Is Fashion all bad?

My relationship with my fashion has always been very strong. You can’t really separate us since we have a bond based on love and trust. I love it because it always makes me look and feel at my best. It reminds me of its reliability every time I put on my red Jimmy Choos or sling my Louis Vuitton bag on my shoulder; and tells me that no matter what, I can always count on it to be the right choice.

It started in the Ice Ages, man killed beasts and wore its hide on his shoulder to shield himself from the cold (Laver, pp.8-9). Until 1 B.C., Greek men and women wore varied lengths of the chiton, an unstitched piece of cloth held together by pins or belts (Laver, p. 25); but today, belts have become more like an accessory to complement clothes instead of a necessity.  It’s funny how we never think about fashion as being something historical. Fashion is always current, up to date, and above all, fashion is fashionable.

We wear vintage dresses but we never think that these were developed probably even before we were born. Fashion in today’ s time, brings to most people’s mind the image of super-skinny runway  models strutting along in expensive clothes by designers who are corrupting our society. But that’s not how it always was. Fashion didn’t always instill the negativity it does today, and from the early Victorian dresses to the recent ‘grunge’ and Mod Styles; fashion has come a long way from its birth to rebirth.

 

Women’s fashion has evolved through the decades with the evolution of women’s position in the social order, and even the late 19th and early 20th century designers molded and sculpted their craft to better provide for feminine needs. Women required a great deal of money and bodily strength to wear Victorian gowns as they consisted of several layers of expensive cloth; their bodies were shaped using crinolines, an undergarment that consisted of metal loops to provide a stiffer fitting (Lee, 2003, p.22). In 1887, the first celebrity fashion line was introduced which included a crinoline as one of the major items (Lee). In the late 19th century, “ladies of leisure” (Van Zandt) were the ones who would go to their local cloth makers and have them copy the styles of French clothes they had seen other women wearing (Van Zandt).  Unlike his predecessors, Charles Frederick Worth, the pioneer of fashion as we have come to know and love it today, designed clothes instead of imitating the designs (Tungate, 2005, p.10). The inception of fashion models came from him when he started using sosies, “attractive young women .. or [body] doubles” (Tungate, 2005, p.10, ¶ 3), to enhance the experience of the dresses he created ( pp. 9-10). Paul Poiret (1879-1944), a famous designer in the 1910s, launched the very successful ‘Oriental Look’ and was the first to create his very own fragrance, a move imitated by many designers after him (Van Zandt, 1991, p.11). After the First World War when “[women’s c]lothing became more utilitarian” (Yeager, n.d., ¶ 4), Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (1883-1971) was the first one to create comfortable, yet, fashionable dresses. She was “the first designer that made it smart not to look rich” (Van Zandt, 1991, p.13). Women were becoming more independent, and as a result, they’re clothing styles became more modernized and less painful and constraining. The 1920’s are dubbed as ‘the flapper’ era due to the girls dressing in more of a boyish fashion. The Great Depression in the 1930’s put an end to all the fun and mirth. Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973), one of the top three French designers, provided the required mature, sophisticated and soft designs. The 1930’s saw a lot of changes when it came to fashion, because it was then that the trend of sunbathing was made popular and the women’s taffeta swimming suits reduced to midriff baring two-piece swimming costumes. Also, around this time, movies became extremely popular and influencing, impressing many by the women that Hollywood designers, Edith Head and Adrian Greenberg, dressed and styled (Van Zandt, 1991, pp. 18-21). Christian Dior, a leading French designer in the 1940’s, created what was called ‘The New Look.’ It consisted of a classic business suit (Van Zandt) that women around the world still wear and consider as the ultimate vintage item. Chanel ruled the 1950’s with its cocktail dresses and straight suits and jackets (Van Zandt) that were perfect for the nightlife and the competitive edge during the day. The 1960’s were the time when clothes were being designed for young girls since before this, as Van Zandt says in 20^th century fashion, “[t]he postwar teenager might have [had] fashions of her own for informal wear .. but when she dressed up, she looked very much like her mother” (p.30). London started ‘the mini skirt’ wave when designers all over made trendy and young clothes specially designed for teenage girls that made “mothers [try] to dress like their daughters” (Van Zandt). Fashion leading up to this time there was always a single fashion that everybody followed, the 1970’s and 1980’s changed that when Japan and Milan joined Paris and London to be the fashion capitals of the world (Van Zandt). I guess this is what created the cutting edge competition and need for more and better designers. Styles being launched were so diverse and varied that designers dubbed it as “ prêt-a-porter”(Van Zandt) or ‘ready to wear’ fashion. Yves Saint Lauren the one running the show in the 70’s. the 1980’s bought with them the ‘ethnic look’ that was loved and worn by young, old, rich and poor alike and a trend called “unisex” which is where the denim jeans were born (Van Zandt). Zandra Rhodes, in the 1990’s, incorporated various street styles like skinhead, punk chic and soulies (Van Zandt) into her designs and dresses and watched the popularity of previously gangster styles grow. Since then styles like Afro centric, Casuals, Cyberpunk, Funk, Gay style, Glam rock, Grunge, Hippy, Mod, New Age, Skater, Skinhead \and Soulies have made it into the fashion industry and don’t seem to want to leave. Vintage clothing from the Victorian and Edwardian eras have also recently made a comeback and seem to be here to stay.

