Postmodern visions: consumer culture's (re)making of the gaze

Abstract

Contemporary societies have transformed traditional identities in such a way that we, as subjects of
globalization and mass consumer culture, have become tremendously self-conscious of the ‘gaze’
which makes, breaks and molds us. Postmodern visions of (im) perfection reign on TV screens and
other media which constitute the way others see us and we, in turn, see ourselves. In a postmodern
world the self is, therefore, in constant flux in accordance with the language and images defined by
consumer culture. This paper briefly discusses the effect of global consumerism as it enters into the
social sphere, and also looks at the way the global aspect of consumerism has infiltrated the gaze
emanating from Bangladeshi culture and tradition. It is thus creating, within the Bangladeshi
subject, a site for consumer identity construction through which even traditional culture has become
commodified.