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James Li

21A.00

Prof. Graham Jones

December 13, 2017

Automotive Stance Culture: Aesthetic Expression and Group Identity

Among a diversity of automotive enthusiasts generally marked by relative friendliness and

respect between different subcultures, automotive “stance” culture is notable for the overwhelming

disdain and criticism that it attracts. The word “stance” describes a style of car customization that

emerged in the late 2000s and is typically characterized by a low ride height, wheels that fit closely

within fenders, tires visibly stretched over wide wheels, and wheels that are tilted inwards (known

as “negative camber”) (see Figure 1). Stance draws influences from various historical trends,

including Japanese bosozoku styles and American lowrider culture, but is now generally

recognized as a distinct style (Lewis 2010). Stance modifications can range from restrained to very

dramatic, but typically result in a more aggressive appearance. As a consequence of these

modifications, the cars’ performance is often adversely affected in significant ways; for example,

lowered cars have difficulty with bumps and rough roads. Stance community members’ acceptance

of these adverse effects is perplexing to other automotive enthusiasts and is a main topic of

criticism by these other members of broader car culture. In this paper, I examine the expressive

culture of stance through a “virtual ethnography” of stance websites and forums. I explore the

aesthetic expression that motivates stance and produces meaning, how the practical difficulties

imposed by stance contribute to identity and community, and how the role of stanced cars in

enacting community identity can be understood through Durkheim’s framework of collective

representation.

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Figure 1: Examples of stanced cars, ranging from fairly restrained to very dramatic (Burroughs 2017; StanceNation 2017; Wilson 2017). Note the low ride height, large wheels, stretched tires, close fit between wheels and fenders, and negative camber (tilted wheels).

Stance culture is motivated primarily by a shared aesthetic sense, and is mainly concerned

with creation and appreciation of stanced cars as aesthetic pieces. Although driving the cars and

attending community gatherings (“meets”) comprises a significant portion of the stance cultural

experience, driving and socializing is not the reason for stance. Instead, stance exists for the cars.

This focus on the vehicles as rolling art is evident in websites such as StanceWorks and

StanceNation, which feature stanced cars for readers’ appreciation and enjoyment. Most articles

on these websites primarily consist of high quality photos of a specific vehicle displayed

prominently (see Figure 2). Short paragraphs every two or three photos examine the car’s history

and the execution of the modifications, covering everything from the engine and suspension parts

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to the upholstery in the interior (Burroughs 2017; Wilson 2017). Discussion of the car’s owner is

limited to description of the choices the owner made in his or her modifications; other topics, such

as the owner’s background or the experiences he/she may have had with the car, are rarely

included. The focus of these articles demonstrates that stance is primarily concerned with each

vehicle as an expression of beauty, and concerned with each owner only insofar as their expression

of aesthetic vision through their vehicles.

Figure 2: Screenshot of a portion of a typical article on StanceWorks (Burroughs 2017). Large, well-shot images of the car dominate the page, punctuated by short paragraphs discussing the car.

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In addition to featuring cars, StanceWorks and StanceNation also operate forums on which

community members document their cars, exchange knowledge, and sell parts. “Build threads” on

these forums serve as journals for owners’ work on their cars, allowing other forum members to

follow the progress from newly acquired car to realization of an aesthetic vision (often over

multiple years). These build threads comprise a large portion of the posts on stance forums and are

updated with detailed photos and notes whenever work is done. Particularly impressive or exciting

“builds” can attract many users, who comment with compliments, suggestions, and questions.

Elsewhere on the forums, users ask questions about problems they may be encountering during

their builds, create repositories of knowledge on solving common issues, and exchange parts that

may be difficult to find elsewhere. Stance forums are primarily concerned with documenting,

troubleshooting, and supplying users’ builds. As with the outward-facing websites, the cars are

visibly the focus of the culture. Examination of stance websites and forums shows that the creation

and appreciation of these vehicles is what gives stance its meaning.

Stancing cars often results in adverse effects on the cars’ performance and function. The

low ride height makes it difficult or impossible to clear even small bumps without scraping the

underside of the vehicle; negative camber causes uneven and premature tire wear; altered

suspension geometry introduces unpredictable handling characteristics. Although there are ways

to make stanced vehicles function more optimally – for example, air bag suspension allows the car

to be raised higher for driving over bumps – stance community members often embrace a form-

over-function ethos as a part of their shared identity. When asked about his reasons for stancing in

an online discussion board, one user responded that “it doesn’t have to make sense… that’s exactly

the point here. I like scraping. I like slamming. I like feeling like I drive a rolling expression of the

vision I have in mind. It’s an art to me” (S13josh 2015). Another user in the same discussion

concurred, writing that “stance isn’t for everyone but we don’t do it for you… [we do it] for

