Cool (aesthetic)

"Coolness" redirects here. For the reciprocal of temperature, seethermodynamic beta.

Coolness,or beingcool,is anaestheticofattitude,behavior, comportment, appearance, and style that is generally admired. Because of the varied and changing interpretation of what is consideredcool,as well as its subjective nature, the word has no single meaning. For most, coolness is associated with exemplifying composure andself-control.When used in conversation, it is often as an expression ofadmirationor approval, and can be used when referencing both people and items of interest. Although commonly regarded asslang,coolis widely used among disparate social groups and has endured in usage for generations.

Overview

A timeline ofcool,adapted from Dick Pountain and David Robins,Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude

There is no objective expression of coolness, as it varies wildly within cultures, ideologies, interests, and individuals. One consistent aspect, however, is that being cool is widely seen as desirable.Although there is no single concept nor objective manifestation or expression of coolness, coolness as a trait can be considered from a few different angles.

As a behavioral characteristic

The sum and substance of coolness is aself-consciousconfidence in overall behavior, which entails a set of specificbehavioralcharacteristics that is firmly anchored insymbology,a set of discerniblebodily movements,postures,facial expressions,andvoicemodulations that are acquired and take on strategic social value within certain contexts.

Cool was once an attitude fostered by rebels andunderdogs—such as slaves, prisoners,bikers,political dissidents, etc.—for whom open rebellion invited punishment, so they hid defiance behind a wall ofironicdetachment, distancing that defiance from the source of authority rather than directly confronting it.

In general, coolness is a trait based on the inference that a cultural object (e.g., a person or brand) isautonomous;that is, the person or brand is not constrained by thenorms,expectations, or beliefs of others.

As a state of being

Coolis also used for describing a general state of calmness and well-being, or similarly, a transcendent, internal state of peace and serenity.It can also refer to an absence of conflict, a state of harmony and balance, as in "the land is cool," or as in a "cool [spiritual] heart." Such meanings, according to Thompson, are African in origin. Cool is related in this sense to both social control and transcendental balance.

Coolcan similarly be used to describe composure and an absence of excitement or agitation in a person, especially in times of stress (as expressed in theidiomkeep one's cool).

The word can also express agreement or consent, as in the phrase, "I'm cool with that."

As an ideal

The wordcoolmay refer to an attitude widely adopted by artists and intellectuals, who aided its insertion intopopular culture.This concept was idealized by teenagers, became sought byproduct marketingfirms, and has even been used as a shield against racial oppression or political persecution, seen by many as a source of constant cultural information. To many, beingcoolhas become a global phenomenon.Concepts of coolness have existed for centuries in several cultures.

As fashion

ABengaliman sporting sunglasses, which fit the concept ofcoolin fashion.

In terms of fashion, the concept ofcoolhas transformed from the 1960s to the 1990s by becoming integrated in the dominant fabric of fashion culture. America's mass production of "ready-to-wear" fashion in the1940sand1950sestablished specific conventional outfits as markers of one's unchanging social role in society. Subcultures such ashippiesfelt repressed by the dominating conservative and conformist ideology of the 1940s and 1950s and rebelled. According to Dick Pountain's definition ofcool,hippies' fashionable dress can be seen ascoolbecause of its prominent deviation from the standard uniformity and mass production of clothing created by the "totalitarian" system of fashion.Hippie-inspired fashion included various styles featuring bold colors, such as the "Trippy Hippie," the "Fantasy Hippie," the "Retro Hippie", the "Ethnic Hippie", and the "Craft Hippie".Additionally, according tostrain theory,the hand production of hippie fashion made their clothingcoolall on its own. Handmade clothing passively rebelled againstconsumerismby allowing hippies to reject that lifestyle, which in turn made themcool.As a result of their disengagement with the establishment, the scope of self-critique was limited because their "mask" filtered negative thoughts of worthlessness, fostering the opportunity forself-worth.

Starting in the 1990s and continuing into the 21st century, the concept of dressingcoolleft the minority and entered the mainstream, making it a dominant ideology.Coolentered the mainstream as the hippie rebels of the late 1960s became the senior executives of business sectors, such as the fashion industry. Since they grew up withcooland maintained the same values, they knew its rules and thus knew how to accurately market and produce such clothing.However, oncecoolbecame the dominant ideology in the 21st century, its definition changed to not one of rebellion but of one attempting to hide their insecurities in a confident manner.

