Rhinestone Cowboys: The Problem of Country Music Costuming

Abstract

In this paper, I attempt to answer the problem of country music costuming. That is, how can we reconcile the practical identity associated with country music with the image of the male country singer as the “rhinestone cowboy.” This is the question of how to make sense of the rural, working-class, ruggedly, and traditionally masculine persona common to the genre and seemingly endorsed by it with the elaborately embroidered, brightly colored, and highly embellished fashion of the genre. The intractability of this problem has led some to argue that the simplest solution is to just deny country music authenticity discourse altogether. I argue that by accounting for country music authenticity in terms of the genre’s being a dual character concept, we can fully address the skeptic’s worries. Beyond merely rendering the rhinestone encrusted “Nudie” suit compatible with country music aesthetic practice, this account also helps us make sense of the aesthetic value of country music costuming, and its potentially gender queer function.