THERE is no doubt that following
fashion can help you to improve your appearance and boost your
self-confidence. The right outfit can minimize some physical flaws and
even enhance your positive features. It can also have a bearing on how
you are viewed by others.
But there is a dark side to the
fashion world, one that cannot be ignored. Shoppers can become trapped
in an endless cycle of replenishing their wardrobe. After all, the
industry keeps churning out new styles. This is no accident, for fashion
houses make more money when clothes become obsolete quickly. As
designer Gabrielle Chanel put it, “fashion is made to become
unfashionable.” Thus, the unwary consumer might feel obligated to buy
new clothes just to keep up to date.
There is also the danger of
succumbing to the subtle pressure of advertising. Fashion companies
spend millions of dollars promoting their products, often portraying a
certain carefree life-style that those who wear their label supposedly
enjoy. These messages can have a powerful impact. “Nothing is more
traumatic for teenagers than not having the ‘right brand’ of shoes,”
says a schoolteacher in Spain.
The Lure of Fads
Some groups use a certain style
of clothing to identify themselves. What they wear may convey a
rejection of society, a liberal life-style, or even violent or racist
ideals. Although some of these styles may be outrageous or shocking,
there is usually a high degree of conformity within the group. Even some
who do not endorse the group’s ideals may be attracted to the style.
Those who adopt these trends of dress may give others the impression
that they share and promote the group’s core beliefs.
Fads usually come and go, some
within a few months. They may originate with a popular musician or other
trendsetter. A few fashions, though, become established styles. Blue
jeans, for example, were popular among youthful protesters in the 1950’s
and 1960’s. Now, however, they are worn in a variety of settings by
people of various age groups.
The Quest for a Perfect Figure
Those who take fashion too
seriously can become overly concerned about their appearance. Fashion
models are usually tall and slim, and their images bombard us
constantly. The “right” physique is used to market everything from cars to candy
bars. Britain’s Social Issues Research Centre estimates that “young
women now see more images of outstandingly beautiful women in one day
than our mothers saw throughout their entire adolescence.”
This barrage of images can have a detrimental effect. In the United States, for example, a survey quoted in Newsweek
found that 90 percent of white teenagers were dissatisfied with their
bodies. Some of these will do virtually anything to attain the ‘ideal
figure.’ Yet, the Social Issues Research Centre claims that less than
5 percent of the female population can achieve the media ideal of weight
and size. Nevertheless, the idolizing of the very thin figure has led
millions of young women into slavery. It has led some down the slippery
slope of anorexia nervosa. Spanish model Nieves Álvarez, who suffered
from anorexia, admits: “Putting on weight frightened me more than
dying.”
True, eating disorders such as
anorexia and bulimia can be caused by a number of other factors.
However, Drs. Anne Guillemot and Michel Laxenaire state: “The cult of
slimness bears some responsibility.”
Clearly, fashion has a positive side and a
negative side. It fills a basic human desire to look presentable and
have something new to wear. But fashion extremes could lead us to wear
clothes that give others a wrong impression. And if we attach excessive
importance to appearance, we could subscribe to the erroneous belief
that our worth depends on our ‘packaging’ rather than on our inner
values. “We have to begin to value more a person’s ability and inner
self, rather than simple wrapping,” says Álvarez, quoted earlier. But
such a change in standards is unlikely to happen soon.
How, then, can we
find a balanced view of fashion?
Bibliography: Awake!—2003
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