Thegrunge fashionstyle of the 1990s and 21st century allowed people who felt financially insecure about their lifestyle to pretend to "fit in" by wearing a unique piece of clothing, but one that was polished. For example, unlike the hippie style that clearly diverges from the norm, throughMarc Jacobs' combined "fashion-grunge" style of "a littlepreppie,a little grunge and a little couture ", he produces not only a bold statement, but one that is mysterious and awkward, creating an ambiguous perception of what the wearer's internal feelings are.

As an epithet

While slang terms are usually short-lived coinages and figures of speech,coolis an especially ubiquitous slang word, most notably among young people. As well as being understood throughout the English-speaking world, the word has even entered the vocabulary of several languages outside English, and several languages have their own words for the concept.

In this sense,coolis used as a general positiveepithetor interjection, which can have a range of related adjectivalmeanings.

Regions

One of the essential characteristics ofcoolis its mutability—what is consideredcoolchanges over time and varies among cultures and generations.

Africa and the African diaspora

Yorubabronze head sculpture from the city ofIfe,Nigeriac. 12th century A.D

AuthorRobert Farris Thompson,professor ofart historyatYale University,suggests thatItutu,which he translates as "mystic coolness",is one of three pillars of a religious philosophy created in the 15th centurybyYorubaandIgbocivilizations of West Africa.Cool,orItutu,contained meanings of conciliation and gentleness of character, generosity, grace, and the ability to defuse fights and disputes. It was also associated with physical beauty. In Yoruba culture, Itutu is connected to water. This also gives it a connotation related to temperature.Thompson also cites a definition ofcoolfrom theGolapeople ofLiberia,who define it as the ability to be mentally calm or detached, in an otherworldly fashion, from one's circumstances, to be nonchalant in situations where emotionalism or eagerness would be natural and expected.Joseph M. Murphy writes thatcoolis also closely associated with the deityÒsunof theYoruba religion.

Thompson acknowledges similarities between African and Europeancoolin shared notions of self-control and imperturbability.However, he finds the cultural value of cool in Africa, which influenced theAfrican diaspora,to be different from that held by Europeans, who use the term primarily as the ability to remain calm under stress. According to Thompson, there is significant weight, meaning, and spirituality attached to coolness in traditional African cultures, something which Thompson argues is absent from coolness in the Western context:

The telling point is that the "mask" of coolness is worn not only in time of stress, but also of pleasure, in fields of expressive performance and the dance. Struck by the re-occurrence of this vital notion elsewhere in tropical Africa and in thePan-AmericanAfrican Diaspora,I have come to term the attitude "an aesthetic of the cool" in the sense of a deeply and completely motivated, consciously artistic, interweaving of elements serious and pleasurable, of responsibility and play.

African Americans

Ronald Perry writes that many words and expressions have passed fromAfrican-American Vernacular EnglishintoStandard Englishslang, including the contemporary meaning of the wordcool.The definition, meaning "something fashionable", is said to have been popularized injazzcircles by tenor saxophonistLester Young.This predominantlyblackjazz scene in the U.S., as well as expatriate musicians inParis,helped popularize notions of cool in the U.S. in the 1940s, giving birth to "Bohemian" orbeatnikculture.Shortly thereafter, a style of jazz calledcool jazzappeared on the music scene, emphasizing a restrained, laid-back solo style.Notions ofcoolas an expression of inner self in aTaoistsense, equilibrium, self-possession, and an absence of conflict are commonly understood in African-American contexts well. Expressions such as "Don't blow your cool", or later, "chill out", and the use of "chill" as a general characterization of inner contentment or restful repose, all have their origins in African-American Vernacular English.As Ted Gioia wrote inA History of Cool Jazz in 100 Tracks:

When the air in the smoke-filled nightclubs of that era became unbreathable, windows and doors were opened to allow some 'cool air' in from the outside to help clear away the suffocating air. By analogy, the slow and smooth jazz style that was typical for that late-night scene came to be called "cool."

He continued, "The goal [of cool jazz] was always the same: to lower the temperature of the music and bring out different qualities in jazz."

Marlene Kim Connor connectscooland the post-war African-American experience in her bookWhat is Cool?: Understanding Black Manhood in America.Connor writes thatcoolis the silent and knowing rejection of racist oppression, a self-dignified expression of masculinity developed by black men that were denied mainstream expressions of manhood. She writes that mainstream perception ofcoolis narrow and distorted, with coolness often perceived merely as style or arrogance rather than a way to achieve respect.

DesignerChristian Lacroixhas said that "the history of cool in America is the history ofAfrican-American culture".

Among black men in America, coolness, which may have its roots in slavery as an ironic submission and concealed subversion (as in an article byThorsten Botz-Bornstein),is enacted at times in order to create a powerful appearance, a type of performance frequently maintained for the sake of a social audience.

