The fashion industry countinues to bombard society with a non – stop stream of powerful imagery, colours, sounds and styles, in order to make us part with our hard – earned cash. Keeping up with the latest trends may feel like a full – time job at times, and what may be fashionable one minute may be out of style the next. However, this does not stop people from buying and wearing new and expensive items of clothing or jewellery in the pursuit of style, even if it is potentially to their detriment. This essay discusses why people strive to wear fashionable clothing, and why the pursuit of fashion may not always be a positive force in people’s lives.
Humans are inherently social creatures, and it has often been recognised that people are able to feel
“included” if one is wearing clothes that are currently in fashion. For inclusion in certain socio – economic groups, wearing the “appropriate” brands guarantees a sense of belonging and may act as a gatekeeper to membership within that group. With this in mind, it would be sensible to assume that there may be strong psychological factors underlying a person’s choice of clothing that may have little to do with the actual garments.
However, as a corollary, people’s behaviour may be strongly influenced by the perceived threat of social exclusion if one does not conform to acceptable notions of fashion. In face, one might assume that the endless cycle of purchasing new and expensive clothes in order to remain “fashionable” might be detrimental both to a person’s bank balance as well as their sense of self, if such behaviour is driven mainly by the fear of becoming a social outcast. Such behaviour is well attested in studies on teenage girls in particular, for whom inclusion within a social structure is paramount to their developing sense of identity and self. This can cause a great deal of stress for parents who are not able to afford the latest trends and brans demanded by their children.
With the above in mind, while understandable on a basic level, one might conclude that the pursuit of fashion may well impace negatively on society as a whole, particularly if one has to manage to stay in fashion while on a budget. It would be preferable if fashion while on a budget. It would be preferable if fashion companies could promote trends that are more accessible to the wider population who may not have the time or resources to “keep up with the Joneses”.