What Would Kachru Wear? A Discourse Analysis of Global Englishes in Fashion Weblogs from Expanding Circle Countries

Abstract

The fashion weblog (blog) emerged as a space on the Internet to disseminate colorful visuals and complementary stories to chronicle individual musings and promote brands. Fashion and beauty trends, retail news, on-the-street candid shots of personal style, and shopping hauls appeared on homepages and hamburger menus. Content creators connect viewers to matters of taste and socio-cultural implications of style and dress as a way of expression. Scholars look to understand its connection to gender; its cultural production practices; and its legitimacy in the print and digital journalism and media field. I aim to expand the discourse of fashion communication knowledge production of these cultural products and examine English as a lingua franca connecting bloggers from countries such as France, Brazil, and Japan across the digital landscape. This discourse analysis employs Braj Kachru’s model of Global Englishes to identify content and relies on theoretical frameworks of Gramsci’s hegemony and Bourdieu’s cultural capital to interpret rhetorical choices made. I argue English enables bloggers to make definitive statements about identity and culture and contribute to the international discourse about matters of taste.