Cool pose

Malcolm X"embodied essential elements of cool".

Cool,though an amorphous quality—more mystique than material—is a pervasive element in urban black male culture.Majors and Billson address what they term the "cool pose" in their study and argue that it helps black men counter stress caused by social oppression, rejection andracism.They also contend that it furnishes the black male with a sense of control, strength, confidence and stability and helps him deal with the closed doors and negative messages of the "generalized other". They also believe that attaining black manhood is filled with pitfalls of discrimination, negative self-image, guilt, shame, and fear.

The "cool pose" may be a factor in discrimination in education, contributing toachievement gaps in test scores.In a 2004 study, researchers found that teachers perceived students with African-American culture-related movement styles, referred to as the "cool pose", as lower in achievement, higher in aggression, and more likely to needspecial educationservices than students with standard movement styles, irrespective of race or other academic indicators.The issue of stereotyping and discrimination with respect to the "cool pose" raises complex questions ofassimilationand accommodation of different cultural values. Jason W. Osborne identifies the "cool pose" as one of the factors in black underachievement.Robin D. G. Kelleycriticizes calls for assimilation and sublimation of black culture, including the "cool pose". He argues that media and academics have unfairly demonized these aspects of black culture. At the same time, through their sustained fascination with blacks as "exotic" others, appropriated aspects of the "cool pose" into the broader popular culture.

George Elliott Clarkewrites thatMalcolm X,likeMiles Davis,embodies essential elements of coolness. As an icon, Malcolm X inspires a complex mixture of both fear and fascination in broader American culture, much like the "cool pose" itself.Bongani Madando considers film iconSidney Poitieras one who embodies coolness on-screen.

East Asia

Further information:Cool Japan

Prof.Paul Waleyconsiders Tokyo one of the world's "capitals of cool".

In Japan, synonyms ofcoolcould beikiandsui,referring to traditional aesthetic ideals among commoners that developed inEdo-periodJapan. Some tend to immediately connect the aesthetic of coolness in Japan tosamurai,but this is historically inaccurate. In fact, in many art forms includingrakugo,samurai from the countryside were often depicted as the target of ridicule by the average commoner in the civilized Edo period.

Some argue that the ethic of the samuraicasteinJapanand warrior castes in India and East Asia all resemble what it means to be "cool".The samurai-themed works of film directorAkira Kurosawaare among the most praised of the genre, influencing many filmmakers across the world with his techniques and storytelling. Notable works of his includeSeven Samurai,Yojimbo,andThe Hidden Fortress,the last being one of the primary inspirations forGeorge Lucas'sStar Wars(which also borrows a number of aspects from the samurai, for example theJedi Knightsof the series). Samurai have been presented as cool in many modern Japanese movies such asSamurai Fiction,Kagemusha,andYojimbo.

InThe Art of War,a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC, generalSun Tzu,a member of the landless Chinese aristocracy, wrote in Chapter XII:

Profiting by their panic, we shall exterminate them completely; this will cool the King's courage and cover us with glory, besides ensuring the success of our mission.

Asian countries have developed a tradition on their own to explore types of modern "cool" or "ambiguous" aesthetics.

In aTime Asiaarticle, "The Birth of Cool", authorHannah Beechdescribes Asian coolness as "a revolution in taste led by style gurus who are redefining Chinese craftsmanship in everything from architecture and film to clothing and cuisine" and as a modern aesthetic inspired both byMing-era minimalism and a strenuous attention to detail.

Paul Waley,professor of Human Geography at the University of Leeds, considersTokyo,along withNew York,London,andParis,to be one of the world's "capitals of cool",andThe Washington Post's Anthony Faiola called Tokyo "Japan's Empire of Cool" and Japan "the coolest nation on Earth":

Analysts are marveling at the breadth of a recent explosion in cultural exports, and many argue that the international embrace of Japan's pop culture, film, food, style and arts is second only to that of the United States. Business leaders and government officials are now referring to Japan's 'gross national cool' as a new engine for economic growth and societal buoyancy.

The term "gross national cool" was coined by journalist Douglas McGray. In a June/July 2002 article inForeign Policymagazine,he argued that as Japan's economic juggernaut took a wrong turn intoa 10-year slump,and with military power made impossible by a pacifist constitution, the nation had quietly emerged as a cultural powerhouse: "Frompop musictoconsumer electronics,architecture to fashion, and food to art, Japan has far greater cultural influence now than it did in the 1980s, when it was an economic superpower. "The notion of Asian "cool" applied to Asian consumer electronics is borrowed from the cultural media theoristEric McLuhan,who described "cool" or "cold" media as stimulating participants to complete auditive or visual media content, in sharp contrast to "hot" media that degrades the viewer to a merely passive or non-interactive receiver.

