Bad Taste: Or the Politics of Ugliness
£15.20£18.00 (-16%)
A timely critique of consumer culture which captures this image-obsessed moment in history, perfect for fans of Zadie Smith’s Feel Free and Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror.
This book is not a taste, nor an anti-taste, manual.
This is an interrogation of the importance we place on seemingly objective ideas of taste in a culture that is saturated by imagery, and the dangerous impact this has on our identities, communities and politics. This book is dedicated to understanding the industries of taste. From the food we eat to the way we spend our free time, Olah exposes the shallow waters of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ taste and the rigid hierarchies that uphold this age-old dichotomy.
How did minimalism become a virtue, and who can afford to do it justice?
When did blue-collar jackets become a fashion item?
Who stands to gain from the distinction made between beauty, and sex?
Bold, original and provocative, Bad Taste is a revelatory exploration of the intersection between consumerism, class, desire and power, and a rousing call-to-arms to break free from the restrictive ways we see those around us.
‘Nathalie Olah is one of the sharpest social critics of the post-crash era and Bad Taste doesn’t disappoint.’ Sarah Jaffe
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Additional information
| Publisher | Dialogue Books (9 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 240 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0349702268 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0349702261 |
| Dimensions | 15.6 x 2.2 x 24 cm |
by Selina
I enjoyed this book so much that once I’d finished I went back and re-read a couple of sections again. It is both very funny and incredibly insightful in the way it observes how fashion, media and culture are used to shape how we see ourselves and others in the pursuit of ‘taste’ and ‘class’. But it also has some strong messaging and I found it a true wake up call. It has made me question how I view all of it and my relationship with it, and that goes back a number of decades, with the 90’s being the real eye-opener for me.