Australian summer in the early 1970s..
Beachside hubs buzzing
with the footsteps of weathered toes sizzling on the sunburnt pavement.
Sun-bleached mops dancing on the collars of
salt-crusted shirts, concealing chocolate-brown skin from the blinding sun.
The
deafening roar of the ocean; untouched perfection; a blank canvas waiting to be
engraved by the motion of a single fin.
My obsession with the ocean was sparked through the
influence of my dad, a once stereotypical surfie bum, who tackled Victoria’s
coastline in an old ‘Morris 1100’ in search of gnarly, uncrowded perfection.
With sun bleached hair and distinct tanlines resembling the outline of a (very)
short pair of board shorts, my father grew up in an age where surfing was a
means of expressing one’s personal identity. During this time (where only God
knew what the internet was), Australian surfing was associated with images of
tree-hugging anti-establishment surf tribes, taking ‘the road less travelled
and steering the wheel of their kombi after filling it with bong smoke instead
of fuel.’ (Glen, R; Mckerlie, R et al., 2009)
It was through these images that the Australian surf culture
was considered an art, a method of self-expression, and a way of escaping the
reality of a 9 til 5 life.
Globalisation over the last few decades has seen a distinct ideoscape
in Australian surf culture. Nowdays, surfing is connected to the ideologies of
high profile, well-paid athletes, Alana Blanchard in a bikini, the ASP world
tour, elite surfers from every corner of the globe, Alana Blanchard in a
bikini, computerised surfboard-shaping technologies, million dollar endorsement
contracts, a professional women’s circuit, and Alana Blanchard in a bikini (Check
out this news-feed congesting, surfing superstar at the link below to become
one of her 653,484 folowers! - http://instaprof.appspot.com/profile/alanarblanchard)
Due to intensifying globalisation, and an improvement in
media technologies (i.e. mediascapes), Australian surf culture has been moulded
by and incorporated into part of the global surf scene. No longer do we see surf
hardware being produced in the backyard of ‘an old house in torquay’ (Rip Curl, 2013), being paid by the slab.
Instead, Local beach bums have transitioned into global
superstars, backyard sales to multinational corporations. A once lazy, local
art form; Australian surf culture has experienced an ideoscape into a globally
recognised competition of who can charge the hardest, and be the best.
References:
Rantanen, T, 2005, ‘Theorizing media globalization’, The media and globalization, Sage, London
Glen, R; Mckerlie, R et al., 2009, 'Has Surfing Lost its Identity?', Waves, vol. 28, no. 04, Nextmedia, Australia
Rip Curl, 2013, 'In The Beginning', [Online], Rip Curl Ltd. http://www.ripcurl.com.au/?thebegining,
A great piece! Concise and informative and highly engaging - I know nothing about surfing or surf culture at all but your post made these things clear. I enjoyed the way that you discussed the changes to surfing and surf culture through almost embedding a timeline of these advancements in your writing, and you clearly related the ideas within the prescribed readings to the topic that you were speaking about. Very enjoyable to read :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story. I found your blog to be very creative and your introduction really captivated me. I like the way you have incorporated the Australian surfing scene into the task, in particular how it has become a global phenomenon due to mediascapes. It was interesting to hear you describe the effect that globalisation has had on the evolution and development of surfing culture. Incorporating your dads history (and the photos) helped to give the piece more meaning.
Can't wait for next weeks piece!
Great post, I found it really interesting the way you said that things that used to be small and local have been sort of taken advantage of and bought out to become multi-million, multi-national corporations. Do you think that local activities and identities are fading away in general? or just in some cultures that are universally appealing (such as surfing)?
ReplyDeleteNice post! The description in your first paragraph really got my imagination going! I also like your use of photographs within the post. I honestly wasn't aware of the original ideology attached to Australian surfing, but it's very interesting to observe how much that has changed. Do you think surfing can still be considered a form of art and self-expression? Even amongst the highly paid athletes who compete?
ReplyDeleteHi Kathryn!
ReplyDeleteThis post was really interesting. I like how you based it on the world of surfing, it was fun to read as i know nothing about surfing!
You really highlighted the expansion and growth of surfing over the years with supportive quotes and images whilst also including your own personal experiences through the history of your dad!
Your obviously very knowledgeable in the world of surfing and it was a good idea to use this in a way to express this weeks topic!
I look forward to your next post!
Hey Kathryn,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I think it was great how you used a personal story to draw i the reader. Your use of images helped to set the scene for those who may not be familiar with the Australian surfing scene from the 1970's, or even now for that matter. I think it would have been great if you could have used a few more links when referring to things, like the Morris 1100. The example is really relevant to the topic and I agree with your opinion as you have backed it up with examples of what the surfing culture was and is now. Considering in your first post you wrote that you are new to Creative writing, I think this is a really good post.
Katelyn