Europe

Aristocratic and artistic cool

Mona Lisa,or La Gioconda (La Joconde), byLeonardo da Vinciexpressessprezzatura,an "aristocratic cool".

"Aristocratic cool," known assprezzatura,has existed in Europe for centuries, particularly when relating to frank amorality or illicit pleasures behind closed doors;Raphael'sPortrait of Baldassare Castiglioneand Leonardo da Vinci'sMona Lisaare classic examples ofsprezzatura.Thesprezzaturaof the Mona Lisa is seen in both her smile and the positioning of her hands. Both the smile and hands are intended to convey her grandeur, self-confidence, and societal position.Literally translating to "disdain and detachment",sprezzaturais the art of refraining from the appearance of trying to present oneself in a particular way. In reality, of course, tremendous exertion went into pretending not to bother or care.

English poet and playwrightWilliam Shakespeareused "cool" in several of his works to describe composure and absence of emotion.InA Midsummer Night's Dream,written around 1595 or 1596, he contrasts the shaping fantasies of lovers and madmen with "cool reason",inHamlethe wrote "O gentle son, upon the heat and flame of thy distemper, sprinkle cool patience",and the antagonist Iago inOthellois musing about "reason to cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts."

The cool "Anatolian smile" ofTurkeyis used to mask emotions. A similar "mask" of coolness is worn in both times of stress and pleasure in American and African communities.

InThe Diary of a Nobody,coolness is used as a criticism: "Upon my word, Gowing's coolness surpasses all belief."

European inter-war cool

The key themes of modern European coolness were forged by avant-garde artists who achieved prominence in the aftermath of the First World War, most notablyDadaists,such as key Dada figuresArthur CravanandMarcel Duchamp,and the left-wing milieu of theWeimar Republic.The goal of such groups was often self-consciously revolutionary, a determination to scandalize thebourgeoisieby mocking their culture, sexuality, and political moderation.

Bertolt Brecht,both a committed Communist and a philandering cynic, stands as the archetype of this inter-war cool. Brecht projected his cool attitude to life onto his most famous character Macheath or "Mackie Messer" (Mack the knife) inThe Threepenny Opera.Mackie, the nonchalant, smooth-talking gangster who is an expert with aswitchblade,personifies the bitter-sweet strain of cool; Puritanism and sentimentality are both anathema to the cool character.

During the turbulent inter-war years, coolness was a privilege reserved for bohemian milieus like Brecht's. Cool irony andhedonismremained the province ofcabaretartistes, ostentatious gangsters, and rich socialites. The luxuries depicted inEvelyn Waugh'sBrideshead RevisitedandChristopher Isherwood'sGoodbye to Berlintraced the outlines of a new cool.Peter Stearns,a professor of history atGeorge Mason University,suggests that the seeds of acooloutlook had been sown among this inter-war generation.

Post–World War II cool

The Second World War brought the populations of Britain, Germany, and France into intimate contact with Americans and their culture. WWII also brought hundreds of thousands ofGIs,whose relaxed, easy-going manner was seen by young people of the time as embodying liberation. To becoolorhipmeant "hanging out", pursuing sexual liaisons, displaying a level ofnarcissisticself-absorption, and expressing a desire to escape all ideological causes. From the late 1940s onward, this popular culture influenced young people all over the world, to the dismay of the ruling paternalistic elites. The French intelligentsia were outraged, while the British educated classes displayed a haughty indifference that displayed traces of an older aristocraticcool.

Eastern European cool

What it meant to be "cool" resonated behind the Iron Curtain, where it offered relief from the earnestness of socialist propaganda and socialist realism in art. In thePolishindustrial cityŁódź,jazz, the "forbidden music", served Polish youth of the 1950s much as it had served its African-American creators, both as personal diversion and subterranean resistance to what they saw as a stultifying official culture. Some clubs featured live jazz performances, and their smoky, sexually charged atmosphere carried a message for which the Puritanical values and monumental art of Marxist officialdom were an ideal foil.Arriving in Poland via France, America, and England, Polish coolness stimulated the film talents of a generation of artists, includingAndrzej Wajda,Roman Polanski,and other graduates of theNational Film School in Łódź,as well as the novelistJerzy Kosinski,in whose clinical prosecooltends towards the sadistic.

InPrague,the capital of Bohemia,coolflourished in the fadedArt Decosplendor of theCafé Slavia,which was part of the dissident underground called itself the "Jazz Section", following the crushing of thePrague Springby Soviet tanks in 1968.

