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Camp & Kitsch Defined
"Camp" is a style of expression that is exaggerated and playful. It often uses humor and over-the-top elements to challenge traditional ideas. To perceive Camp in objects and persons is to understand Being-as-Playing-a-Role. It is the farthest extension, in sensibility, of the metaphor of life as theater. The whole point of Camp is to dethrone the serious. (Susan Sontag, “Notes on Camp”)
The word “kitsch” comes from the German word “verkitschen,” which means “to make cheap.” It usually describes art or items that many people think are in poor taste. However, these pieces can also bring up sentimental feelings. Although people often see kitsch as “bad taste” or “artistic rubbish,” it is valued for its emotional connections.
As I began exploring the concept of camp through design, I gained interest in the irony found in slogans on clothing, bumper stickers, and web design, especially in earlier online platforms like GeoCities. Within current fashion trends, with brands like Praying, there is a rising popularity in referencing whats happening on the internet on clothing while pushing the limits of crass messaging on something we wear in our everyday lives. How is it that something considered outdated in technology is now high fashion? Is this revival of early internet kitsch? While the text often seems simplistic, it can convey a wide range of meanings and intentions. I am particularly fascinated by how humor is expressed through such straightforward treatments of typographic messaging.
Collection of Internest Nostalgia and Irony in Type
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Text, Irony, & The Femme Body
Graphic tees, which originated during World War II as part of wartime uniforms and later transitioned to mainstream fashion, have become a powerful medium for self-expression. Often featuring humor, irony, or pop-culture references, these garments intersect with the concept of camp and provoke questions about their cultural impact. The rise of fast fashion has oversaturated the market, emphasizing disposability and mass production. This prompts reflection on why we adorn ourselves with text: Do graphic tees empower by reclaiming narratives, or do they reduce voices—particularly women’s—to simplistic, demeaning clichés?
In a media landscape flooded with such messages, one might question whether the essence of camp can survive, or if empowering statements lose their impact when commodified. Wearing words, like displaying bumper stickers, leaves a lasting impression, but it also raises deeper questions about who is allowed to wear such messages and how they are perceived—earnestly or ironically—based on the wearer.
There appears to be a link between irony and conventional beauty: those who conform to societal standards of attractiveness often enjoy the freedom to be daring or risqué in their self-presentation without being seen as threatening. Why do we justify experimental and humorous expressions in fashion when they come from individuals who are thin, young, and conventionally beautiful? This dynamic underscores how perceptions of empowerment and irony are often mediated by privilege.
Collection of Text in Fashion
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Visual Research
As I delved deeper into the concept of slogan shirts, I decided to investigate the phrases currently featured in the market. I gathered a variety of examples and compiled them into a text-based poster, examining how the meaning shifts when these words are presented in a static, two-dimensional format rather than interacting with the body. This approach allowed me to explore how tone and context change when the phrases are removed from their intended medium. Additionally, I designed my own self-aware, sarcastic slogans for shirts to push the boundaries of irony in apparel, questioning how far this medium can stretch before its humor or meaning is lost.
“Words We Wear” Poster
A Collection of “Self Aware” Shirt Designs
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The Woman Is Kitsch
This polaroid features Edith Bouvier Beale, commonly known as Little Edie, who was an American socialite, fashion model, and cabaret performer. While to many, this image may seem like just a picture of an older woman, for her devoted cult following, it represents the memorabilia of a queer icon. Little Edie was the first cousin of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Lee Radziwill. She gained fame for her role in the 1975 documentary film “Grey Gardens”, directed by Albert and David Maysles. She is celebrated for her quirky and eccentric personality, unique style, and unwavering loyalty to her mother, despite their complicated relationship.
The perception of kitsch is based on the reflection of the past, and leads me to wonder if we perceive women similarly: we adore them in their prime, forget about them as they age, then revisit them after they are gone, idolizing the legacies they left behind. My curiosity lies in how typography ties into this metaphor of the woman as kitsch.
Polaroid of "Little" Edie Beale, Andy Warhol (1976)
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Kitsch Type Exploration
Drawing a connection between the objectification of women and the treatment of kitsch items, I explored how typography could embody this parallel. My goal was to break away from the traditional 2D format of type design and then return to it with a fresh perspective. Over the course of two weeks, I collected and assembled materials from thrift stores and dollar stores—items I regarded as cheap, outdated, and reminiscent of the past, often tied to women and the treasures they once held dear. Forgotten pieces of jewelry, glitter, rhinestones, and pom-poms—all symbols of adornment and sentimentality—became the foundation for a tactile, dimensional alphabet.
The next step was to transform this experimental alphabet into a functional typeface. Using the vectorization process, I converted my physical designs into a digital format, exploring how both the photographic and vectorized versions symbolize forgotten women—those dismissed or judged as embodying "poor taste" or "artificial rubbish." This process highlights the cultural narratives surrounding value, memory, and aesthetic judgment, offering a lens through which to reconsider the significance of these overlooked artifacts and the stories they carry.
