's a worthwhile addition to the series as a whole. The author has included some relevant historical photos, but it's the text that stands in central focus.

Four stars. This would be an excellent choice for school or public library acquisition as well as home reading.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.