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ourselves” (urbsallday 2015). For these stance enthusiasts, the impracticalities imposed by their

aesthetic choices are not just acceptable – they are enjoyable. The statement that “we don’t do it

for you” reflects a sense of pride in being different, and not being constrained by others’ ideas of

what is appropriate. Members of the stance community view themselves as uniquely expressive,

and define their community in opposition to more ordinary automotive enthusiasts and ideas. A

2012 event, called “So You Think You Can Stance?”, demonstrates the extent of this pride in being

impractical and different; the event consisted entirely of drivers attempting to enter and exit an

ordinary parking lot driveway without scraping their lowered cars (see Figure 3). By celebrating

the difficulties imposed by its practices, stance culture draws a strong contrast between itself and

conventional automotive expectations, and in this way defines a community identity.

Figure 3: A driver attempts to exit a parking lot without scraping his car’s front bumper at So You Think You Can Stance, while a crowd of spectators watches and shouts encouragement (Wijegunaratne 2012).

Durkheim’s ideas about collective representation can be used to understand the role that

stanced cars serve in embodying the values of stance culture. Durkheim writes that “without

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symbols… social feelings could only have an unstable existence,” and that these social feelings

can be understood by participants “only in connection with a concrete object whose reality we feel

intensely… the symbol thus takes the place of the thing, and the emotions aroused are transferred

to the symbol” (1912:221, 232). In the same way that social feelings become embodied in totems,

stance culture’s shared rejection of conventional automotive culture and value of individual

expression might be understood as a social feeling that is embodied in the impractical and visually

distinctive aesthetic of stance and stanced cars. Further drawing on Durkheim, stance culture can

be seen as taking the profane – ordinary, unmodified cars – and making them into sacred things

that are expressions of group ideals, feelings, and identity. To those outside the stance culture, the

cars are just cars (or maybe even broken cars that function poorly), but to members of the culture

the cars take on meaning as a form of self-expression and shared identity. Perhaps stance culture

does not draw its values and identity from its cars, as it might appear. Instead, it may be the other

way around: stanced cars merely reflect and embody stance values and identity.

The cars of stance are the focus of stance culture: most of stance enthusiasts’ effort and

interest is devoted to creating and appreciating stanced cars as expressions of artistic vision.

Furthermore, the impracticality of the cars is embraced and celebrated as a central facet of a group

identity that rejects conventional expectations. Given how essential the stanced car is to stance

culture, it is easy to presume that stance culture exists because of the car, and that the aesthetic of

the stanced car gives rise to stance values and identity. However, a Durkheimian framework of

collective representation offers an opposite view of the relationship between stance culture and its

car. Perhaps the car did not come first; instead, the aesthetic of the stanced car may be more

accurately described as an embodiment of the values and identity of stance culture.

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References Cited Burroughs, Mike. 2017. “A Grand Touring - Alex Siren’s E28 535i Touring.” StanceWorks. http://www.stanceworks.com/2017/12/alex-sirens-e28-touring/, accessed December 12, 2017. Durkheim, Emile. 1912. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. The Free Press. Lewis, Ryan. 2010. “Culture: Stance, Fitment & USDM Car Scene.” The Lowdown. https://www.the-lowdown.com/stance-fitment-usdm-car-culture/, accessed December 12, 2017. S13Josh. 2015. “Please Explain Your Reasons for Stancing Your Car. I Really Want to Understand.” r/Stance. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Stance/comments/2uxyqx/please_explain_your_reasons_for_stancing_your_car/, accessed December 12, 2017. StanceNation. 2017. “Spotlight // Masahiro Sugawara’s Nissan S13 Silvia.” StanceNation. http://www.stancenation.com/2017/08/14/spotlight-masahiro-sugawaras-nissan-s13-silvia/, accessed December 12, 2017. StanceWorks Forums. N.d. http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/, accessed December 12, 2017. urbsallday. 2015. “Please Explain Your Reasons for Stancing Your Car. I Really Want to Understand.” r/Stance. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Stance/comments/2uxyqx/please_explain_your_reasons_for_stancing_your_car/, accessed December 12, 2017. Wijegunaratne, Shavi, dir. 2012. “Its JDM Yo x Royal Origin - Think You Can Stance Competition.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhq7McZKRqY, accessed December 12, 2017. Wilson, Morgan. 2017a. “Special Blend // Denny Putra’s Mercedes Benz E300.” StanceNation. http://www.stancenation.com/2017/05/30/special-blend-denny-putras-mercedes-benz-e300/, accessed December 12, 2017. Wilson, Morgan. 2017b. “Spotlight // Yoshihiro Sakurai’s BMW M3.” StanceNation. http://www.stancenation.com/2017/10/13/spotlight-yoshihiro-sakurais-bmw-m3/, accessed December 12, 2017.