This research project aims to explore the correlation between fictional characters and the unintentional way in which we show our bonds and admiration for them. Fiction by definition of the Oxford Language dictionary is “literature in the form of prose that describes imaginary events and people”. From this we can deduct that fictional characters are not real people and are only translated to us through media such as, TV, Film and literature. I specifically aim to develop ideas on how fictional TV and Film characters affect trends and buying habits in feminine presenting consumers aged 18-25. This introductory section sets the stage for the coming chapters, providing a glimpse into the themes to be explored and offering a preliminary reference to the key academic sources that will underpin this project. Notable works such as J. Bryant and P. Vorderer’s “the psychology of entertainment”(2006), Peter Bug’s “Fashion Film: Moving Images and Consumer Behaviour”(2019), Myles Ethan Lacisty’s “Communicating Fashion: Clothing, Culture, and Media,”(2021), Shakaila Forbes-Bell’s “Big Dress Energy: How Fashion Psychology Can Transform Your Wardrobe and Your Confidence,”(2022), and Carolyn Mair’s “The Psychology of Fashion”(2018) will serve as critical touchstones throughout this research. As this project unfolds, I will delve deep into the psychological underpinnings of fashion and consumer habits. Through comprehensive analysis, I intend to shed light on how fictional characters, portrayed through various media, serve as influential figures in shaping the choices and behaviours of the target demographic. I intend to prove that there is a direct correlation between fashion trends and popular fictional characters in TV and Film. I have been interested in the psychology of fashion and consumer habits for a long time and I am specifically intrigued by the idea of trends and how they can differ so vastly in short spans of time e.g. week to week. I am curious to explore how Film, TV and popular culture have an impact on the way people shop, what and where they shop and how they respond to the trends on offer to them. To summarise, I aim to explore the immense impact of fictional characters from TV and Film on the buying habits and fashion trends of a feminine-presenting demographic ages 18-25. By exploring key academic sources and investigating the psychology of fashion, I aim to expose the connection between imaginary figures and their continuously evolving world of fashion, ultimately contributing to a vaster understanding of consumer and cultural behaviours.
In my first chapter I will explore the cultural and theoretical contexts of my investigation and define key terms that will be used throughout my works. I will explore the long relationship of the influence of TV and Film on the fashion industry from the early years of digital media to present day. My second chapter will be a continuation of the first, with more discussion and analysis of examples of how digital media such as TV and Film have an influence in the world of fashion. I will use the theories and context as discussed in the previous chapter to support my hypothesis. The third chapter will provide an in depth analysis of two case studies, the first being The Barbie Movie (2023) and the second being Wednesday, a TV series (2022).
How Trends Evolve from Popular Culture
How does fashion relate to popular culture?
In this chapter I will introduce and contextualise how popular culture always has and always will have an effect on fashion trends and buying behaviours. A trend by definition of the Oxford language dictionary is “a fashion, a change or development in an upward direction”. Equally significant is the concept of buying behaviours, which is defined by the Cambridge dictionary as “The way that people behave when they buy things, such as what they buy, where and when they shop, and how much they spend”. My intention for this chapter is to show the correlation between popular TV and Film and the trends they inspire. The inspiration from TV and film isn’t just limited to fashion but also hair and beauty and habits. For example in the 90’s when the “Rachel” haircut popularised by Jennifer Aniston’s character on the hit TV show “Friends,” became an iconic style that countless individuals sought to emulate. or the Kylie Jenner lips of 2015 which had young, easily influenced girls taking part in a risky challenge in which they would suck on small cups and bottles to mimic the Keeping up with Kardashians star iconic pout. These instances serve as vivid illustrations of how popular culture, as spread through screens, can have a profound impact on our appearance and behaviours.
In a nutshell, this chapter’s purpose is to serve as a surface level exploration of the overlap between popular culture, specifically TV and Film, fashion trends and buying behaviours. It paves the way for the coming chapters, which will further explore in greater detail specific case studies, and an in depth analysis of how the worlds of TV and film continue to mould our shared understanding of what is considered stylish or fashionable. This chapter highlights the key theories and concepts which work as evidence to show the strength and timelessness of the relationship between the screen and runway, further emphasising that the influence of popular culture on fashion is a recurring narrative that continues throughout each passing trend and generation.
