In the world of fashion and reality shows, Project Runway is any fashionista's dream to watch. The show is hosted by Heidi Klum, and appearances by a myriad of fashion celebrities allows the viewer to have a feeling of some sense of fashion credibility. The show's concept is take emerging designers, propel them on national television, and make it a fashion competition.
Since Project Runway's first show, these heavily pronounced gay men, Tom and Lorenzo, have started a blog Project Rungay, which plays on the show's name. The blog is mainly about Project Runway and have since dabbed into other fashion realms.
Due to the show's popularity and the witty comments about each Project Runway episode, Tom and Lorenzo's postmodern blog has a huge following. Hundreds of comments are made about a contestant's dress, whether hideous or pleasing. Perhaps a prime example of this is from the first episode of Project Runway, when one of the contestants (Austin Scarlett) made a dress out of corn husks. The execution was exemplary, and people raved about the dress.
The blog brings many people of various backgrounds to one place in order to talk about the love of fashion and the show. It provides a foundation for people to come together and form a cybersubculture about Project Runway. Basing off of personal experience and comments made after each post, these commentators come from different backgrounds: racially, location, socioeconomic status, education, et cetera. We all love Project Runway, and a valid comment from an average-working American is no different from a valid comment offered by an anonymous fashion stylist.
Lastly, this group of Project Runway enthusiasts if a prime example of a postmodern community. Bell would characterize this group as a fan culture because of the large following of people who would characterize themselves as fashion fans. People come to this group to follow their interests in a virtual realm. Since not every person in the face-to-face community is a Project Runway viewer/fan, the Project Rungay blog is the next best thing. This emptiness in real life from not having a fan to talk to is fulfilled by commentators online. This void that ceases to exist through the group is an experience that Delanty describes. The group is propelled by interests.
In addition, your neighbors will probably not be as hilarious as Tom and Lorenzo and even be celebrated by the New York Times, The Boston Tribune, or The Chicago Tribune. Plus, the blog helps a viewer relive the TV moment the next morning when reading the blog, and laughs can arise, such as the from the "Drag Queen" episode.
Or the moment can be relived through an image of a wonderful entry made out of plants.
Works Cited
Bell. "Cybersubculture." An Introduction to Cybercultures. N/A.
Delanty. "Postermodern Community: Community Beyond Unity." The Idea of Communication Communities. N/A.
Tom and Lorenzo. Project Rungay. Project Rungay, 2006. Web. 8 Nov 2009.
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