Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Style Hits Middle America

Aired September 02, 2003 - 10:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: When you go shopping, you're paying for more than what's in the package. You are also investing in an image. But are too many Americans putting style over substance?
Joining us now to talk more about this is Virginia Postrel. She's the author of "The Substance of Style." She's joining us from Dallas, Texas, today.

Thanks so much for being here, Virginia. We appreciate it.

This is really interesting to me. Is it true now that people just plain care more about how stuff looks?

VIRGINIA POSTREL, THE SUBSTANCE OF STYLE: Well, esthetics, the look and feel of people, places, and things, is becoming increasingly important as a source of economic and social value.

People have always cared about the way things look. But today we have much more opportunity to express ourselves, our specific individuality, our specific tastes, through the style of the way we look, the way our environments look, and the way the things we buy look.

COLLINS: How so?

POSTREL: Well, for example, if you go into a Starbucks today, they are offering you not just coffee, which is itself an esthetic good, but an entire environment, a sensory environment, of smells and sounds and of course, look and feel.

COLLINS: Yes, I really see this in all kinds of different facets. I know that you wanted to talk a little bit about some of the home stores.

People are paying a fortune for trash cans and for, I don't know, different things to use around the kitchen. There are a whole bunch of lines out there as you say are aesthetically pleasing.

POSTREL: Right. It used to be when we thought about home goods, house wares, that we thought just in terms of function. But today you can find aesthetic style even in the lowliest kinds of product.

And the example that I like to use, which isn't necessarily expensive, is the toilet brush. This is the Michael Graves brush.

COLLINS: OK. I just bought that, I have to tell you.

POSTREL: Yes.

COLLINS: I did.

POSTREL: This is from Target, and they did a very successful line, starting in 1999, of Michael Graves products, but not everybody likes that style.

If you prefer the sort of Tiki look, you can get this. This is, again -- this one's more expensive, about $20. You can go for this sleek aluminum brushed stainless steel look.

COLLINS: Man, I have really bought into this. I have that one too.

POSTREL: Yes. And how about this one? This is the Oxo brush and this is -- a lot of men like this one.

COLLINS: Men clean toilets?

POSTREL: And these are all very -- that's right. And these are all very sort of moderately priced ones. You can buy a toilet brush for up to $400...

COLLINS: You are kidding me.

POSTREL: ... if you're really into it.

COLLINS: Who's doing that?

POSTREL: Who's buying the $400 ones? I'm not sure. I think very rich people, I think.

The real trend here is the trend toward the middle class, the regular person, expressing themselves, and having the opportunity to express themselves, through the things they like and the things that say something about their personality.

COLLINS: Virginia, let's talk, if we could, too, about some of the TV shows that are sort of going in this direction. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," a lot of people watching this show.

POSTREL: Absolutely. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is a great example.

Because what you have there, first of all, it's a very friendly nice show. It's not about saying you're an awful person. It's saying, we're going to make you better. We are experts. We're going to give you aesthetic expertise.

And the people who go through the process feel better about themselves. They look better, and their home environments. And this is, I think, what I think a lot of us would like to have is these great guys come in and help us out.

COLLINS: Yes, just do all of it for us, actually.

All right. Virginia Postrel, thank you so much for joining us today, author of "The Substance of Style." Thanks again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 2, 2003 - 10:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: When you go shopping, you're paying for more than what's in the package. You are also investing in an image. But are too many Americans putting style over substance?
Joining us now to talk more about this is Virginia Postrel. She's the author of "The Substance of Style." She's joining us from Dallas, Texas, today.

Thanks so much for being here, Virginia. We appreciate it.

This is really interesting to me. Is it true now that people just plain care more about how stuff looks?

VIRGINIA POSTREL, THE SUBSTANCE OF STYLE: Well, esthetics, the look and feel of people, places, and things, is becoming increasingly important as a source of economic and social value.

People have always cared about the way things look. But today we have much more opportunity to express ourselves, our specific individuality, our specific tastes, through the style of the way we look, the way our environments look, and the way the things we buy look.

COLLINS: How so?

POSTREL: Well, for example, if you go into a Starbucks today, they are offering you not just coffee, which is itself an esthetic good, but an entire environment, a sensory environment, of smells and sounds and of course, look and feel.

COLLINS: Yes, I really see this in all kinds of different facets. I know that you wanted to talk a little bit about some of the home stores.

People are paying a fortune for trash cans and for, I don't know, different things to use around the kitchen. There are a whole bunch of lines out there as you say are aesthetically pleasing.

POSTREL: Right. It used to be when we thought about home goods, house wares, that we thought just in terms of function. But today you can find aesthetic style even in the lowliest kinds of product.

And the example that I like to use, which isn't necessarily expensive, is the toilet brush. This is the Michael Graves brush.

COLLINS: OK. I just bought that, I have to tell you.

POSTREL: Yes.

COLLINS: I did.

POSTREL: This is from Target, and they did a very successful line, starting in 1999, of Michael Graves products, but not everybody likes that style.

If you prefer the sort of Tiki look, you can get this. This is, again -- this one's more expensive, about $20. You can go for this sleek aluminum brushed stainless steel look.

COLLINS: Man, I have really bought into this. I have that one too.

POSTREL: Yes. And how about this one? This is the Oxo brush and this is -- a lot of men like this one.

COLLINS: Men clean toilets?

POSTREL: And these are all very -- that's right. And these are all very sort of moderately priced ones. You can buy a toilet brush for up to $400...

COLLINS: You are kidding me.

POSTREL: ... if you're really into it.

COLLINS: Who's doing that?

POSTREL: Who's buying the $400 ones? I'm not sure. I think very rich people, I think.

The real trend here is the trend toward the middle class, the regular person, expressing themselves, and having the opportunity to express themselves, through the things they like and the things that say something about their personality.

COLLINS: Virginia, let's talk, if we could, too, about some of the TV shows that are sort of going in this direction. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," a lot of people watching this show.

POSTREL: Absolutely. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" is a great example.

Because what you have there, first of all, it's a very friendly nice show. It's not about saying you're an awful person. It's saying, we're going to make you better. We are experts. We're going to give you aesthetic expertise.

And the people who go through the process feel better about themselves. They look better, and their home environments. And this is, I think, what I think a lot of us would like to have is these great guys come in and help us out.

COLLINS: Yes, just do all of it for us, actually.

All right. Virginia Postrel, thank you so much for joining us today, author of "The Substance of Style." Thanks again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com