 

One popular misconception and debate against fashion is that it is expensive and mass produced so it destroy individualistic behavior, and that designers promote vulgarity and people embrace it, but I believe that designers make life really easy for us and that it is a form of art and designers make such clothes because people choose to wear them.

In “Fashion Makes Us Slaves to Labels,” Jacqueline Lacy (2004) defies disregards and shows contempt towards the provocative type of fashions that fellow students at her university (University of Southern California) follow and the effect some prominent, modern, designer labels have on them. I disagree with the argument she puts forth, since it is one filled with many logical fallacies and lacks supporting, hard evidence, failing to prove the point she insists is right.

She describes the “mini [skirts]” and t-shirts those girls wear that strip the fun off “casual teas[ing]” by being so provocative that they “read more like a female gorilla's mating call” (2004, ¶ 16). Lacy rebukes top brands including Abercrombie and Fitch, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. , by saying that they are meaninglessly expensive and the items they produce are not only “economically mass produced” (¶ 7) but also unworthy of being called fashionable on account of them being extremely exposing and profane. Her point in this particular article is that wearing a certain piece from a certain line of a certain designer does not make one more attractive and special but only causes other people to judge one negatively. One’s life is made so much easier by wearing some item by that famous a designer, and one can’t possibly go wrong, and actually “[w]hat makes a pair of $300 Gucci sunglasses so appealing is the fact that they don't require any extra handling or thought” (Lacy, 2004, ¶ 20). Lacy criticizes fashion houses for promoting “needless images of .. flowing blonde hair and tan skin” (¶ 12) but I believe this is no reason to accuse the quality or worth of their creations. She implies that the only reason these designers are able to sell their items is the sexually explicit way in which they are advertised. She doesn’t consider the brand recognition, superior quality, and popularity of these designers. She ignores all the people who have not become so-called fashion ‘freaks’ in spite of this present phenomenon and completely focuses on the negative aspects of fashion, not completely interpreting the little information she has and making the small point of the clothing’s’ explicit nature into a significantly colossal argument.

 

