{"651125":{"#nid":"651125","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech\u2019s Science Fiction Experts React to the U.S. Space Force\u2019s New Uniforms","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWith an asymmetrical cut and six shiny buttons that suggest a rocket\u0026rsquo;s hard burn to orbit, there\u0026rsquo;s little doubt the U.S. Space Force\u0026rsquo;s new prototype service dress uniforms are meant to evoke the newest military branch\u0026rsquo;s futuristic spirit.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe uniform\u0026rsquo;s design also highlights the fascinating influence of science fiction on fashion and how studying the genre can help unravel a host of cultural and technological conundrums, notes Regents Professor Lisa Yaszek of the School of Literature, Media, and Communication.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One of the things I frequently talk about is how science fiction is a global language, and this uniform is an example of that. It wants to signal the unique nature of the Space Force as the military of a technoscientific present and future. The jacket does that by referencing the great tradition of imagining space forces through science fiction,\u0026rdquo; Yaszek said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIndeed, the togs do bear a remarkable resemblance to uniforms in the television series \u003Cem\u003EBattlestar Galactica, \u003C\/em\u003Eas noted in many less-than-stellar reviews.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the jacket, Yaszek also sees echoes of uniforms from \u003Cem\u003EFlash Gordon, Forbidden Planet, \u003C\/em\u003Eand other early science fiction classics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;But the rest of the outfit, which seems drawn from more traditional military workwear based on corporate suiting, reads less Flash Gordon and more Gordon Gecko,\u0026rdquo; said Yaszek. \u0026ldquo;And I think that\u0026rsquo;s what\u0026rsquo;s causing a lot of the cognitive dissonance.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYaszek believes people are picking up on the tension between the uniform\u0026rsquo;s futuristic, sportswear-inspired jacket and the collared shirt and slacks, which sport a more traditionally military workwear look.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;That choice probably came out of a desire to make Space Force both part of the existing military community but also set it apart. That people are picking up on that shows how much people read culture, and how much science fiction influences that,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYaszek teaches a class on fashion in science fiction \u0026mdash; LMC 4000 \u0026mdash; Senior Seminar in Literature, Media, and Communication: \u0026ldquo;Science, Fiction, and Fashion.\u0026rdquo; She said the sorts of fashion we all recognize from science fiction began in the early 20\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E century with Italian Futurists and Russian Constructivists, who celebrated technology and its promise for a better future.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Futurists invented the concept of uniform dressing as the ideal mode of clothing for our impending, high-tech future,\u0026rdquo; Yaszek said. \u0026ldquo;The idea was to use high-tech fabrics in bright and beautiful colors to create simple clothes that could be worn by anyone and easily adapted to various bodies and situations through the strategic use of accessories.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEarly science fiction artists such as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=frank+r.+paul\u0026amp;source=lnms\u0026amp;tbm=isch\u0026amp;sa=X\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjp7qF15fzAhUPZc0KHdBwDgQQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw\u0026amp;biw=1278\u0026amp;bih=1287\u0026amp;dpr=1\u0022\u003EFrank. R. Paul\u003C\/a\u003E absorbed these design concepts and rolled out a steady drumbeat of futuristically clad space warriors, including Flash Gordon and \u0026ldquo;Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EQuickly, elements such as asymmetry, bright colors, and metallics became the standard for signaling a futuristic military. These powerfully evocative concepts continue to be seen today in costumes for films and TV, including \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pinterest.es\/pin\/389561436503214867\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGalactica\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey\u0026rsquo;re also present in the Space Force uniform, with its off-center and angled jacket closure, shiny buttons, open collar, and highly polished insignia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a leading scholar of feminist science fiction, Yaszek praised the Space Force\u0026rsquo;s announcement that the uniforms were the first designed for female bodies instead of male ones. But, she said, she would like to hear more details about what that actually means. The science-fiction inspiration could also have led designers to more innovative or unisex designs, she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYaszek\u0026rsquo;s colleague, science fiction film scholar Ida Yoshinaga, wonders if the convention-breaking and obviously sci-fi approach to uniforming the Space Force means more changes might be in store in terms of rules limiting personal expression in the ranks.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In many science fiction worlds, there tends to be a wider range in uniforms and what is worn with them, and I wonder if we will see that here in rules about hair length, style, color, and so on,\u0026rdquo; said Yoshinaga, who studies costume design and other aspects of science fiction film productions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Space Force\u0026#39;s recent reveal of its prototype uniforms sparked discussion about similarities to science fiction, says Regents Professor Lisa Yaszek.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The U.S. Space Force\u0027s recent reveal of its prototype uniforms sparked discussion about similarities to science fiction, says Regents Professor Lisa Yaszek."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2021-09-27 20:28:09","changed_gmt":"2021-10-04 17:23:45","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-09-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-09-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"651123":{"id":"651123","type":"image","title":"Space Force Uniforms","body":null,"created":"1632774246","gmt_created":"2021-09-27 20:24:06","changed":"1632774246","gmt_changed":"2021-09-27 20:24:06","alt":"","file":{"fid":"247061","name":"space force uniforms.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/space%20force%20uniforms.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/space%20force%20uniforms.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":86774,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/space%20force%20uniforms.jpg?itok=tmUlkwwh"}}},"media_ids":["651123"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichael Pearson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nmichael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}