Fashion and Gender - Essay Example

FASHION AND GENDER by The of the The of the School The and where it islocated The Date Fashion and Gender Introduction If one takes a close look at the society, one can not help noticing that it might be seen as an important prerequisite for the development of the inner potential of a human being. Indeed, it provides people with opportunities not only to exercise their characteristic features, but also generally shapes their identities with the help of the conventional beliefs and practices. A good example is the concept of fashion. It is thought that the latter provides people with ways to manage their identities with regard to their daily lives. This paper will argue that the concept of fashion is closely connected to the idea of gender and might be used as a tool to reinforce it or oppress it; the analysis of the issue will be performed from three different perspectives. General perspective The importance of gender To begin with, it may be particularly suitable to explain the exceptional role of gender when it comes to examining the role of fashion on the social environment. Thus, it is thought that “becoming visibly gendered … involves engagement with complicated, shifting coding system of colours, fabrics, trims, forms, shapes, and patterns and other body fashionings” (Kaiser 2013, p. 81). This means that fashion might be seen as a platform which allows people to adopt particular roles that are conditioned by their gender and finish their socialization. In other words, the concept in question implies that there is strict division between the genders. The importance of behaviour Another point that should be mentioned with regard of the way fashion shapes identity of a person is the way people behave while wearing clothes. For example, when a man is dressed in a suit he is likely to be more polite and less aggressive since this kind of clothes is associated with formal events that require people to be on their best behaviour. On the other hand, if a person did not dress formally enough to a special occasion, this might be perceived as extremely rude. Nevertheless, in daily life people wear relatively similar clothes so there is another factor that truly makes difference in this case. The researchers argue that “it’s not about circumstances so much as it is one’s behaviour within them” (Dyson 2010). This means that fashion is not fully responsible for the image of a person; the behaviour of the latter is what completes the picture. Planned Obsolescence The concept of fashion is inseparably connected with economy: those things that follow the trend are bought more often which means that one can predict sales of a particular article of clothes. Indeed, one can hardly argue that “fashion under capitalism exhibits peculiar features such as planned obsolescence” (Craik 2003, p. 5). As a result, the backside of fashion should also be taken into account while considering its place in the social environment. This means that the fear to fall behind the pace of time and lose track of fashion urges people to change their wardrobe continuously, introducing changes into their personality as well. Advantageous side of fashion It must be noted that from the early times fashion was seen as a suitable way to promote certain values which are deemed correct in a particular society. For example, in the medieval times there was “a prohibition on seeing the female leg meant women’s costume took the form of a long skirt or robe in contrast to male dress which took the form of tights or breeches emphasizing the leg.” (Entwistle 2000, p. 152). This means that the society wanted fashion to reinforce the image of man who is physically strong by showing his legs. This abstract idea of masculinity was reflected in a concrete way. Oppressing side of fashion However, fashion has not always been used to the advantage of people. If one analyzes the above mentioned example, one will be able to see that women who were often seen as second class citizens because of their role in the Original sin were oppressed by fashion. Indeed, long skirts and gowns were used to make sure that the evil of sexuality is not displayed and the minds of the people are not corrupted by it. Nevertheless, it did not allow the identity of a woman to develop to its fullest and resulted in the fact that women were generally dissatisfied with their fashion that did not allow them to show their feminine side. Male perspective Individual and conventional identity It must be noted that often while discussion fashion and the role it plays in shaping identity, the male perspective on the question is overlook; however, it holds significant aspects that should be taken into account. For example, while considering the fashion in United Kingdom in the earlier centuries, the author made emphasis on “highly detailed sartorial rhetoric around which men were able to construct individual, yet conventional identities, adapted for the office, workshop, sports field, theatre and sea front.” (Breward 1999, p. 59) This brings out surprising results: men were always thought not to be interested in fashion (a conventional view), yet they still tried to highlight their individuality even if it took only small adjustments. In other words, it is quite obvious that in the previous ages the room for creative expression in terms of fashion was limited; but the men still wanted to be different from others. Places to exercise masculinity As it was previously noticed, as a rule the social life of men was limited to a set of events where they could show their sense of taste. For example, if a man works in an office, one is expected to wear a formal suit. Nevertheless, the rules do no have any provisions regarding small details, such as tailoring and so on. This is largely seen as a change to manifest their individuality. As a result, men would try to make sure that an ordinary suit that they wear to work fits them perfectly and makes them look good. A similar approach toward clothes can be seen even at the present moment in various workplaces all over the world. A shift of masculinity Nevertheless, as the society develops, so does the sense of what is acceptable and what is not. The researchers argue that at one point “narcissism and flirtation and cattiness – all these had become acceptable as male components” which resulted in a tremendous shift in the idea