I do agree with Lacy to the extent of saying that it’s wrong for people to wear vulgar, revealing clothing or clothing that encourages profanity, but people do not wear these clothes because designers make them. Instead, designers make these clothes because people want to wear them. People want a chance to express themselves and fashion allows them to do just that. Designers exist to guide us in presenting our individual styles by wearing what we think best describes us and if other people wear the same thing, its not because it’s mass produced: its because a lot of people have the same tastes. Like teenagers! These clothes are not only a way of expression by teenagers; they’re also the part of designers’ craft. Most teenagers have the same way of expressing themselves, hence the same way of dressing. It’s a form of rebellion that’s seen in these t-shirts that sport profanity and the skirts that reveal. Everything has a price in this world, so do designer goods. This logic implies to everything from clothes, bags and accessories to shoes and fragrances. Fashion is an art and designers are artists, and like all other artists, their work is pricier. Nobody challenges the cost of a Van Gogh or a Goya then why criticize Miuccia Prada (Prada) and Mark Jacobs (Louis Vuitton) for selling at a higher price? In a way, wearing some of these clothes is therapeutic; we look good, so we feel good. We must remember that fashion doesn’t have to be negative; it’s the extremists that make it that way. Extremists exist in all walks of life; yet they do not govern anywhere. They are the reason behind the many campaigns against fashion and instill negativity about fashion in our society because we let them. People who become obsessive or consumed with different designer labels and use them just as a means to occupy themselves rather than express themselves give fashion and designers a bad name. It’s not the intent of the fashion industry to hurt people, but to help. We should be thanking them, not criticizing them. And as long as free will exists, fashion shall exist, since fashion is a supreme form of expression and freedom of speech, only in this case – freedom to wear your ‘freedom of speech’.

Extremism is inter-related with intolerance and prejudice. Extremists may be people, groups or even organizations that exist in our society and slowly make it hollow by their fanaticism and narrow mindedness. The fashion industry has its share of extremists, people who have over-zealous political views, and negativists, people who do not appreciate progress or change from what they consider a norm and go to all possible means to prevent it. The argument that many extremists make against fashion is that it is a waste of time while suppressing individualism only breeding “slaves” (Gazdova, 2004, ¶5) and instilling a “blind longing to be the same as the others” (Gazdova, 2004, ¶ 2).  Personally, I do not agree with this point of view, and I believe that fashion has a very positive influence on our society.  Isn’t it easy, to just know what to wear, to know that one just can’t go wrong with a particular outfit? In a way, “fashion can help [one] improve [one’s] appearance and boost [one’s] self-confidence [and t]he right outfit can .. enhance [one’s] positive features (Gilarova, 2004, ¶5)”.  In conclusion, I would like to add that fashion gives the opportunity to put time to better use. It aims at equality, at making everyone the same and removing all bias from society, but it just comes at a higher cost. What people wear isn’t just a stitched piece of cloth; it is a creation that somebody has bought to life from the realms of their imagination. It is someone’s life and work. Being an individual is nothing more than being who one is. Style and clothing are a personal choice and decision. If people want to dress in expensive clothes, then to tell them to do otherwise, because they may be becoming “slaves to [designer] labels” (Lacy, 2004, ¶1), is suppressing individualism! Being judgmental of someone’s character based on his/her appearance is also a form of bias, and stereotyping based on dressing sense is just plain wrong! So, I am asking you: Is fashion really that bad and does it always have to instill negativity?

Reference

 

(2007). ANRED: What causes eating disorders? Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc.. Retrieved April 18, 2007 from http://www.anred.com/causes.html

 

Summary: This web article talks about the “many interwoven factors” that lead to anorexia and eating disorders. These include, according to the article, biological, psychological, social, cultural and media related factors. It talks about what can trigger these disorders and the risks that are involved that come with having this disease.

I used information from this article in the findings section to counter argue one of the issues I was talking about. The point that I helped get across through this article was that anorexia and eating disorders do not manifest themselves through the fashion industry only. Without any of the above mentioned factors already being present in the person, developing an eating disorder is not likely.

 

Gazdova, M. (2004, June 18). Fashion slaves. YOMAG – Fashion – Fashion slaves. Retrieved March 25, 2007, from http://www.yomag.net/442-fashion-slaves/

 

Summary: the author of this online article talks about how fashion has made everyone “fashion slaves” and how people do not appreciate the value of originality and individuality; how everyone wears the same kinds of clothes and people who dress differently are looked down upon and laughed at.

I used this information in the conclusion to my research about fashion. I put this information where I talked about extremism and reinforced the point in my finding section about people thinking that fashion only breeds “slaves.”

 

Gilarova, K. (2005, May 12). Slaves to fashion. YOMAG – Fashion – Slaves to fashion. Retrieved March 25, 2007, from http://www.yomag.net/373-slaves-to-fashion/

 

Summary: this article talks about the pros and cons of fashion.

