What is Camp?
- Darren De Hahn
- May 4, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: May 11, 2019
The Met Gala is around the corner and until one of you are invited to this unforgiving display of wealth and superiority you will probably be sitting at home, watching Hollywood stars tackle those notorious stairs like the rest of us normal people.
This can be named the fashion event of the season and it's the one time of year where most are ready to put their fashion critic hats on and have a go at unsuspecting attendees. So I've decided to give you a bit of a head start.
Contrary to popular belief, the Met Gala is more than just a one night event. The night in fact acts as a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and signifies the opening of the museum's headlining fashion exhibition.
Each year guests are provided with a dress code or "theme"translating directly to the theme of the fashion exhibition for that specific year.
This year's exhibition is an ode to the world of "camp".
What is camp you may ask? If you're not asking I'll tell you anyway.
Camp is overwhelming.
Camp is excessive.
Camp is carrying a severed head down the runway.
Okay, maybe the last point is a bit dramatic but I'm hoping you find my attempt at providing an adequate definition admirable.
The truth is camp is not something that can be defined purely by words.
It revolves majorly around self expression of the most dramatic nature.
Susan Sontag's "Notes on Camp" published in 1964 was the primary inspiration for this year's fashion exhibition. In it Susan explains how camp can be mysterious and unspoken. A display of exorbitant personality which succeeds exponentially. Nothing which truly embodies camp would identify itself as such and thus to talk about camp would be to betray the very nature for which it stands.
The 1960's primarily could be noted as the period where camp became most apparent within popular culture. It was a kind of rebellion against societal normalities and an exploration of life without boundaries.
To this day there are prominent restraints within society established to keep us all organised so to speak and relatively on the same track. It's easier to control a group of people when you've basically set out how their lives would be lived right? People acknowledging these restraints and choosing to break free from them gave birth to a movement of extravagant rebels, which is how camp as we know it today came to life.
Camp exists beyond a way of dressing or style of clothing.
It can be expressed through a variety of art forms such as film, music, photography and creative direction. Where there's a will to push boundaries and stand out in a crowd there's a way for this fantasy to be realised.
In summary we're looking at an "aesthetic" so to speak born from the idea of not taking oneself too seriously.
You can imagine how difficult it might be judging people whom embrace this way of life, even if for a night, when frankly they don't care about what you have to say.
They're stepping out for a time of being fantastically ridiculous. Joyfully different.
Does this mean people won't try? Probably not.
Irrespective, the ability of a fashion movement and movement in general to be so deeply rooted in carefree confidence is nothing short of inspiring.
Perhaps we all need a bit of camp in our lives.
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