The Blue Jean Book: The Story Behind the Seams (review)

The average American owns seven pairs of jeans, and denim has been part of our cultural fabric for over 130 years. This treatise on the history and cultural relevance of blue jeans overflows with these and other well-documented facts as well as entertaining trivia sidebars cleverly tucked into denim-look pockets. Covering celebrity endorsements from Gene Autry to Avril Lavigne, fashion trends, and global competitors, the story of denim makes for a readable and engaging text. Far from offering a rosy look at our favorite casual pants, however, Kyi acknowledges that the history of blue jeans, particularly in the past thirty years, is inextricably tied to sweatshop suffering. The message that the insatiable consumerism of the Western world is the impetus behind underage labor, indentured servitude, and unlivable wages overseas is stated unflinchingly and punctuated with questions about what readers would be willing to give up or pay in order to have fair treatment for textile workers around the world. The captioned archival photographs are well chosen; in one spread, the photograph of a (still-wearable) pair of 501s from 1879 effectively exemplifies the durability of well-made jeans even without the accompanying paragraphs describing how strong denim can be. One minor point of dissension: the theory that the now-ubiquitous loose-fitting jeans evolved from a desire to emulate prison garb ignores the convergence in the early 1990s of the grunge style and skateboard and snowboard culture in addition to the modern urban look, all three of which embraced loose-fitting clothes. Not only an excellent recommendation for historical or cultural assignments, this survey is also a sure bet for booktalks and reluctant readers. Extensive source notes and an index are included.