“Kitsch Type Study ” Scanned Alphabet
“Kitsch Type Study 01” Vectorized Alphabet
“Kitsch Type Study” Glitter Gifs
Synopsis
What:
My research has explored the intersection of camp and kitsch aesthetics in graphic design, focusing on how these concepts are expressed through typography on the female body. It examines how typography—particularly on clothing like graphic t-shirts—serves as a medium for self-expression, cultural commentary, and queer subversion. The study investigates whether these elements function as vehicles of empowerment or are diluted by the mass production and commodification inherent in consumer culture. Central to this inquiry is the question: Can text and typography on clothing embody camp and kitsch in a meaningful way, particularly in the context of women’s bodies and beauty standards?
Why:
Camp and kitsch are significant cultural lenses for understanding excess, nostalgia, and subversion in design and fashion. Historically linked to queer and trans subcultures, camp offers a platform for resisting mainstream ideals through exaggerated, performative aesthetics. Kitsch, by contrast, celebrates the sentimental and “bad taste,” often tied to mass production and consumer nostalgia. The rise of Y2K internet nostalgia and the resurgence of text-based fashion bring these themes into contemporary relevance. Investigating these aesthetics provides a fresh perspective on the relationship between fashion, identity, and cultural memory, particularly as it pertains to feminine beauty standards and the commodification of queer cultural symbols.
How:
This research will integrate cultural observations with practical experimentation in design. It will include a historical contextualization of camp and kitsch as they relate to graphic design, typography, and fashion, referencing theorists such as Susan Sontag and Gillo Dorfles. The study will examine and collect modern examples of text in fashion within the contexts of queer culture, fast fashion, and mass consumption. Additionally, it will create and curate visual representations of typography that either challenge or embody camp and kitsch aesthetics, particularly through the lens of the woman’s body as a canvas. All findings will be compiled into a comprehensive book, supported by a website and an environment for the book to reside in, presenting both theoretical insights and visual experiments. This thesis aims to explore how design choices and fashion trends mediate societal values, identity, and empowerment in an era characterized by both ironic and earnest forms of kitsch.
Annotated Bibliography
Sontag, Susan. Notes on Camp. 1964.
In her famous essay, Sontag defines camp as a style and sensibility that embraces exaggeration, playfulness, and a rejection of seriousness. Camp, for Sontag, is a way of looking at the world—everything is viewed through a lens of performance and irony. She suggests that camp’s power comes from its ability to mock the “serious” and its celebration of the artificial. Sontag also notes camp’s deep ties to queer culture and its role in subverting societal norms. Sontag’s definition of camp is essential to understanding how ones intention and perception of design can be used as a vehicle for camp sensibilities, particularly in how it challenges gender and beauty norms. Her work directly connects with your exploration of how the female body and identity are represented in design, especially in queer contexts. Sontag’s work remains the foundational text on camp, and her insights will help frame the role of typography and language in creating camp aesthetics. Her ideas will guide me in seeking the playful, performative nature of typography and its ability to subvert societal expectations.
Dorfles, Gillo. Kitsch: An Anthology of Bad Taste. 1969.
Dorfles’ seminal text defines kitsch as "bad taste" that gains value from its sentimental nature. He examines the role of kitsch in modern society, noting how mass production and consumerism have led to its prevalence in everyday life. Once considered cheap or vulgar, kitsch artifacts can now be appreciated in new cultural contexts. Dorfles critiques the aesthetic decline in art and design due to mass-produced kitsch and its influence on advertising and popular culture. Dorfles traces the origins and impact of kitsch, defining it as mass-produced, sentimental art that lacks depth and contrasts with genuine art. He discusses its significance as a cultural phenomenon tied to commercialization and societal norms. This foundational text combines aesthetics, sociology, and philosophy, offering a framework for understanding the commercialization of taste. Dorfles argues that kitsch serves as a tool for ideological control, reflecting and reinforcing societal norms. His work has influenced studies on consumerism and the aesthetics of the everyday, revealing kitsch as a symbol of moral and aesthetic decline. This exploration is particularly relevant to analyzing the objectification of the female body in media as a cycle of aging and value loss. The book provides critical insights into the relationship between kitsch, consumerism, and mass production.
Rock, Michael. "Cheekbones." 2011.
https://2x4.org/ideas/2011/cheekbones/
This article explores the cultural and aesthetic significance of cheekbones in Western perceptions of beauty and social status. Rock argues that cheekbones symbolize refinement and class, serving as a valued trait in their own right rather than merely functional. He highlights how parts of the female body are consistently subject to trends, reflecting broader societal values and ideals. This work is relevant to understanding how physical traits and their aestheticization tie into the womens body as it tied into cyclical trends.