Fashion is often referred to as “cyclical”, this means there is general repetition of trends years after they were popular but with a slight modern twist. The “tattoo” choker necklace of the 90’s found its resurgence in the mid 2010’s in the form of leather and lace and the bright neons of the 80’s made a triumphant return back into clubbing, festival and rave wear wardrobes in the 2020’s. Fashion trends are limited in how often they can come around and they can adapt to relevancy but a key way in which they can find popularity is through TV and Film, and the consumers Idols. The theory of cyclical fashion is crucial in understanding trends, The five stages of the fashion cycle can be seen here in figure 1. As shown in the image a trend’s least popular time is during the introductory and rejection phases of its life cycle, with a peak during the acceptance stage. Trends often go out of style only to resurge 20-30 years later (Jules B, 2022).
John Cohen says, “One way in which we develop an interest in fictional events is through identification with characters in a story. Identification provides us with several important keys to fictional involvement: Identifying with a character provides a point of view on the plot; it leads to an understanding of character motivations, an investment in the outcome of events, and a sense of intimacy and emotional connection with a character.” (Cohen, 2013). Cohen’s theory explains how audiences create an emotional and influential bond with fictional characters and events through storytelling on the screen. The relevance of this with specific reference to my question of “What Role do fictional characters in Film and Television have in creating and sustaining contemporary fashion trends and identities?” is that it supplies the evidence required to prove that audiences, sometimes unintentionally, create strong bonds with fictional characters and stories through TV and Film. Allowing them to have influence over how the audience behave, shop and alter their appearance. Cohen’s theory is discussed within the book “The psychology of entertainment”, a study that explores in depth how and why people enjoy entertainment, and how various forms of entertainment alter their thoughts and behaviours “We sometimes think of imitation as a rather low-level mental ability (“monkey see, monkey do”) but true imitative behaviour is highly complex” (Peter Stromberg PhD, 2009) The Psychology of entertainment discusses the evolutionary and cognitive basis of entertainment, alongside the psychological processes involved in the various genres of entertainment, for example, comedy, horror and action, to name a few.
Sigmund Freud developed the theory of Psychoanalysis as a way of understanding and treating mental disorders. Psychoanalysis aims to explore the unconscious and subconscious mind, by interpreting emotional patterns and repressed feelings using methods such as dream analysis. The primary assumption of psychoanalysis is the belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories.(Saul McLeod PhD, 2023). Freud’s theory based on unconscious and subconscious thought does not have a direct relationship to entertainment. However some theories claim that to understand entertainment we must know how audiences are interpreting and utilising what they gain from their experience. It is also important to understand the gratification people seek and gain from entertainment. “Rarely is any form of entertainment passive.”(Nigel MacLennan, 2022)
Roni Beth Tower discusses within her article in psychology today Elaine Hatfiled’s theory of emotional contagion (How films reach into our unconscious, 2022). While discussing her husbands and her own responses to the 2022 film ”Don’t worry darling” Tower breaks down the film’s imagery and uncovers how and why audiences respond in a variety of ways. “The emotional contagion process can help us understand how a crowd, like the January 6, 2021 insurrectionists at the US Capitol, can turn from upset, to anger, to violence or how our spouse’s bad day brings us down.”(Ronald E. Riggio PhD, 2021). Emotionally contagion is a significant theory in how TV and Film translate to the runway due to the interpersonal connections made through the screen and the surrounding audience. The idea that one person could “catch” emotions from their surrounding audience through nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and body language shows how truly impressionable humans are. “The tendency to automatically mimic and synchronise expressions, vocalisations, postures, and movements with those of another person’s and, consequently, to converge emotionally.” (Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Rapson, R. L. 1993).
Chapter 2
The History of Influential TV and Film on Fashion
This second chapter will focus on 3 general examples of how TV and Film have influenced trends within the fashion industry in the past. Specifically I will discuss the influence of A Streetcar Named Desire, The film (1951), Clueless (1995) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-96). This Television show and these films will be analysed using the theories introduced within the first chapter.
