The Effects of Fashion for All Aspects of Life - Research Paper Example

? Fashion Fashion can be defined as the popular style in clothing, footwear, and accessories and it can be used to describe the prevailing styles, which come with their use. Fashion is always subject to change and it continually evolves according to the tastes of those people living in a certain period. For example, the fashion which was very popular in early modern Europe may not necessarily be relevant in contemporary Europe and vice versa. In this paper, we shall discuss fashion and the various negative and seemingly negative effects it has on the different aspects of society. The following shall be discussed: fashion and health; fashion and comfort; fashion and culture; fashion and aesthetic culture; femininity in men’s fashion and finally, fashion and the economy. Fashion affects almost all aspects of life in the world and one of its greatest effects is on the health of those people who use the items and accessories of fashion. Some of the items which make up current fashion have adverse effects on the health of their users and it is very important that they note these effects and take the necessary actions to remedy them before they become permanent. The first to be discussed are fashion accessories, which many people who use them do not realize that they carry their own health hazards, for instance, carrying heavy handbags restricts blood flow to one side of the body causing muscle strain. Hair styles in most cases can also have unexpected results on the health of an individual for example, the wearing of hair extensions for long periods or changing them frequently can create bald spots on their scalps. Moreover, tight headbands, ponytails and braids can cause headaches due to the unnatural pulling of the hair resulting in the tightening of the scalp. Araujo and Minetti (759) in their article state that the minute amounts of nickel found in rings, earrings, belt buckles, watch backs, and jeans can cause an itchy red rash at the site of exposure on people who have nickel allergy which can begin suddenly even in adulthood. Furthermore, the trapped soap and moisture can cause a rash under any kind of ring but it tends to happen particularly with channel set rings with open spaces underneath the stone settings. Body piercings have a tendency of developing a bacterial infection with statistics showing a twenty percent frequency. The wearing of oversize earrings may cause the holes on the earlobes to stretch or tear and once that happens, the lobes may not heal on their own and might require cosmetic surgery to repair the damage by removing the excess tissue and stitching the hole shut. A related subject to this is the increase in the cases of cosmetic surgery because from the time they are kids, people tend to be told or given the image that they are inadequate and that they should change their looks to conform to the current fashion trend. According to Friedman (319) in his journal article “Cosmetic surgery” this has raised some serious medical concerns because since this field is still largely unregulated, any licensed physician and in some cases, dentist, is allowed to perform the procedure of cosmetic surgery. Fashion can damage one’s feet and balance through their choice of shoes especially the use of high heeled shoes. The use of these shoes leads to one bearing an additional weight on the forefoot, which results to drained nerves and joint problems such as bunions or hammertoes. These situations are almost impossible to reverse and the problems that come with them remain with the person affected for the rest of their lives, as they tend to get worse as they age. Skintight jeans can cause irritation to the skin through trapping dampness, which might lead to one having yeast infection. Eating disorders such as anorexia are caused by a person’s (especially ladies) need to conform to current fashion trends through excessive food restriction and an irrational fear of gaining weight. According to Prah (122) in the article “Eating Disorders,” eating disorders, specifically in America, are caused by the nation’s obsession with appearances. This condition is normally witnessed among fashion models whose jobs largely depend on their keeping their weight low and their figures slim. According to Slater, Tiggemann, Firth and Hawkins (107), most people view these models as fashion icons. However, they attempt to imitate them and in the process, the cases of eating disorders are further increasing within the general population. Therefore, if radical steps are not taken to counter them, then eating disorders are going to become a major global problem in the near future. More should be done by governments worldwide to ensure that the stereotype that a slim body is beautiful is destroyed and instead should promote the perception that people should be proud of who they are and should not want to become that which they are not. Fashion has over time made the need for comfort in outfits largely irrelevant and has instead concentrated more on making people look good. Most people in the world today often pick outfits which make them look good to others (their audience) rather than those which they would be most comfortable in. In fact, fashion designers have gone out of their way to make the most uncomfortable items look so good that the potential buyers would not be able to resist them while on the other hand; they make the most comfortable items not to look so appealing. It can further be said that advertising has played a major role in the promotion of such uncomfortable items because most people buy those things they see on adverts over what they would normally have bought if they had known their quality. In other words, advertising in fashion has made sure that quantity is being promoted over quality the latter being more important. Designers are themselves slaves of the current fashion trends and it would be very difficult for them to be able to try designing something different that is not in line with the current ideas which are everyday moving away from comfort and going towards looks. The new fashion trends designed for women tend to be more and more uncomfortable. As a result of this, girls especially tend to choose fashion over comfort whether it is in the wearing of high heels or tight dresses. They prefer to endure the pain caused by wearing such outfits over being plain and comfortable. This is unlike men the majority of who prefer comfort over fashion and do not always need to make fashion statements in public. Fashion today has largely been globalised with very few exceptions such as in some parts if the Arab world and due to this people from all over the world wear the same kind of clothes. Modern fashion, in this case clothes and accessories, is not only common but it also comes at a much cheaper rate than the traditional ones. As a consequence, there is a tendency by the majority of the people in the world to conform to the mainstream fashion at the expense of traditional fashions which are losing popularity and in time will become obsolete unless there is a sudden revival of traditional fashions in conformity with the current fashion trends. A major factor for the loss of cultural fashion is the idolizing of celebrities who are themselves trend setters in the fashion world because they dominate news, magazines and