Scruton, Roger. "A Fine Line Between Art and Kitsch." The Spectator, February 21, 2014.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerscruton/2014/02/21/a-fine-line-between-art-and-kitsch/
Scruton delves into the elusive concept of kitsch, questioning its nature and why it is often deemed inferior in artistic and cultural contexts. He posits that kitsch is a distinctly modern phenomenon, emerging after the 18th century, and suggests that if one suspects something might be kitsch, it likely is. Scruton’s exploration of kitsch’s relationship to authenticity and artistic value offers insights into the tension between high and low culture, which is central to the thesis’ exploration.
Champagne, Michèle. “Handwriting in an Era of Glitter Text Generators.” 2017.
https://walkerart.org/magazine/michele-champagne-handwriting-post-digital-printing
This article by Michèle Champagne examines the connection between digital and analog typography, especially handwritten typefaces in our digital age. She questions the value of handwritten fonts in a world that often sees digital and print as opposites, arguing that people are drawn to them for their human touch. Champagne explores how technology imitates handwriting, linking it to kitsch, where appealing styles like handwritten fonts evoke authenticity in otherwise cold designs. She critiques the false divide between digital and print cultures, noting that digital tools can hide the unique qualities of traditional print. The article also discusses how these fonts relate to identity and culture, similar to how kitsch impacts gender identities. Champagne highlights the use of "handwritten" fonts in advertising and design to convey warmth and personality, which ties to the comfort people feel in the same lens of perceiving kitsch.
Whittick, Olivia. "Why Do We Wear Words?”. 2018.
https://www.ssense.com/en-us/editorial/fashion/why-do-we-wear-words
In this article, Olivia Whittick looks at the significance of slogan t-shirts and the impact of words worn on the body. She discusses how the designs and messages on clothing act as a way to communicate socially. Some slogans affirm identity, while others make cultural or political statements. Whittick also considers how wearing words can affect people's feelings, suggesting that this act shows a personal connection to specific ideas. This article is relevant because it connects typography and the body through fashion, focusing on how text contributes to self-expression and identity. Whittick’s exploration of empowering and performative words on clothing links directly to your interest in how typography can serve as resistance or empowerment related to gender and identity. Her work offers a modern view on typography in fashion and gives useful insights into how clothing can shape identity and spark cultural discussions. Additionally, her ideas about the power of slogans will support your study of typography in camp and kitsch aesthetics.
Soulellis, Paul. "Urgentcraft." 2019.
https://youtu.be/qPImABJ0pOQ?si=jdMPXvO2bzkaW6xK
In this conference presentation, Soulellis discusses the urgency and radical potential of queer design, arguing that design can be a tool for collective care. He emphasizes the importance of being aware of the position from which one speaks and how design can provoke interrogation of societal norms. The work calls for a move away from idealized representations of queerness (such as rainbow icons) towards more authentic, performative queer acts of disruption that is perhaps manifested in forms of bad taste. This piece expands on themes from the "Queer Typography" project, pushing the idea of queer design as a tool for care and survival. The notion of urgent, performative design aligns with your interest in how typography on clothing can carry subversive messages. The focus on care, disruption in Soulellis’ works has broadened my understanding of how typography can function as a radical act.
Soulellis, Paul. "Queer Design Chats: 'What is Queer Typography.” 2021.
https://youtu.be/jeArgVz_5AM?si=DymNbopBRGOCxviI
This presentation by Paul Soulellis examines how queerness shapes typography and design. Soulellis explains that design choices in queer publications often come from a need for survival and frequently have a DIY, scrappy style. He runs through examples of the usage of queer type throughout history and compares traditional typography with queer design, which can be purposely difficult to read or bold in its appearance. He also discusses how queer typography uses legibility as a form of political resistance and cultural reclaiming, turning non-traditional publication methods into acts of protest. Soulellis’ work helps us understand how typography can serve as a powerful tool in queer culture. This is important when looking at how typography and language can be used to address identity and societal standards of beauty. This presentation also highlights how unique typography can represent queer identity and challenge standard aesthetics. Soulellis argues that queerness in typography is about both its shape and its message, which is crucial for exploring the links between typography, camp, and kitsch.
Galer, Sophia Smith. “56 Percent of Young People Think Humanity is Doomed” Vice Magazine. September, 14, 2021.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/fifty-six-percent-of-young-people-think-humanity-is-doomed/
This study highlights the pervasive climate anxiety among young people, noting that 45% of 16-25-year-olds feel daily distress due to the climate crisis. On TikTok, trends of climate nihilism, paired with dystopian humor, have gained traction, reflecting a generational shift toward disengagement from sociopolitical issues. This source contextualizes how Gen Z’s disillusionment informs their embrace of camp and kitsch as coping mechanisms and tools for rebellion in the face of overwhelming crises.
