Katherine Sinner

My goal in writing this thesis is to explore a Twitter community self-titled “High Fashion Twitter” or “HF Twitter.” I examine this group through the lens of fashion criticism, comparing the group with other platforms. I unravel the layers, perspectives, and goals of this Twitter community in the context of the history of fashion criticism and discuss historical events leading to the use of Twitter as a platform for fashion discourse. I then analyze interviews conducted with prominent members of the HF Twitter community and the online book they published. Additionally, I discuss the notion of democratization through the words and actions of HF Twitter community members while analyzing the concept of authenticity. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory, I examine hierarchical relationships between HF Twitter and fashion criticism magazines and blogs.