of masculinity (Hume 1999, p. 43). In other words, if men of the past were not able to be seen caring explicitly about their exterior, the modern age granted them this right which they tried to implement in small details before. Fashion as a ‘woman’ concept In spite of the fact that just like women men have a need to express themselves with the help of fashion, there is still a view, according to which women should take care of their looks more. For example, the study shows that “some men refer to gift vouchers [to beauty salons] as ‘scaffolding and filling vouchers’” (Black 2004, p. 2). There is no doubt that such treatment of the above mentioned gift reflects the contempt that men have for the amount of attention that women pay to their looks. This shows the paradox that focuses on the inability of man to accept their true nature and the fact that they label fashion as something that has nothing to do with them. Nevertheless, numerous examples that can be traced back to almost the dawn of the human civilization show that fashion is as important to me as it is important to women. Female perspective Is fashion only for women? As it has already been stated, the patriarchal society that can be witnessed today assigned various roles within the social environment and fashion is largely seen as an attribute of women. Here is an example of such biased thinking: “Men’s fashion is perhaps something of a contradiction of terms: women are fashionable, men are not” (Edwards 2004, p. 96). Indeed, the very term fashion is often understood as women fashion which diminishes its significance and limits its role as well as part that it occupies on the social life. That is why if one wants to develop a proper understanding of it, one should understand the true nature of fashion that should be perceived outside the paradigm of genders. Implications of the passive role of a woman The kind of organization of society that the world features nowadays makes sure that men are able to enjoy dominant position in virtually every aspect of life. As a result, “the role of women to be more or less passive, to be observed or surveyed by the opposite sex” (Barnard 2013, p. 119). This has important implications for fashion: sexuality of women is articulated more explicitly which allows men to enjoy fashion more than women. In other words, the purpose that fashion shows is different when clothes are worn by a man and a woman. One can not help noticing that this inequality has reached such fundamental level. Implication of the active role of a woman What is more important is that fashion may also be used to make a statement about the role that a woman would like to play in the social environment. “The phrase ‘she wears trousers’ is used metaphorically to refer to a dominant woman in a relationship in the West” (Barnard 2013, p. 119). Indeed, if one analyzes the way powerful women dress, one will be able to see that they allow none or very little femininity. Thus, Angela Merkel who currently serves as the German Chancellor, may be an exemplary politician who never uses emphasizes her gender in her wardrobe in order not to lose the power that she acquired. Feminism as rejection of forced femininity It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that feminism is a movement which objected the forced femininity that is facilitated through fashion in a rather explicit way. Indeed, one of the most remarkable events on the twentieth century is Miss America protests which included burning bras – an article of underwear that is traditionally associated with women only. Thus, “[feminists] sought to deconstruct the very category of ‘woman’ and argues that a feminist politics must produce a radical critique of identity per se” (Edwards 2004, p. 89). That is why they wanted to convey the seriousness of their claims by destroying something that they identified as a symbol of oppression. What is more important is that the society considered this to be a rather aggressive action which undermined the conventional way of how women should treated. Feminism versus fashion However, in the course of many decade feminism was not able to come up with a unified vision of the role that fashion serves. The researchers argue that “fashion and feminism are still uneasily circling each other, not yet properly reconciled” (Bruzzi & Church Gibson 2013, p. 254). Indeed, on the one hand, the former is seen as a system that is responsible for oppression of women and their objectification .On the other hand, it is fashion that allowed women to make bold statements in their everyday life and break free from the limited role that was imposed. For example, fashion of the 1980s featured a power suit: a suit with padded shoulders which was wore by women who openly challenged men in the workplace and wanted to enjoy the same amount of power in the society. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence which was brought up in the paragraphs above, one can not help noticing that the concept of fashion is an extremely controversial one. Indeed, it can be traced almost up to the beginning of the civilization, yet the role that it played was constantly changing. The idea of gender can easily explained this phenomenon: as the societies developed they gradually redefined masculinity and femininity which was reflected in fashion. That is why one might conclude that the latter might be regarded as one of the most suitable ways to manage one’s identity in the social context. References Barnard M 2013, Fashion as communication, Routledge, London. Black P 2004, The beauty industry: Gender, culture, pleasure, Routledge, London. Breward C 1999, ‘Renouncing Consumption: Men, Fashion, and Luxury 1870-1914’ in De La Haye A & Wilson E (eds) Defining dress: dress as object, meaning and identity, Manchester University Press, Manchester. Bruzzi, S & Church Gibson, P 2000, Fashion cultures: Theories, explorations, and analysis, Routledge, London. Craik, J 2013, The face of fashion: Cultural studies in fashion, Routledge, London. Dyson J 2010, ‘Maketh the man’, GQ Magazine. Edwards, T 2004, Cultures of masculinity, Routledge, London. Entwistle J 2000, The Fashioned Body, Polity, Oxford. Hume M 1996, ‘Tailoring’ in De La Haye (ed) in The cutting edge: 50 years of British fashion 1947-1997, V&A Publications, London. Kaiser, S 2013, Fashion and cultural studies, Berg, London. Read More