Three Timeless Icons of Popular Culture

  

Three Timeless Icons of Popular Culture 

The following three figures are wonderful examples of icons that have become heavily engrained into American popular culture. 

Figure 1.  Ray-Ban.com. (n.d.). The Ray-Ban Wayfarer: Retrieved April 2, 2012 from http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/rb2140

Figure 1 is an image of a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.  This style of sunglasses rose to prominance in the 1950s and is still produced today.  The Wayfarer has been worn by musicians ("The Blues Brothers"), goverment officials, actors\actresses (Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson), and nearly everyone in between, and has become a classic fashion icon.   The Wayfarer design has been copied by countless other sunglasses manufacturers, and is probably the most commonly worn style of sunglasses in the world.


Figure 2.  Shure.com. (n.d.). Shure 55 Series "Elvis Mic": Retrieved April 2, 2012 from http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/classic/55sh-Series-ii-iconic-unidyne-vocal-microphone

Figure 2 is an image of what I would guess is probably the most recognizable microphone ever invented, the Shure 55 series microphone.  This microphone and its various incarnations have been in use for over 50 years.  The microphone features a hardened, more rugged design, for use in high stress situations, such as public address.  These microphones were used heavily in the 1950s by rock and roll musicians.  In fact, this microphone is often referred to as the "Elvis Microphone" due to the fact that Elvis used one heavily early on in his career.  The microphone has been used countless times by other musicians, and is frequently featured in music videos and movies when musicians are featured.  As with many popular icons, the design of this microphone has been copied several times by other manufacturers.



Figure 3.  Fender.com. (n.d.). American Special Stratocaster Retrieved April 2, 2012 from http://www.fender.com/products/americanspecial/models.php?prodNo=0115602





My final icon for this post is the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar.  The Fender Stratocaster, like the Ray Ban Wayfarers mentioned earlier, has also been around since the 1950s and is still to this day one of the two most popular solid body electric guitars of all time (the other being the Epiphone Les Paul).  The Stratoscaster electric guitar is almost synonymous with Rock and Roll, and has been used for many other genres of music, from the blues to country.  Many famous musicians, including Eric Clapton and Jimmy Hendrix.  As with the sunglasses mentioned earlier, the Fender Stratocaster design has been copied countless times by many different manufacturers, all with varying levels of quality in manufacturing and sound production.

I chose these three icons of American popular culture because I am a huge fan of music, especially early rock & roll.  These icons are commonly used by the pioneers of rock and roll.  Musicians of the past have been idolized by newer musicians, and often used the same equipment or wore the same styles of clothing in order to emulate and\or memorialize their heroes.  This seems to beespecially common in the music field.  This is evident by the fact that though several other designs of guitar have been invented over the years, the Fender Stratocaster (and the Les Paul) is one of the most commonly used electric guitars of all time.  The same goes for the Shure 55 series microphone.  The Wayfarer sunglasses were not only worn by musicians but nearly anyone who was prominent in popular culture during their initial release.  It's very common to see these worn still to this day by anyone. 

All three icons represent to me the lasting effect of quality design and style.  The microphone , sunglasses, and guitar were all designed with a high level of both functional design and style.  The fact that the guitar and microphone were well built meant that they lasted awhile, and were favored amongst their intended audiences.  The reputation that Fender and Shure built on the quality of their products kept customers coming back for years.  The Wayfarer sunglasses  followed the same model for success.  The aesthetic image of the particular style of guitar and microphones mentioned are also a draw for those fascinated with nostalgia.    Similarly, the balance of style and quality helped to make the Wayfarer a timeless example of "cool" fashion.