A week ago I was in Red Cloud, NE for the “Folklore and Literature Think Tank,” about which Sara Cleto wrote an excellent post. While there, I learned about “Disney Bound.” For those who don’t know, Disney Bound is the practice of dressing in street clothes in a way that evokes a Disney character, song, movie, ride, etc. Leslie A Kay is the big name in this practice, but other people are taking it on as well.
This is one of those phenomena that proves how blurry the boundaries between mass culture, pop culture, and folk culture are. I love the way Disney Bounders use their wardrobes as a kind of code. One has to be fairly familiar with the movies (or rides or what-have-you) to understand the references and jokes being made. This kind of dress is also interesting for combining practicality and fantasy: the clothes can be worn comfortably around an amusement park, bought in department stores, and recycled into your daily wardrobe, while at the same time, the wearer is adding another layer of ritual and audience participation into the experience of the corporate Disney.
I have not worked with dress in my scholarship before, but my attention has been caught and the idea of ethnography on this is very appealing.
Until I buy my season pass, I will just keep making outfit sets of my favorite cultural artifacts.
Victoria Harkavy 