television which have audiences in the billions all over the world. One would agree with Altman (247)in his article “Celebrity Culture” that many people who would otherwise have been quite ordinary or traditional in their fashion sense are now the biggest consumers of mainstream (and often foreign) fashion products in their attempt to imitate these celebrities who are the real fashion icons of the modern world. The current trend in fashion can be viewed as a distortion of the aesthetic culture whose origin was in the mid nineteenth century Victorian England. The aesthetic movement and culture began as a quiet rebellion by the artists and writers of Victorian England against what they perceived to be the dehumanizing effect of the age of industrialization. It was a rejection of the stiffness of the fashion of the time in preference for the softer and more comfortable fashion of the medieval times. The current fashion trends can be seen as an unconscious attempt by the modern fashion designers to go against the ideals of this movement because it has seen the return of the stiffness and rigidity in fashion which the aesthetic culture partly came into existence to resist. It restricts the freedom of movement in clothes which is an essential part of the aesthetic culture. Comfort is no longer an issue in fashion so long as one continues to look good. Fashion designers no longer seek natural styles and instead tend to favour the mass production of fashion products without any thought about the consequences of the use of such products by their customers. This commercialization of fashion not only destroys individual needs and preferences but it also forces the people involved to conform to a kind of fashion which is not only uncomfortable for them but also a possible risk to their health. An emergent factor in the world of fashion is the introduction of femininity in men’s fashion. This has been a controversial shift with men’s clothing becoming tighter, shorter and having a more feminine look. There is a growing tendency especially among the young men to wear clothes cut in womanly shapes and to wear necklaces. Platform shoes and high heeled boots have become a fashion trend among men. More and more men are experimenting with fashion that was traditionally only exclusive to women. According to Jordan (112-113), this has bred controversy within the fashion industry. This is with the more conservative designers feeling that it is too extreme and that is has crossed a line, which should not be crossed while others have seen it as a further step in the development of modern fashion and have warmly welcomed this development without any reservations concerning it. There is a direct relationship between fashion and the economy because fashion is a reflection of the times. One of the best ways to keep an eye on the economy is by watching the current fashion trends and at how fast these trends are changing. If times are bad economically, then the trend of fashion changes slow down and at times become stagnant until such a time as the economy recovers. Changes in fashion are very positive to the economy because they manage to keep such people as manufacturers, retailers, distributors among others in business. The fashion industry provides employment for many people within the economy such as in advertising and modeling. Advertising firms earn huge revenues from advertising for the fashion industry and without the services of the former, the entire industry would collapse. The very existence of fashion has created a whole industry based on it for example; there are fashion magazines, which often feature the current fashion trend in the market. In addition, there has been developed reality television shows based on fashion, which have done a lot to set the current trends and has increased the sales of the fashion items in the market, however, not all effects of fashion on the economy are positive. Clark (726) in the article “Child labor and sweatshops” states that it has brought about the use of child labor in the poor countries in which the factories of the manufacturers of fashion products are based due to the low cost of labor required to operate there. Most of these abuses take place in places where every day fashion products are made and these largely go unreported either because it would cause a huge scandal for the company involved, or the children’s parents gain financially from this and they end up threatening their children into silence. In conclusion, it can be said that fashion is a part of everyday life and whether we like it or not, it is here to stay. I believe that fashion is an essential part of all human beings, even those who have yet to conform with mainstream fashion, and it is used by many to express who they are; the way they think, their belief (both religious and secular), and finally what they stand for. Fashion dominates almost every aspect of human life as seen when as seen when one is selecting what to wear in different occasions, what to buy when they are out shopping, who to invite for social gatherings (and what they should wear) among many others. However, some fashion products may be harmful to people’s health as they quest to follow certain trends. Other products may not be physically comfortable for them and at other times may lead to the loss of their culture. Fashion also brings about controversy an example of which is the introduction of feminine features in the clothing of men which many with conservative tastes in fashion would look down upon while the more liberal ones would welcome with open arms. Fashion is an essential part of the economy which generates billions of dollars in revenue to the government, advertising firms, and most of all, to the owners of fashion houses and those people who are employed within this industry. Fashion trends determine our way of life; if one were to buy a product which was trendy today, it would not necessarily be so a year from now and it would have to be discarded in favour of another. The ability to afford the most current fashion products in the market may serve as a sign of a person’s economic ability. The more current a person’s wardrobe, the wealthier he is and the less current a wardrobe is the poorer a person is compared to the first one. Works Cited Altman, H. “Celebrity culture.”  CQ Researcher, 15, (2005): 245-268. Retrieved from http://0-library.cqpress.com.alice.dvc.edu/cqresearcher/ Araujo, L & Minetti, R. “On the long run effects of fashion.” Economic Inquiry 45. 4.(2007): 756-769,  Clark, C. S. “Child labor and sweatshops.” CQ Researcher, 6, (1996): 721-744. Retrieved from http://0-library.cqpress.com.alice.dvc.edu/cqresearcher/ Friedman, J. “Cosmetic surgery.” CQ Researcher, 15, (2005): 317-344. Retrieved from http://0-library.cqpress.com.alice.dvc.edu/cqresearcher/ Jordan-Smith, P. “Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing.” Journal of American Folklore117. 463(2004): 112-113. Prah, P. M.” Eating disorders.” CQ Researcher, 16, (2006):121-144. Retrieved from http://0-library.cqpress.com.alice.dvc.edu/cqresearcher/ Slater, A, Tiggemann, M, Firth, B, & Hawkins K. “Reality Check: An Experimental Investigation of the Addition of Warning Labels to Fashion Magazine Images on Women's Mood and Body Dissatisfaction.” Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology.31. 2. (2012): 105 – 122. Read More