Vol. 4 No. 2 (2015): A Journal of Anglo-American Studies
Articles

Counterculture and Hyper-Capitalism: Commodifying the Rebel: The Case of Harley-Davidson

Jolanta Szymkowska-Bartyzel
Bio

Published 27.12.2024

Keywords

  • Counterculture,
  • conformism,
  • rebel,
  • consumption,
  • Harley-Davidson

How to Cite

Counterculture and Hyper-Capitalism: Commodifying the Rebel: The Case of Harley-Davidson. (2024). Op. Cit. Journal, 4(2). https://opcit.apeaa.pt/index.php/journal/article/view/15

Abstract

The paper focuses on the universal mechanisms of capitalism to convert resistance into commodity, and to make money on selling the illusions of independence, freedom, and self-fulfillment. This process is exemplified by one of the most popular motorcycle brands: Harley Davidson. In the 1960s, Harley Davidson became a symbol of rebellion, diversity, freedom and resistance against the establishment values and lifestyle; however, soon these symbolic associations became the basis for marketing strategies that have turned Harley Davidson into one of the most luxurious brands in the automotive industry. Harley-Davidson is just one of many symbols of the revolution of the 1960s that sells freedom and independence to their users trapped in the mechanisms of capitalism. Music, clothes, jewelry, vegetarianism and ecology, discovered and propagated by counterculture rebels as the factors of a new, revolutionary lifestyle, were all co-opted into the very system and became globally sold commodities.