“A Streetcar Named Desire” is an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s play by the same name. The story follows a young southern woman who encounters a series of personal losses and issues and seeks help from her sister and brother-in-law who reside in New Orleans. The four time academy award winning film boasts an array of names, including Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and most notably Marlon Brando. The film’s influence on fashion although not as well-documented as its impact on literature and cinema is still considered iconic. Blanche DuBois, the lead female, found inspiration for her outfits from the 1940’s, her wardrobe is comprised of cinched waists, full skirts and floral prints. Her accessories also fit the same time frame, including gloves, hats and jewellery. However, Marlon Brando’s character, Stanley Kowalski, is the true fashion icon of the 1951 film. Along with James Dean in A Rebel Without a Cause, Brando wore a T-shirt. To the twenty-first century audience this seems mundane and uninteresting, However in the mid twentieth century the thought of wearing a T-shirt as anything other than undergarment was considered improper. Joobin Bekhrad wrote for a BBC culture article “Although T-shirt-like garments, such as the tunic, date back to ancient times, it was only recently (relatively speaking) that the T-shirt as it is now known first appeared. Its origins lie in the ‘union suit’, a sort of button-down onesie worn by both men and women (but particularly male workers) towards the end of the 19th Century in the US. Effective at keeping one toasty in colder temperatures, it wasn’t exactly suited towards heat or warm weather. Frustrated with its design, workers cut them in half, tucking the top bit into the bottom.”(Bekhrad, 2018). This quote from Bekhrad’s article suggests that what we now know as the modern day “T-Shirt” is yet another example of cyclical fashion. Reference made to the tunic, “a loose garment, typically sleeveless and reaching to the knees, as worn in ancient Greece and Rome.”(Oxford language dictionary). The popularisation of the T-shirt as we know it today can be put down to both Cohen’s theory of audience identification and Hatfield’s theory of emotional contagion. Although the rise in popularity of the T-Shirt cannot solely rely on the film adaptation of “A Streetcar Named Desire” it is no secret that young audiences connected with Stanley Kowalski, the lead male. Stanley’s passion for his wife and family made him a hero in the eyes of the audience, he was considered a just and fair man, despite how a modern audience may feel. His character was also considered to be representative of a new America, He’s described as being “disturbingly violent, yet alarmingly seductive”(Ruby Stirling, 2023) and therefore it is understandable why audiences replicated Brando’s style by wearing T-shirts. Audiences felt sympathetic towards Stanley, Brando’s intense performance “made Kowalski’s violence and impetuosity seem sexy and yet vulnerable.”(Francis Gilbert, 2021).
Clueless (1995) is another key example of how the silver screen has influenced the fashion industry and trends. In the early 1990’s “grunge” was all the rage, ripped jeans, smudged makeup, dark clothes was all anybody was wearing. Pop culture icons such as Kurt Cobain, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder massively popularised grunge fashion. That is of course until Cher Horowitz, played by Alicia Silverstone, strutted across the big screen. In an interview with Vogue Alicia Silverstone shares “People immediately responded to the clothes, for sure. Clueless bridged a gap between this grunge period, and then now, fashion was fun and girly. You went through a period of time where it was just cool to not care, with your jeans and your flannel and whatever. And now, to, ‘I care, and I’m gonna make really cute outfits all the time.’”(Silverstone, 2020) Audiences reacted very positively to the 1995 hit film that follows a Californian high school girl who alongside her friends is trying to navigate the ups and downs of life, relationships, school and her social status. “The fashion style in Clueless can be described as bold, fun, aspirational, and highly feminine. The costumes in the film were meticulously planned to enhance the comedic elements without overpowering the essence of the characters.”(Ed Daniels, 2023) Clueless is a brilliant example of Hatfields theory of Emotional Contagion. Clueless explored many themes throughout the duration of its screen time, evoking an array of emotions that the audience shared, from the humour that constantly followed the characters to the darker, more emotional and scary scenes that earned the film stunning reviews. ”this film is a must see for anyone who likes some real quality comedy”(IMBD, 2005). Hatfield’s theory here can show how the personal connections made with the characters through the emotions they evoke can cause them to take on a form of imitation. As discussed within “The psychology of entertainment” John Cohen said “It is not the mere exposure to entertainment that we enjoy, but the ability of entertainment content to distract us from ourselves and to reveal to us novel and exciting experiences of others.”(Cohen, 2013).
