--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Iconic clothing has been secularized…" description: "\"Iconic clothing has been secularized. . . . A guardsman in a dress uniform is ostensibly an icon of aggression; his coat is red as the blood he hopes t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/angela-carter-1237_abstract_iconic-clothing-has-been-secularized-a-g_1611718.jpg" --- # Iconic clothing has been secularized. . . . A guardsman in… ![“Iconic clothing has been secularized. . . . A guardsman in a dress uniform is ostensibly an icon of aggression; his coat is red as the blood he hopes to shed. Seen on a coat-hanger, with no man inside it, the uniform loses all its blustering significance and, to the innocent eye seduced by…” quote by Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/angela-carter-1237_abstract_iconic-clothing-has-been-secularized-a-g_1611718.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/angela-carter-1237_abstract_iconic-clothing-has-been-secularized-a-g_1611718.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ba/angela-carter-1237_abstract_iconic-clothing-has-been-secularized-a-g_1611718.jpg) > “Iconic clothing has been secularized. . . . A guardsman in a dress uniform is ostensibly an icon of aggression; his coat is red as the blood he hopes to shed. Seen on a coat-hanger, with no man inside it, the uniform loses all its blustering significance and, to the innocent eye seduced by decorative colour and tactile braid, it is as abstract in symbolic information as a parasol to an Eskimo. It becomes simply magnificent.” [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A uniform's meaning changes when removed from its original context, turning a symbol of aggression into a decorative object. **In simple terms:** Symbols lose power when stripped of context. Key Takeaway Consider how context shapes meaning. Themes symbolism context interpretation fashion power identity Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical interpretive When to use this quote - museum displays - fashion design - political protest - theatrical costume - advertising Key Concepts semiotics cultural studies aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - How does context alter perception? - Can symbols be neutralized? A Different Perspective Even decorative objects can convey unintended messages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Coat hangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coat-hangers/) [Colour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colour/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Hangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hangers/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Icons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/icons/) [Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence/) [Innocent eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent-eyes/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Parasols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parasols/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Seduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seduction/) [Significance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significance/) [Uniform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniform/) ## Related quotes > [“General Peckem even recommends that we send our men into combat in full-dress uniform so they'll make a good impression on the enemy when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/general-peckem-even-recommends-that-we-send-our-men-into-combat-in/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I dress in my 'uniform,' or my own dress code, which reflects my personal method and work ethic. 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Pursuit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/spin-the-parasol-three-times-and-repeat-after-me-i-shield-in-the-name/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [What happened to the good old days of "Woman as passive recipient?" What happened to being courted? What happened to sitting back under a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/what-happened-to-the-good-old-days-of-woman-as-passive-recipient-what/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [Sophie did not care to think how Howl might react if Fanny woke him by stabbing him with her parasol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-wynne-jones/sophie-did-not-care-to-think-how-howl-might-react-if-fanny-woke-him/) [Diana Wynne Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-wynne-jones/) > [Lady Maccon stopped suddenly. Her husband got four long strides ahead before he realized she had paused. She was starring thoughtfully up into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/lady-maccon-stopped-suddenly-her-husband-got-four-long-strides-ahead/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [She took a moment to lament her lack of parasol. Every time she left the house, she felt keenly the absence of her heretofore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/she-took-a-moment-to-lament-her-lack-of-parasol-every-time-she-left/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [I kissed her," he explained, aggrieved. "Mmm, yes, I had the dubious pleasure of witnessing that, ah-hem, overly public occurrence." Lyall sharpened his pen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/i-kissed-her-he-explained-aggrieved-mmm-yes-i-had-the-dubious/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [What a circus act we women perform every day of our lives. Look at us. 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But he kept on insisting on forgiving me when there was nothing to forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/he-was-a-lovely-man-in-many-ways-but-he-kept-on-insisting-on/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/reading-a-book-is-like-re-writing-it-for-yourself/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Losing their names, these things underwent a process of uncreation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/losing-their-names-these-things-underwent-a-process-of-uncreation/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [I know that whenever a group of women are gathered together, the grandmother always makes a phantom appearance, hovering above them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/i-know-that-whenever-a-group-of-women-are-gathered-together-the/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [“She herself is a haunted house. 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And yet it fools everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/is-not-this-whole-world-an-illusion-and-yet-it-fools-everybody/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [My paternal grandmother would not light a fire on the Sabbath and piled all Sunday's washing-up in a bucket, to be dealt with on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/my-paternal-grandmother-would-not-light-a-fire-on-the-sabbath-and/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [“Mother goddesses are just as silly a notion as father gods. If a revival of the myths of these cults gives woman emotional satisfaction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/mother-goddesses-are-just-as-silly-a-notion-as-father-gods-if-a/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [Out of the frying pan into the fire! What is marriage but prostitution to one man instead of many? 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