Useful Beyond Class

Veblen’s explanation on the genesis of the leisure class offers various other theories concerning culturally constructed elements of society. His explanation on the origins of ownership in the “barbarian stages of culture” highlights the idea of the leisure class as an exposition of a definitive hierarchy quite well, but also has other implications. For Veblen the origins of ownership arose in the barbarian stages not at all in the form of subsistence or luxury goods. Veblen states that the obtaining of women, in the form of captives, marriage, or otherwise was the first true form of ownership. From women, Veblen states “the concept of ownership [extended] itself to include the products of their industry, and so there [arose] the ownership of things as well as of persons.” In speaking with Luke on the inherent patriarchal structure integral to Veblen’s theory, I found it interesting how Veblen included the obvious social construct of gender inequality in his theory.

He touches on this idea further in his chapter “Dress as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture.” He states how women’s clothing, even more so than men’s illustrated “the wearer’s abstinence from productive employment.” He uses as examples high heeled footwear, bonnets, and corsets for how clothing literally make it impossible for women of certain classes to do any type of work considered utilitarian. Although Veblen seemed to limit his evaluation of this fact to how this clothing presents the wealth and status of a household, one could also tie this to various issues concerning gender inequality. The lack of mobility and usefulness of women’s fashion has frequently been tied to to this idea. It is interesting that, although not expressly noted, this type of cultural analysis is useful in contemporary sociological studies; as Luke noted in his post.