"Bobo Brand" is an informal name used to refer to a product that is sold inexpensively under an unpopular

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

name. These products are perceived as inferior to better-known brands. Though they are less expensive, they are often not lower quality. The expression "Bobo brand" does not refer to a specific brand. It describes a lifestyle: an action of consumption that ratifies the membership to the

Bobo Bobo may refer to: Animals and plants * Bobo (gorilla) a popular gorilla at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle from 1953 to 1968 * Bobo, Vietnamese name for Job's tears, a plant of south-east Asia Entertainment, arts and media * ''Bobo'' (maga ...

group.

Etymology

The term Bobo is a contraction for

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

-bohème. Bourgeois, from

Late Latin Late Latin ( la, Latinitas serior) is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the , and continuing into the 7th century in t ...

"burgus" which means "castle" (in medieval Latin ‘fortified town’), means "belonging to the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

". Bohème, derived from the French word Bohême is a compound of Proto-Germanic *haimaz ("home") and Boio- ‘the Boii’, the Celtic tribe previously inhabiting the area. It refers to a person with financial means and liberal, left-wing political views, with musical, artistic, literary or spiritual pursuits and a Parisian attitude.

History and sociology

The term "bobo" was sourced in the mid '70s, before David Brooks in his book '' Bobos in Paradise'' (2000). This identifies the rich progressives living in Greenwich Village in New York as a contraction of "bourgeois bohemian". The expression was used to refer to a particular French socio-economic group. The

Swinging Sixties The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mus ...

witnessed disputes between middle-class culture and the

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

, or in Bourdieu's view the higher status group and the lower status group. The creation of a third class put an end to this cultural war: the bourgeois bohemians or Bobos emerged. Among them, there were highly educated folk who had one foot in the bohemian world of creativity and another foot in the bourgeois realm of ambition and worldly success.

Bobo culture

France

In France, the term " radical chic" was used to indicate the exponents of the so-called "

gauche caviar ''Gauche caviar'' ("Caviar left") is a pejorative French term to describe someone who claims to be a socialist while living in a way that contradicts socialist values. The expression is a political neologism dating from the 1980s and implies a de ...

", a term used for the first time by the French

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

press to label the left-wing

elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...

in power since 1981. By introducing the term "bobo", not only did it end up semantically superimposing the expression "gauche caviar", it also labeled the other leftist voters who had cultural capital without the corresponding economic capital. Less political and more

materialistic Materialism is the view that the universe consists only of organized matter and energy. Materialism or materialist may also refer to: * Economic materialism, the desire to accumulate material goods * Christian materialism, the combination of Chris ...

than the group of caviar socialist, French Bobos design their

lifestyles Lifestyle often refers to: * Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives * ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle * Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality Lifestyle may also refer to: Bus ...

in a mix that includes

luxury Luxury may refer to: *Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge put ...

, middle-class classics, and student-style cheap 'n' chic. Bobos are rich people who are stuffed with contradictions: they have money but they want to act as if they do not have it. They own what money cannot buy which gives them total freedom of choice. They combine the free-spirited, artistic rebelliousness of the bohemian beatnik or hippie with the worldly ambitions of their bourgeois corporate forefathers and they represent an élite that has been raised to oppose élites. They are

anti-establishment An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...

arian by instinct. But somehow they have become a new establishment.

China

In 2002, the Bobo spirit touched a nerve in China's rising social élite.

Urban China Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

has experienced social trends that usually emerge in the West in post- affluent societies where luxury is less about displaying wealth and more about simply enjoying luxury for its own sake. The "bobo phenomenon" provided China an opportunity to reconcile materialism with spirituality and élite status with egalitarian ideals, in a country where the bourgeois is statistically small and the bohemian group is non-existent. The French and the American concept of Bobos involves seeking products of exquisite taste and quality, or products that display the essence of a free spirit. The main contrast is that for the former two cultures, Boboism is a class formation whereas for China it is a pop culture and marketing phenomenon.

Bobo Consumerism

Bobos reject "commercial" values for the sake of "natural" values. These values, are reflected in their consumption patterns. Their consumption is part of their process of self-creation, aimed at claiming their status. In this perception consumption becomes a symbolic act rather than a necessity. From a consumerist point of view, they are not likely to consider themselves within the mass consumption model, although their consumption patterns seem to portrait them as paradoxical. On the one hand, they appreciate expensive products and services, on the other hand, they are worried about the environment. They describe themselves as sustainable consumers, but their appreciation for

organic product An organic product is made from materials produced by organic agriculture. Most well known organic products are organic food items, however clothing and personal care items can also be made with organic agriculture. Many countries have strict co ...

s and eco-friendly services appears to be more a way to claim their own social status and showing their identity, rather than a consequence of actual environmental concern. Their longing for sustainability is incoherent compared with their actual consumerism. It is only through particular material objects that the Bobo lifestyle can be manifested. The Bobo orientation towards products includes

artisan An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...

al, custom-made or locally produced commodities as opposed to mass-produced goods. Bobos tend to elevate everyday objects and make them aesthetically pleasing. They search for goods and services with large attention to small details in order to satisfy their need to be perceived organic and anti-consumerist. Generally speaking, when it comes to fashion, Bobos avoids well-known luxury brands and opt instead for lesser known designers. They aim for a style that gives an impression that they do not care too much about fashion, despite the amount of thought and money they invest into their looks.

Examples

The need for "natural" values and the creativity of Bobos have started a lifestyle that has influenced various life contexts, from the way of dressing to the local production of food. A modern example is the Swedish glassware brand BOBO which aims to offer contemporary glassware that combines the worldly ambitions of the lite through superior quality with the rebelliousness of hipsters through minimalistic design. Paris_-_Vintage_travel_gear_seller_at_the_marche_Dauphine_-_5212

Paris_-_Vintage_travel_gear_seller_at_the_marche_Dauphine_-_5212

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References

External links

* Ahart, Collyn (2016)
Can Bobo culture really exist in Europe?, Medium
* Gans, Eric (2000)
Tycoon, Yuppie, and Bobo: Three Stages in the Esthetic of Consumption, Chronicles of Love and Resentment

Paris Bobo Shopping Tour, Lonely Planet
* Prudhomme, Cécile (2018)

* ttps://www.tendances-de-mode.com/tag/bobo Le look bobo, Tendances de Mode Brands Social class subcultures