The final example of Popular media having an influence on trends and the fashion industry that will be explored in this chapter is the 1990 to 1996 hit comedy TV series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”. The show is renowned for its daring and bold fashion statements. Every character had a unique style, allowing a larger audience to find a character that resonates with them. Judy Richman, the show’s costume designer used “afrocentric” styles and hip-hop culture to influence the wardrobe, which was a refreshing look for the mainstream audience. However, it is important to note that the show also displayed “preppy” and chic clothing, popularising these styles among the black community (Jiles, 2021). The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air used the characters’ wardrobes as a symbol of wealth, the main family are pictured as being wealthy and rich. It is thought that the styling on the set of this hit show allowed mainstream audiences to digest hip-hop culture as a new concept and created a bold new visual identity.(The guardian, 2016). Cohen’s theory of audience identification is key in understanding how the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air played a pivotal role in the fashion industry in the early to mid 1990’s. The variety of character personalities, backgrounds and styles allowed for multiple demographics to empathise with at least one of the characters, The span of the series also allowed audience’s to watch grow and grow up with the characters on screen, from Ashley Banks, the youngest daughter, to Philip Banks, the father figure of the show, there was not a demographic left untouched. The emotional connections made during and for years after the series aired is undeniable, with entertainment publications such as Bustle publishing articles detailing which episodes of the series were the most tear jerking. In the Bustle article “7 ’Fresh Prince’ episodes to make you cry” Aramide Tinubu wrote “The show was multifaceted, and, as much as we turn to it for a good laugh, we can also turn to it when we need to cry”(Tinubu, 2015). Freud’s theory of the unconscious mind, linked with Hatfield’s theory of emotional contagion is vital in understanding the emotional connections made with the fictional characters documented throughout the six year life of the TV series. The impact on culture and fashion that the ‘Fresh Prince’ had, can still be found almost thirty years after the show called ‘cut’ for the last time. Eliza Huber, a journalist from Refinery29 wrote about the current relevance of original trends from the six-season show “Think tennis attire — from pleated mini skirts to varsity sweaters — on Ashley and Carlton, groutfits and ‘90s sportswear on Jackie, and plenty of gold jewellery to go around on Hilary. Monique’s fringe coat is also something we wouldn’t hesitate to wear today, as are Ashley’s sparkly tights.” (Huber, 2020)
Case studies
I am Barbie
Who is Barbie? Before we explore the vast influence “The Barbie Movie” had on fashion, we first need to understand the sensation that is Barbie. The story behind Barbie stems from the creator Ruth Handler’s daughter, Barbara, who spent her childhood years playing with dolls and choosing to give them adult roles. During this time childrens dolls often represented infants and from watching her child play Ruth recognized a gap in the market. Handler suggested her idea of adult-like dolls to her husband, Elliot, a co-founder of Mattel toy company. Although Elliot and Mattel alike were not interested in the idea. (Mary G. Lord, 2004). “They were all horrified by the thought … of wanting to make a doll with breasts,”(Handler, 0000) Handler, told Lord in Forever Barbie: the unauthorised biography of a real doll. Years later while on a trip to Switzerland, Handler and her children, Kenneth and Barbara, encountered an Adult-bodied doll named Bild Lilli. She was almost exactly what Handler had in mind. Bild Lilli was first sold in Germany in 1955 and although initially intended for adults, grew immensely popular among children who enjoyed collecting and dressing her in outfits sold separately. When the family returned to the United States Handler redesigned the doll with help from a local inventor/designer named Jack Ryan. and she was renamed after Handler’s daughter. The first Barbie doll was then introduced as both blonde and brunette on March 9th 1959.
Barbie quickly became a symbol of female empowerment, her glamorous style has been a source of inspiration for many generations and her influence is undeniable, but why? Barbie was one of the first children’s toys to have a marketing strategy based largely on television advertising. In 2006 it was estimated that over a billion dolls had been sold in over 150 countries, BBC News reported “over a billion Barbie dolls have now been sold worldwide”(BBC News, 2006). Since 1984 Barbie can be found in a broad range of digital media. Originally in Video games as a way for Mattel to evolve with the rise of digital and interactive media, Later in 1987 Barbie featured in two television specials. Barbie began her acting career in 2001 as a virtual actress in ‘direct to video computer animated feature films’ with her last role being in 2017. Barbie also had a short stint on Youtube, as a vlogger with a virtual fictional life.
