Novelty converts from absurd to accepted through repeated exposure

Evidence

Sixty years before the moptop, social scientist William Graham Sumner seemingly predicted how it would rise and fall: “A new fashion of dress seems at first to be absurd, ungraceful, or indecent. After a time this first impression of it is so dulled that all conform to the fashion.” — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 17

Categorization

• CANDY: A compact, quotable historical prediction about why fads gain acceptance.
• XREF: Echoes the mere-exposure effect from psychology and modern habituation research. — connects to: Repeated exposure to others’ judgments inevitably shapes a person’s character; Seemingly harmless entertainment can normalize grotesque caricature — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project: A New American Origin…, 1109; Absurdity is defined as familiar form leading to unfamiliar conclusions — Travis Proulx, Steven J. Heine, and Kathleen D. Vohs, When Is the Unfamiliar the Uncanny?…, 29 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Repeated exposure to others’ judgments inevitably shapes a person’s character #expands (0.82)
• Seemingly harmless entertainment can normalize grotesque caricature #exemplifies (0.73) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 1109