A Freudian Analysis of the Bates Athletic Sweatshirt
Critical Narrative
On a day-to-day basis it is very easy for individuals to acquire and use objects without putting much thought into the greater meanings that they might possess. Objects are all around us and they all contain unique histories and meanings related to human values, culture and society. This may include the political values of a past community, the economic values, or even religious beliefs. We can discover this information related to human history through the study of a single object. It is often the simplest and most commonly used objects that tell us the most information about human history and culture. According to Arthur Berger, it is important to study objects and artifacts, commonly known as material culture, on a deeper level because “studying objects is a useful way to find out about people and gain insights” into their character and culture (Berger, 15). Jules David Prown expands on this concept of material culture by defining its fundamental purpose as “the quest for cultural belief systems, the patterns of belief of a particular group of people in a certain time and place” (Prown, 6). The study of objects gives us insight into the daily lives of a community of people in a particular period of time. This study of material culture is a useful tool in defining history.
In recent years, the study of material culture has experienced a shift from a focus on highly valued objects and artifacts to those with more of an everyday, common use; the novel good. As outlined by J. Ritchie Garrison, for a long time the study of objects was focused on class and value. This was mostly due to the fact that people of the higher classes had more leisure time in which they were able to study art instead of working. The shift to the focus of novel goods is highly significant because they tell the story of the history and culture of a much larger population than do goods that are only acquirable by a small amount of people.
Novel goods are so commonly used that their purpose and place in our culture is often overlooked. Despite this fact, the study of these goods can give us great insight into the everyday lives of individuals. Novel goods often have a much larger meaning and history than what is represented by their function. The Bates College athletic sweatshirts are an example of a prominent novel good in the Bates community. These simple grey crewneck sweatshirts are issued to all varsity athletes at Bates and worn on a daily basis by both female and male athletes. Is this sweatshirt as simple as it seems? Does it have a significant history that most of us have not bothered to consider? Did both female and male athletes always wear these sweatshirts? These are the types of questions that will help us to understand our novel object on a more meaningful level.
An important part of studying material culture is to recognize that there are a variety of possible interpretations that can be made about a single object depending on who the interpreter is. For example, people’s perspectives change according to certain demographic characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, etc. Additionally, differing social interests amongst individuals can cause perspectives to vary. It is important for people to recognize the way that these factors can affect their perspectives. According to Berger, “theories are like goggles that help determine the way we see the world, that point our attention to certain things and that distract us from others” (Berger, 23). In order to be able to step back and view objects in a less subjective manner it is helpful to understand the different theories surrounding material culture.
We use Freudian theory to guide our approach in understanding the different levels of meaning and unconscious significance that are represented by the grey athletic sweatshirt. According to Freudian theory, “it is the hidden meanings and symbolic significance of various artifacts of material culture that a psychoanalytic approach to the subject attempts to discover” (Berger, 28). Freudian theory, also known as Freud’s topographic approach, divides the human psyche into three separate parts: conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. Freud describes these three levels using the iceberg analogy. Consciousness is the smallest part of the iceberg that can be seen above the water, which represents our ability to understand “what an artifact does” (Berger, 28). The preconscious is the part of the iceberg that can be dimly seen a few feet below the water line, which represents “the other aspects of the artifacts functionality of which we may be aware” (Berger, 28). The unconscious is “the inaccessible dark area that makes up most of our psyches, and that is buried deep below the waterline.” This part makes up most of our psyche and represents the “unrecognized symbolic meanings connected to the artifact” (Berger, 28).
First, we apply the conscious, Freud’s first level of his topographic hypothesis, to the grey athletic sweatshirt. The conscious level requires the least amount of analysis and concentrates on the basic function of the object. The athletic sweatshirts are provided to athletes as an extra layer of clothing to keep them warm from the cold weather. The sweatshirts are Champion brand and are made in Honduras. They are made of 50% Cotton and 50% Polyester. The sweatshirts are intended to be worn during sports practices and pre-game warm-ups, however, athletes often wear them more frequently for everyday purposes.
