The pursuit of Fashion is the attempt of the middle class to co-opt tragedy. In adopting the clothing, speech, and personal habits of those in straitened, dangerous, or pitiful circumstances, the middle class seeks to have what it feels to be the exigent and nonequivocal experiences had by those it emulates.

Summary

This quote suggests that the middle class's fascination with fashion is a way for them to romanticize and replicate the hardships and struggles faced by less fortunate individuals. By imitating the appearance and lifestyle of those in desperate situations, the middle class seeks to experience the authenticity and intensity they believe accompanies such circumstances. It implies that fashion becomes a means for the middle class to vicariously engage with tragedy, although disconnected from its true reality.

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