The 2023 Barbie movie undoubtedly influenced fashion and buying behaviour. Costume designer, Jaqueline Durran, studied historical looks from Barbie found within the Mattel back catalogue and brought them to life. Each garment made entirely new for the actors playing each doll, every fabric, print and colour was carefully selected by Durrans team to create the iconic looks we witnessed on screen. In a 2023 Vogue article written by Alexandre Marain, Barbies influence on fashion from her original launch in 1959 to modern day is discussed “With Greta Gerwig’s film hitting cinemas this July and Barbiecore looks bringing pops of pink to runways around the world, the famous doll remains a style inspiration today.”(Marain, 2023). The concept of cyclical fashion provides us with a great understanding of why the Barbie movie was influential, With looks dating back to the dolls first outfits in the late 1950’s coming back into style naturally through trends life stages, only being propelled further by the nostalgia of everyone’s favourite style icon, Barbie.
“Barbiecore”, is defined as “(an aesthetic) A style of fashion inspired by the fashion doll Barbie, characterised by hot pink colours and glamorous styling.” This style is about being pretty in pink, supported by fashion favourite stars like Anne Hathaway, Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian head to toe pink was popular in 2023. Men were even getting involved too, With Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick wearing a pink sparkly suit on the red carpet after the Live action movie was announced. The house of Valentino even chose pink as its signature colour for the fall/winter 2022/23 collection. Going as far as to collaborate with pantone to create a unique colour identifier “Pink PP”. “Pink as a manifestation of the unconscious and a liberation from the need for realism. The accumulation of pink elements is such as to eliminate the visual shock to bring out, together, the unique character of the person.” (Valentino, 2022)
Audience Identification also plays an essential role in the fashion influence of the Barbie movie. The concept of “I am Barbie”, used throughout the film’s advertising campaigns, allows for a vast variety of demographics to find a character to which they can relate. The advertising team behind Barbie created a unique Artificial Intelligence(AI) based filter, for which you photograph yourself and are edited into a film poster, the words “I am Barbie” floating at the bottom of the banner. This unique strategy further solidifies the audience’s connection with the film and the characters it depicts. A data analysis study found that 12% of 18 to 30 year old feminine presenting people surveyed had already seen the Barbie movie in cinemas only a day after the release, with a further 36% planning to watch it in the near future. As age ranges increased interest in the new fashion dolls movie decreased with 11% of 30 to 44 year olds asked already having seen it and only 22% planning on watching it. MSN reported “Searches for pink mini dresses increased by 970% and pink swimsuits by 682% following the Barbie trailer release.” (MSN, 2023)
The Wednesday Effect
Wednesday Addams, The only daughter of the morbidly eccentric Addams family is a globally recognised name. Created by the cartoonist Charles Addams she first appeared as part of a comic strip in the New Yorker in 1938. However, it wasn’t until 1964, when the cartoonist adapted the characters from cartoons to TV that she gained her named and iconic look. “Wednesday Addams, the daughter of the family, was likely named after a nursery rhyme containing the line “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.” The poem, which assigns personalities to children based on the day they were born, dates back to at least 1838. The television character was, like the rest of her family, unconventionally morbid and cold, with a penchant for chopping off dolls’ heads.”(Fictional character dictionary, 2018). In 1991 the beloved TV family received a film, The Addams family(1991) was released which further developed the character of Wednesday. Her long braids and collared dresses which became synonymous with the character from her years on TV were resurrected, yet with a more gothic twist. The character of Wednesday gained immense popularity, her distinctive personality was adapted to a web series under the name “Adult Wednesday Addams” in 2013 which was eventually flagged for copyright and taken down in 2015 after amounting some 12 millions views. In 2022 Wednesday found her most recent call back to our screens on “Wednesday” A Netflix TV series directed by the iconic creepy director Tim Burton. An article in the Mary Sue written by Rachel Ulatowski stated “The TV series broke the record for the most-watched series on Netflix in one week”(Ulatowski, 2022). Ultaowski also wrote within the same article “She goes against the mould of what women are expected to be with her taste for the macabre, abhorrence of emotion, and streak of independence.” Wednesday, like Barbie, is another character that Generation Z and Millennial women have grown up knowing and connecting to, which makes it no wonder why her latest stint in media has been so popular.
