Brand Rebel Che Guevara Between Politics and Consumerism

Abstract

This chapter traces Guevara's unlikely resurgence in the post-Cold War era. The reimagination of Guevara for the new millennium isolated and extended dimensions of his complex profile, and he reemerged in nearly singular form: with long hair and beard, wearing a beret and looking into the distance, an image dubbed "Heroic Guerrilla" ("Guerrillero Heroico"). Through this image Guevara once again became a ubiquitous antiestablishment symbol. For those who were critical of contemporary globalization and domestic repression, he evoked the radicalism of the 1960s and early 1970s. Though Guevara's rebellious aura proved alluring, admirers frequently deemphasized his socialist beliefs. Moreover, as Guevara regained political relevance, he also began to appeal as a commercial, brand-like logo, quickly surpassing similar historical cases. Adaptations of the Heroic Guerrilla appeared on everything from baby clothes to mud flaps, which introduced Guevara to yet wider audiences, including many who embraced him as an antisystemic icon. While Guevara's ideology was excised to a great degree, an often implicit politicality continued to underwrite his potency as a symbol for diverse movements. Therefore, Guevara functioned simultaneously as an apolitical object of consumption, an inspirational symbol for alternative social possibilities, and the most prominent icon of dissent in the world.