Theories

As a positive trait

According to this theory, coolness is a subjective, dynamic, socially-constructed trait, such that it is subjective. People perceive things (e.g., other people, products or brands) to be cool based on an inference of "autonomy". That is, something is perceived to be cool when it follows its own motivations. However, this theory proposes that the level of autonomy that leads to coolness is constrained. An inappropriate level of autonomy that opposes a legitimate norm does not lead to perceptions of coolness. The level of autonomy considered appropriate is influenced by different variables for each individual. For example, people who think that societal institutions and authority are unjust or repressive equate coolness with higher levels of autonomy than those who are less critical of social norms and authority.

As social distinction

According to this theory, coolness is a relative concept. In other words,coolexists only in comparison with things considered less cool. For example, in the bookThe Rebel Sell,coolis created out of a need for status and distinction. This creates a situation analogous to anarms race,in which cool is perpetuated by acollective actionproblem in society.

As an elusive essence

According to this theory,coolis a real, but unknowable property.Cool,like "good", is a property that exists but can only be sought after. In theNew Yorkerarticle, "The Coolhunt",coolis given three characteristics:

• "The act of discovering what's cool is what causes cool to move on".
• "Cool cannot be manufactured, only observed".
• "[Cool] can only be observed by those who are themselves cool".

As a marketing device

See also:Planned obsolescenceandCultural appropriation

[Cool is] a heavily manipulative corporate ethos.

— Kalle Lasn

Over the past decade, young black men in American inner cities have been the market most aggressively mined by brandmasters as a source of borrowed 'meaning' and identity... The truth is that the 'got to be cool' rhetoric of the global brands is, more often than not, an indirect way of saying 'got to be black.'

— DesignerChristian Lacroix

According to the theory of using coolness as a marketing device, cool can be exploited as a manufactured and empty idea imposed on cultures at large through a top-down process by sellers of popular culture who capitalize on trends and subcultures most often created by youths.These include record company executives, fashion companies, and merchandisers. Furthermore, "cool has become the central ideology ofconsumer capitalism",resulting in the selling of coolness. This drives many young people and adults to attempt to "fit into" the mainstream and adhere to trends in order to purchase products and/or brands that make them appear cool.

The concept of cool was often used in this way to marketmenthol cigarettesto African Americans in the 1960s. In 2004, over 70% of African American smokers preferred menthol cigarettes compared to 30% of white smokers. This unique social phenomenon was principally occasioned by the tobacco industry's manipulation of the burgeoning segregated urban black consumer market in cities at that time. According toFast Companymagazine, some large companies have started "outsourcingcool "—paying other" smaller, more-limber, closer-to-the-ground outsider "companies to help them keep up with customers' rapidly changing tastes and demands.

Definitions

• "If status is about standing, cool is about standing free."–Grant McCracken
• "Cool is a knowledge, a way of life."–Lewis MacAdams
• "Cool is an age-specific phenomenon, defined as the central behavioural trait of teenagerhood."
• "Coolness is the proper way you represent yourself to a human being."– Robert Farris Thompson
• In the novelSpook CountrybyWilliam Gibson,one character equatescoolwith a sense of exclusivity: "'Secrets,' said theBigendbeside her, 'are the very root of cool.' "
• In the novelLords and LadiesbyTerry Pratchett,the "Monks of Cool" are mentioned. In their passing-out test, a novice must select the "coolest" garment from a room full of clothes. The correct answer is "Hey, whatever I select", suggesting that cool is primarily an attitude of self-assurance.
• "Coolness is a subjective and dynamic, socially constructed positive trait attributed to cultural objects (people, brands, products, trends, etc.) inferred to appropriately autonomous."

See also

• African aesthetic
• Avant-garde
• Based
• Cool Britannia
• Cool jazz
• Fad
• Jihad Cool
• Square (slang)

Further reading

• Alan Liu (2004).The Laws of Cool: Knowledge Work and the Culture of Information.University of Chicago Press
• Lewis MacAdams(2001).Birth of the Cool: Beat, Bebop, and the American Avant-Garde.New York:Free Press.
• Ted Gioia(2009).The Birth (and Death) of the Cool.Speck Press/Fulcrum Publishing.
• Dick Pountain andDavid Robins(2000).Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude.Reaktion Books.
• Peter Stearns(1994).American Cool: Constructing a Twentieth-Century Emotional Style.New York UniversityBooks.
• John Leland(2004).Hip: The History.Ecco Press
• Jeffries, Michael P. (2011).Thug Life:Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop.University of Chicago Press
• Dinerstein, Joel (2017).The Origins of Cool in Postwar America.University of Chicago Press