Rotherfeld, Beca. "Feminism and Kitsch." January 31, 2022.
https://www.thedriftmag.com/feminism-and-kitsch/
Rotherfeld critiques contemporary feminism’s "optics problem," arguing that middlebrow cultural artifacts often dilute revolutionary art. Drawing from Dwight Macdonald’s essay “Masscult and Midcult,” she critiques the co-optation of avant-garde aesthetics by the mainstream, which saps their revolutionary power. Rotherfeld also addresses the shortcomings of corporate feminism and the #MeToo movement, emphasizing the persistent and enraging ubiquity of misogyny. This article informs the thesis by examining how middlebrow aesthetics intersect with feminist discourse and societal critique.
Kirkpatrick, Emily. “The 'Internet Nostalgia' Trend Is Bringing Fashion Back to the AOL Age”. Fashionista. September 19, 2022
https://fashionista.com/2022/09/internet-nostalgia-fashion-trend
This article explores how Generation Z reinterprets Y2K aesthetics through irony and retrofuturism. It notes that simplistic fonts, such as Times New Roman, evoke the experimental digital culture of the early 2000s, highlighting the ability of typography to reflect societal values and trends. This connection suggests that text and typography on clothing serve as a visual language rooted in both nostalgia and subversion.
Graphic t-shirts are cultural artifacts, and their role in revisiting past digital cultures reveals the tension between individuality and commodification in fast fashion. This raises questions about whether these items maintain their intended subversive or empowering messages. The article analyzes brands like Praying and Hmmmm, showcasing how nostalgia reshapes kitsch for contemporary audiences. Kitsch, which is based on reinterpreting past cultural artifacts, gains new significance through recontextualization.
The resurgence of Y2K fashion provides a lens for examining how designs, particularly graphic tees, function as social commentary while also becoming mass-market commodities. This duality underscores the inquiry into whether typography on clothing retains its cultural impact in an era of oversaturation.
Lanphear, Brad. “History & Evolution of the Graphic Tee”. 2023.
https://www.heddels.com/2023/06/history-evolution-of-the-graphic-tee/
Brad Lanphear's article explains the history of graphic tees. He describes how they started as military uniforms after World War II and evolved into a way for people to express themselves today. Graphic tees became popular in the 1960s when screen printing made it possible to produce shirts with images and slogans on a large scale. By the mid-20th century, these shirts turned into fashion items and tools for political activism during important movements like the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-Vietnam War protests. Lanphear notes that graphic tees allow people to show their identities and beliefs. Brands and musicians also use them to make statements and sell products. While they were once symbols of rebellion in the '60s and '70s, graphic tees became mainstream fashion by the '80s. He raises concerns about fast fashion and how it leads to the production of cheap, disposable graphic tees.
This study connects to my research on how graphic tees, similar to kitsch, use images and words to shape identity within larger social issues. Lanphear calls them "wearable art," emphasizing their role in self-presentation. He also discusses how vintage shirts are viewed as kitsch and how our perception of their value reflects social dynamics, especially concerning women.
Song, Sandra. "Sacrilegious Chic is the Trendiest Way to Protest." Paper Magazine. April 19, 2024.
https://www.thefader.com/2024/04/19/sacrilegious-chic-is-the-trendiest-way-to-protest
Song discusses the emerging fashion trend of “sacrilegious chic,” where traditional Christian imagery is reappropriated in satirical and subversive ways. The trend reflects Gen Z’s disillusionment with societal structures, particularly the government and the Christian Church, and uses humor and irony as coping mechanisms. Song suggests that this form of sartorial rebellion critiques conservative politics and societal hypocrisy while offering a creative outlet for expression. The article underscores how contemporary fashion is used toconvey political and social commentary.
Millman, Zosha. The Substance Director Wanted the Perfect ‘Propaganda’ Font for Selling You on the Faustian Bargain. Polygon. 2024.
https://www.polygon.com/movies/455942/substance-director-interview-branding-design
In this article, Zosha Millman explores the use of typography and graphic design in the 2024 film The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat. The film's type design aims to evoke familiarity while also creating a sense of alienation and dehumanization. Fargeat sought a modern visual style that feels detached from reality, reflecting everyday experiences while making characters feel trapped in a clinical environment.
The typeface serves as a symbol of identity, self-division, and self-doubt, highlighting the characters’ struggles with technology and consumerism. Characters Elisabeth and Sue face psychological horror linked to their belief in product promises, which the typography promotes, affecting their sense of self-worth.
Millman discusses how typography can foster both connection and alienation, illustrating the commercialization of gender and beauty. The straightforward yet impactful font provokes emotional responses, creating a false sense of connection while reinforcing isolation. The article reveals how typography serves as a form of propaganda in both film and real-world marketing, influencing perceptions of identity and beauty in a campy, body horror context.