Wednesday (2022), described as a supernatural coming of age comedy horror, depicts a young Wednesday Addams, who attempts to solve a mysterious murder at her new school whilst also attempting to navigate new and complicated relationships. This 2022 TV series reintroduced the concept of “Dark Academia”. This internet aesthetic has taken the world and formed its own subculture concerned with higher education, fine arts and literature. The aesthetic is centred off of traditional educational clothing and collegiate gothic architecture. “In the halls of Dark Academia, nostalgia and a world free of modern technology reign. Many of the community members focus on what life might have been like in the 19th and early 20th century at private schools in England, boarding schools, prep schools or Ivy League colleges in New England.”(Bateman, 2020). Jenna Ortega plays the title of character of this hit Netflix show, and costume designer Colleen Atwood knew exactly how to transform the young bright-eyed american actress into the “I’m not a hugger, I’m a homicidal maniac”(Wednesday, 2022) Wednesday Addams just through her wardrobe alone.
Hatfield’s theory of emotional contagion is significant in understanding how Wednesday had such a strong influence over the fashion industry. Wednesday’s impact on audiences emotions is indisputable, watching the hard shelled young girl form platonic and romantic relationships with other on screen characters allowed viewers to also form a connection with her. Statements such as “Wednesday Addams is my spirit animal” were printed onto a range of garments, from the wardrobe staples such as T-shirts, to tote bags, to Croc charms, and sold globally. Other ways in which audiences found themselves mimicking the title character’s behaviours include her iconic dance scene which has been recreated countless times on the popular social media platform “TikTok”. This dance acknowledges traditional gothic music and dance styles and although adapted on the platform to be performed too, Lady GaGa’s “Bloody Mary” was originally in the TV series performed alongside The Cramps song “Goo Goo Muck”.
In late 2022 articles from a variety of fashion trend publications wrote about Wednesday, discussing how this young “Goth girl” is perfectly on trend, and how to obtain her “perfectly moody”(Montgomery, 2022) look. An article from the Guardian states “clothes resale app Depop says searches for Wednesday-inspired outfits are up by 1000% since the month began.” (Macdonnell, 2022) Wednesday’s costume designer Colleen Atwood is even on record as saying “I felt that she should be part of today’s world,” she says. “I wanted it to be a contemporary stylish look that the audience would connect with. I didn’t want her to be just this odd person always draped in black.” (Atwood, 2022)
Conclusion
Throughout this research document it has been demonstrated numerous times that popular media, specifically TV and Film play a large part in creating and sustaining fashion trends and identities. Within the introduction the aims for this document were outlined. I specifically aimed to develop ideas around how fictional characters within TV and Film influence trends and audience buying habits. The theories discussed within the first chapter: How Trends Evolve from Popular Culture provide substantial evidence. Cohen’s theory of Audience Identification, uncovering how audiences create emotional bonds and connections with fictional characters through storytelling has proved to be fundamental in the analysis of multiple examples and case studies within this document. In addition, Sigmund Freud’s theory of the unconscious and subconscious mind when linked with Elaine Hatfields theory of emotional contagion also supplies us with an understanding of how audiences can be influenced subconsciously by each other and what they experience with and by spectating fictional characters on their screens.
Within the second chapter: The History of Influential TV and Film on Fashion three examples of TV and Film were analysed using the theories provided in the previous chapter: How Trends evolve from Popular Culture. The results ultimately and undeniably found that as a whole TV and Film have an influence over all fashion and trends, despite the demographic. Each example had its own unique audience from the 1951 film “A Streetcar Named Desire” boasting an older more sensitive audience, to the 1995 Film “Clueless” which at the time of release and still to this day has a vast female audience aged 12 and up.
Both case studies provide considerable evidence that TV and Film play a significant role in creating and sustaining fashion trends with specific reference to women aged 18-30. Both Barbie and Wednesday had largely feminine audiences who’s buying habits were impacted significantly after consuming each form of media. This is reflected in the increase of sales, search results and products made for ready to wear collections.