I used this information in the conclusion to prove that people who disagree with the values of fashion too agree that, “fashion can help [people] improve [their] appearance and boost [their] self-confidence [and t]he right outfit can .. enhance [their] positive features.”

 

Hurlock, E. B. (1929). The psychology of dress New Hampshire: Ayer Company, Publishers, INC.

This book looks at the motive and the meaning behind fashion and how fashion has evolved from where it first began. It talks about, not which, but why people follow trends. It discusses the factors that affect people’s decisions on what fashion they follow and the part that age and sex play in this decision.

I used the information in my introduction to tell people that fashion began before any of us can think it did, in the Ice Ages and why man chose to cover himself up in the first place.

                          

Lacy, J. (2004). Fashion makes us slaves to labels– opinions. Retrieved March 11, 2007 from http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/paper679/news/2004/10/05/Opinions/Fashion.Makes.Us.Slaves.To.Labels-741888.shtml

 

Summary: defies disregards and shows contempt towards the provocative types of fashions and the effect some prominent, modern, designer labels have on people. I disagree with the argument she puts forth since it lacks supporting, hard evidence, failing to prove the point she insists is right.

I used this article for the critique of sources assignment and it contributed to the findings section. I used as an argument to counter. The argument in the article is that Lacy says that “mini [skirts]” and t-shirts that girls wear these days strip the fun off “casual teas[ing]” by being so provocative that they “read more like a female gorilla's mating call”. She calls some of the top brands meaninglessly expensive and “economically mass produced.

 

Laver, J. (2002). Custom and fashion: A concise history. London: Thames & Hudson Inc.

 

Summary: this book talks about fashion and its growth from the Ice Ages though the Greek and Roman era, and across the 19^th and 20^th century.

I used information from this book in my introduction when I talk about fashion starting in the Ice Ages. I found out this piece of information for the first time from this book. The book also provided information on chiton and the fashion that people followed in 1 BC.

 

Lee, M. (2003). Fashion victim. New York: Broadway Books       

 

Summary: a book that gives some history behind fashion and goes in depth in the culture of fashion and the author talks sarcastically about some trends that are popular with people.

I used this information in my finding section to give some history of the cage crinoline and some information of the Victorian era.

 

Piccini, F. (2006). Slimming can cause eating disorders; media and advertising are responsible. Retrieved April 18, 2007 from http://web4health.info/en/answers/ed-causes-slimming.htm

 

Palme, G. (2006). Excessively slim ideals is a cause of eating disorders; eating disorders and fashion magazines. Retrieved April 18, 2007 from http://web4health.info/en/answers/ed-causes-slim-ideals.htm

 

Palme, G. (2006). Factors causing ill-health in our culture: Normal girls pressed to be abnormally slim. Retrieved April 18, 2007 from http://web4health.info/en/answers/ed-causes-culture-example.htm

 

Terzieff, J. (2006). Fashion world says too thin is too hazardous. Retrieved April 18, 2007 from http://womensnews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/2899/context/cover/

 

Tungate, M. (2005). Fashion brands: Branding style from Armani to Zara. London: GBR: Kogan Page, Limited. Retrieved February 11, 2007, from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.aus.edu/lib/aus/Doc?id=10096173&ppg=22

 

Summary: this e-book, also a book, takes about the history of fashion and fashion brands. 

The section I choose to consider from this e-book was the one about Charles Frederick Worth and I used it in the findings section

 

Van Zandt, E. (1991). 20^th century: Fashion. England: Wayland Publishers.

 

Summary: this book gives brief history of the most prominent fashions followed by women in the 20^th century. It also talks about the designers that were famous in those times and the changes that came about in the 20^th century due to these designers.

My literature review section is mainly based on this sources. The information it provided was not only helpful but essential to my research paper. My literature review talks about the changes in fashion in the 20^th century and that is what I used from this book.

 

Yeager, J. (n.d.). American vintage blues: History of fashion. Retrieved February 11, 2007 from http://www.vintageblues.com/history_main.htm