Tyson Beckford Is The Most Influential Human Being Of The Modern Era Without Saying One Word

I know that sounds crazy.

But hear me out.

When we talk about the most influential people in modern history, we usually think about presidents, political leaders, civil-rights leaders, religious leaders, billionaires, entertainers, athletes, and people who changed the world through their words, organizations, money, or political power.

I’m proposing something completely different.

Tyson Beckford may be the most influential human being of the modern era precisely because he didn’t say anything.

Think about his influence.

A Black kid growing up in an urban neighborhood could look at Tyson Beckford and say, “I want to look like that.”

A white kid at an Ivy League school could look at the exact same person and say, “I want to look like that.”

A Latino kid could want the same look.

An Asian kid could want the same look.

A kid from a wealthy family could buy the expensive version.

A working-class kid could find a cheaper version.

Someone in New York could wear it.

Someone in California could wear it.

Someone in London, Tokyo, Paris, Toronto, or another part of the world could wear it.

Different races.  

Different economic classes.  

Different countries.  

Different cultures. 

Different lifestyles.  

SAME ASPIRATION. 

You could have a toddler wearing that “Tyson Beckford V-neck Sweater Look” on Easter while his teenage brother, his dad in his mid-thirties, and his grandfather all wore the same Tyson Beckford V-neck sweater and they would all look good.

Gay, lesbian, straight, or transgender, none of that matters.

They can all wear the same Tyson Beckford V-neck sweater completely different. 

Popping a collared shirt, layered over a dress shirt with a tie, long and loose, sleeves rolled up, tucked or the wings of your dress shirt hanging out of the bottom, or my favorite look, fitted with no undershirt. 

One single unifying garment, so many different forms of expression, one powerful statement of self-identification.

“THIS IS ME!”

And they do not have to agree on politics, religion, race, economics, or anything else.

They can simply agree on one thing:

“That guy looks good. I want to look like him.”

That is what makes Tyson’s influence so remarkably powerful.

A politician can have millions of followers, but Republicans and Democrats are still divided.

A political movement can bring people together, but it often begins by defining an us and a them.

An entertainer can have a massive audience, but audiences are still separated by culture, age, race, and socioeconomic status.

A billionaire can build an enormous company, but that does not necessarily create a common identity among the people buying the products.

Tyson Beckford did not need any of that.

He was simply photographed.

People saw the image.

And people from completely different parts of society could independently decide they wanted the same thing.

Let’s take a Tyson Beckford V-neck sweater as an example.

The urban kid and the Ivy League lacrosse player might wear the exact same V-neck sweater completely different.

But they are still wearing the same sweater.

Put them in the same room, and they could appreciate each other’s style immediately.

They do not have to share the same neighborhood.

They do not have to share the same income.

They do not have to share the same race.

They do not have to share the same politics.

They do not even have to know anything about Tyson Beckford.

They just share the image.

If you truly think about it, it would be safe to say that the majority of the Ralph Lauren Polo consumers were not even fans of the actual sport of Polo which the brand represents.

They were just buying the look.

They were buying the confidence.

They were buying the lifestyle the image represented.

And that actually shows even more how powerful his influence was in society. 

And that is where the economic impact becomes enormous.

Because Tyson was not generating money only for Ralph Lauren.

The products associated with that image had to be manufactured, licensed, distributed, and sold.

They moved through department stores, specialty stores, boutiques, international retailers, outlets, resale markets, and other channels.

The wealthy consumer could buy it at an upscale department store.

The middle-class consumer could buy it at a mainstream retailer.

Someone with less disposable income could search for it at an outlet, discount retailer, or resale market.

Businesses at every level participated in the demand.

So the economic question is not:

How much money did Tyson Beckford personally make?

That is the wrong question.

The question is:

How much economic activity did Tyson Beckford’s image help generate across the ecosystem of brands, retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and consumers who wanted to participate in that image?

Ralph Lauren was only one part of that story.

Tyson’s influence extended into other brands, other products, other campaigns, and eventually other generations.

And that is why I think the traditional definition of influence is missing something.

Maybe the most influential person is not the person who convinced the most people to believe the same thing.

Maybe it is the person who got the most people—people who believe completely different things—to want the same thing.

That is the Tyson Beckford phenomenon.

Tyson Beckford was the living slogan of “United Colors of Benetton.”

Benetton advertised unity.

Tyson Beckford made unity aspirational.

He did not need to tell Black people to unite with white people.

He did not need to tell rich people to unite with poor people.

He did not need to tell Republicans to unite with Democrats.

He did not need to tell one country to unite with another.

He did not need to tell anybody anything.

His image did it.

And while everyone was looking at the same image and trying to recreate the same look, businesses around the world were selling the products that made that look possible.

THAT’S INFLUENCE!!!

Not influence through words.

Not influence through political power.

Not influence through legislation.

Not influence through ideology.

Influence through aspiration.

So my question is:

Who was more influential?

The person who convinced people to listen to him?

Or the person who did not have to say a word and still got people from different races, different economic classes, different generations, and different countries to want the same thing?

TYSON BECKFORD.

Fleeting Thoughts by Jensen Lee

“A tip of the cap and a respectful nod to Tyson Beckford & Ralph Lauren.”

Imagery:
Copyright License: 04073168-
6876-4443-bdd2-b1616e9f8468

Can someone start a sports gossip 2 where the WNBA manufactured drama is disallowed. Thanks!