Earlier, ripped, torn, and dirty clothes symbolized poverty. Today, wearing ripped and torn jeans among the youth and the wealthy has become a fashion statement, blurring the line between rich and poor. The poor are astonished and confused over the way the rich have appropriated their identity. Now, they cannot even claim poverty as their own. Capitalists are selling the symbols of poverty in upscale stores, attaching brands to them, and marketing them to the wealthy. Torn jeans are no longer a marker of poverty.
We need to understand the political economy behind this, where capitalists and market forces have joined hands to obscure poverty. This not only shifts the narrative to imply that poverty no longer exists, but it also makes the State and politicians’ jobs easier by creating the illusion that no one is poor. Consequently, there is no need for welfare schemes or initiatives, leaving people to fend for themselves.
This reminds me of an incident. I was discussing corruption with a colleague, arguing how it had become a major obstacle to development, with politicians, bureaucrats, and middlemen engaged in corruption. Despite government initiatives, policies, and programs, it failed to eradicate poverty. To this, my colleague replied, “Where is the corruption?” He then equated corruption with entrepreneurship, explaining how it embodies innovation, risk, motivation, passion, creativity, and confidence. While I wasn’t impressed, I was taken aback by his perspective. His viewpoint was troubling as it reflected a similar logic to commoditize poverty by repackaging and selling it as something else — something more palatable, marketable, and aligned with the interests of the powerful.
Reframing corruption as entrepreneurship is an attempt to nurture and make acceptable the very systems of exploitation and inequality that keep people in poverty. This perspective allows those in power to shirk their responsibility for the harm they cause while presenting themselves as innovators. Just as poverty is being erased by turning it into fashion, corruption has been erased by redefining it as a legitimate form of success.
This is not a new tactic to change the parameters but a definition to favour the rich, capitalists, and powerful. The appropriation of poverty symbols like torn jeans by the wealthy reveals a deeper societal shift. Symbols of poverty are being repackaged and sold to those who have never experienced economic hardship and the poor are left confused, stripped even of the visual markers that once identified their struggle.
This phenomenon is not limited to fashion. It is part of a broader effort by capitalists to reshape the narrative of poverty in ways that benefit their interests. By turning poverty into a fashion statement and commercializing its symbols, market forces divert attention from the real issues such as growing inequality, systemic corruption, and the exploitation of the vulnerable. The poor are rendered invisible in a society where their struggle is trivialized, and their identity is sold as a trend.
This reframing allows the powerful to claim that poverty no longer exists, further justifying the erosion of welfare systems and social safety nets. In this new reality, there are no poor to help, and thus, there is no need for meaningful intervention. Society must resist these attempts to commodify poverty and reframe corruption. It is essential to acknowledge the real suffering and inequality that still exist.
The author is a Professor at Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranch. The views expressed are personal. Email: pandeyanant@hotmail.com