Next, we apply the preconscious, Freud’s second level of his topographic hypothesis. As previously stated, preconsciousness represents the “other aspects of the artifact’s functionality of which we may be aware” (Berger, 28). With regard to the athletic sweatshirts, the preconscious represents the symbolic meaning behind the sweatshirt and the feelings of belongingness and self-identity that it provides its users with. To most athletes who wear these sweatshirts, they are more than just another layer of clothing to shield us from the cold weather. The sweatshirts serve as a reminder and an indicator of one’s membership in a group greater than themselves. It instills a sense of pride in its wearers. When choosing between putting on one sweatshirt versus the Bates athletic sweatshirt, individuals use their preconscious awareness of the specific status that the Bates athletic sweatshirt represents to make the decision to wear it. It is also true that the sweatshirt can represent different things to its wearers in different contexts. For example, when walking around campus alone in the sweatshirt, an individual is merely identifiable as being an ambiguous Bates athlete; however, the representation changes when an individual is with their entire team wearing the sweatshirt, in which case they are identifiable as a member of their specific sports team.
Finally, we apply Freud’s third level of his topographic hypothesis, the unconscious. As the unconscious level is the largest level of the human psyche, it is the level that most “profoundly shapes our behavior” (Berger, 28). In terms of objects and artifacts, the unconscious level represents the symbolism and histories that require a deeper level of research and analysis to uncover and understand. Applying this concept of the unconscious to the Bates athletics sweatshirts has revealed a history of the evolution of gender roles within Bates College athletics that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Up until the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bates athletics is largely male-focused with very little attention paid to female athletes. This is reflected by the absence of intercollegiate varsity competition for females in addition to the overall lack of attention paid to female athletes by the Bates community. This inequality between female and male athletes is also reflected in the differences in attire issued to them by the Bates Athletics Department. While conducting our research and looking through the Bates Mirrors, we find that there is an overwhelming absence of women pictured in athletic gear; however, we came across numerous pictures of men in several different types of uniforms and Bates athletic gear in almost every issue since the early 1900s. It is not up until the mid 1970s that we begin to see a gradual shift of increased equality between male and female athletes. This shift is fostered by the enactment of Title IX in 1972. Title IX states that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (The Living Law). Following the enactment of Title IX, male and female athletes begin to be equally represented in the Bates Mirror and there is evidence that the number of female varsity teams grew much closer to the number of male varsity teams by 1979.
The history of inequality between male and female athletes at Bates College make the now gender neutral athletic sweatshirts have much more prominence as a symbol of gender equality amongst Bates athletes. The fact that the same exact sweatshirt is issued to both genders promotes the notion that each gender contributes an equal amount to Bates athletics. There are no longer separate female sweaters that prevent female athletes from feeling as though they are equally as supported and respected as their male counterparts. The sweatshirts represent a unified Bates athletics department that fosters gender equality by way of its appreciation for both female and male athletes.
Using Freudian psychoanalytic theory to analyze the Bates athletics sweatshirt has increased our understanding of its unique history and the symbolism that it holds in each of our lives. Freud defines symbolism as “the act or process of representing an order or idea by a substitute object, sign, or signal” (Berger, 33). Overall, the sweatshirt symbolizes the advancements that have been made toward gender equality within Bates athletics. Although a lot of progress towards gender equality has been made within Bates athletics it is important to note that there is still room for additional improvements to be made. In an ideal future, the Bates athletics sweatshirt would symbolize further gender equality in the form of equal team funding, resources, and support from the athletic department.
References:
Berger, A. What Objects Mean: An Introduction to Material Culture. California: Left Coast Press Inc., 2009.
Garrison, J. R. "Material Cultures." A Companion to American Cultural History. Ed. Karen Halttunen. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008. 295-310. Print.
Jules David Prown, “Mind in Matter: An Introduction to Material Culture Theory and Method,” Winterthur Portfolio 17 (Spring 1982): 1-19.
"The Living Law." Title IX. The MARGARET Fund of NWLC, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. <http://www.titleix.info/History/The-Living-Law.aspx>.