Fashion and Appearance Central to the Construction of Social Identities - Essay Example

How are fashion and appearance central to the construction of social identities? Unit of Degree: ID number: Fashion and Appearance Central to the Construction of Social Identities Social identity is the method that psychologists use to differentiate people from different levels of identity. The different levels of identity are based on: gender, race, religion, social class, nationality and culture (Jenkins, 2008). There are a number of factors that can be used to determine one’s social identity. Fashion and appearance are some of the factors that play an important role in the construction of social identities according to Dant (1999). Fashion, in this context can be taken to mean the latest trends or most loved style in cosmetics, dressing or even behavior (Steele, 2010). In other words, fashion describes is a behavior that is prevalent during a specific period. Fashion and appearance go hand in hand in that people tend to follow what is prevalent in order to be regarded in a particular manner. Males and females have different forms of dressing. All cultures have different expectations of how men and women should dress. For a long time in the western culture, skirts and dresses were meant to be worn by females while breeches were a preserve for men. There are also some racial groups that have their own unique dress codes. For instance, traditional Africans had specific dress codes for different purposes and occasions. In many instances for example, leopard skins were worn by warriors when going for war. In the Indian culture, red saris are worn by brides during weddings (Crane, 2000). Religion as a form of social identity also plays a major role in determining fashion styles. For instance, conservative Christians tend to dress in non-fitting cloths that cover most of their bodies. Muslims have their hijabs while monks have their cassocks. The social class in which one identifies with can be determined by the type of cloths the person is wearing. Individuals on the upper side of the social ladder normally don expensive attire normally accompanied by equally expensive accessories (Steele, 2010). Ethnicity and Fashion The issue of ethnicity in the context of national identity is not a new one and it takes many forms. In both the ancient and contemporary world, ethnicity had an important role to play in the creation of national dresses. National dresses were used, as they are used today, to identify a certain people with a certain nationality, thus giving them a distinct social identity as citizens of a specific country (Davis, 1992). The ancient Greeks had their national robes which were a major identification of the Greek culture. Ethnicity plays the same important role in the creation of national dresses today. In countries where there is limited cultural diversity, or where the people all share the same cultural background, ethnicity does not present a big problem when it comes to the creation of a national dress (Steele, 2010). A case in point is Scotland where the national dress incorporates much of the Scottish tradition. When one wears a Scottish kilt, it is easy to identify him with the Scots since the kilt is unique to Scotsmen. The same thing can be said of India, China, Japan and Arab states where the people more or less share a common ethnicity. However, the case is different in countries that have diverse ethnic communities. In these situations, it becomes very hard to come up with a national dress that everyone can be comfortable with. This is because members of different ethnicities would want their identities to be represented in the national dresses and in most cases this is not possible. In such a case when it becomes hard for people to agree on a single national dress, the easiest solution is to turn to global fashions for ideas. Mixing globalization and localization in creating national dresses that can provide a unique social identity normally unfortunately normally leads to the lack of identity. In the US for example, the population is comprised of people with different cultural, racial and religious backgrounds. The lack of a cohesive national dress may be blamed on the fact that the country is too culture diverse (Crane, 2000). Nationalities’ Social Identity and Fashion Fashion has for a long time been used as a measure of the social identities of people in different nations. Different countries in different regions in the world all have some kind of a national dress. This national dress is used to demonstrate what a country’s citizens believe in and this constitutes mostly of their culture (Steele, 2010). This is very common in Asian countries and a few African nations which use their own local fashions to demonstrate their social identities as unique nations and cultures. When one wants to be identified with a certain country, they are likely to dress the same way people in the country in question normally dress (Davis, 1992). It is common to find tourists to African countries donning safari-related fashion wear as they try to blend in that particular environment. Nations use their own traditions to make their identities recognizable to the rest of the world. Mexicans have their Mexican hats which they normally wear when they want people to recognize that they are Mexicans. It would also be hard not to notice a Indian wearing a Sari or a Japanese in the traditional kimono. These kinds of fashions are normally localized and they are devoid of influence from external cultures. Globalization, Fashion and Social Identity Fashion has greatly been influenced by globalization. In this day and age, the way people dress is determined by what is popular in the world at that particular time (Crane, 2000). Globalization has made it easy for individuals to copy what other people in other parts of the world consider fashionable. There was a time when wearing jeans was a preserve of the Western countries, but globalization has changed all that. Through different types of media, people all over the world get to know about the latest fashions and they waste no time making sure that they are part of the fashionable ones (English, 2007). In the globalised world, people use fashion now more than ever for self as well as social identity (Paulicelli and Clark, 2008). When one wants to be identified as part of a certain group, one of the things that he will do is dress like the people he is trying to identify with. Many countries today have embraced globalization and everything that comes with it. This is why it is common to find people in different parts of the world who use western fashion styles as social identity measures (Davis, 1992). In these situations, high levels of western fashions indicate better social status and enhanced social identities. Localized Fashion and Self Identity Just like globalization, localization also has an important role to play in shaping social identities in terms of fashion and identity. Localization means that the effects of globalization are really felt in a certain sector. When fashion is localized in a certain state, country or region, it is normally very hard for globalization to have impact on the way people dress or appear (Paulicelli and Clark, 2008). This implies that their social identities are basically influenced by what is considered common or popular within their cultural backgrounds. Localization can therefore be considered to be the opposite of globalization when it comes to fashion. it is therefore safe to conclude that localization would have the opposite impact on social identity to that of globalization. While globalization typifies social identity through embracing external lifestyles, localization on the other hand is characterized by internally-inspired lifestyles that are considered part of a people’s social identity (Crane, 2000). Localization enables individuals to express their fashion through locally manufactured styles. The idea is to use locally-created fashion to make a unique social identity. Countries like China, India, Nigeria and many Middle East nations have localized fashion industries which mainly produce fashion-wear with a local touch. People in these regions use these local fashions that are devoid of any globalization effect to make a fashion statement, and to enhance their social identities. Localization in the fashion sector helps in propagating local customs and beliefs (Davis, 1992). For instance, in the Indian culture, there are different cloths that are worn by individuals from different social status. Social identity can be propagated through culture, which is a major part of contemporary fashion. Though localized fashion, different cultures find their way into the fashion world and people who want to be associated with a certain culture can wear those clothes that highlight that specific culture. Fashion in this case is used to dictate social status. This is a good case of society dictating what to wear depending on one’s social standings. Conclusion Fashion and appearance are some of the most important aspects of social identity. People behave in a certain way depending on how they want to be seen or how they want to appear. People dress in certain ways so as to fit into a certain social setting. Ethnicity, culture, globalization and localization all play different roles in the propagation of social identities through fashion. The way one appears says a lot about who they are, where they come from and what they believe in. Ethnicity and culture plays big role in the creation of national dresses which are used by different nationalities as a symbol of their social identities. Globalization has played a big role in spreading western fashions and in the process propagating western values and forms of identities in different parts of the world. However, localization has greatly hampered the spread of western culture in some parts of the world where people still use their own unique fashions to create unique identities. Fashion and appearance will continue to play a major role in the construction of social identities regardless of whether they are influenced by globalization or localization or both. References Crane, D. (2000). Fashion and its Social Agendas: Class, Gender and Identity in Clothing. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Dant, T. (1999) Wearing it out: Written clothing and Material clothing. Buckingham: University Press. Davis, F. (1992). Fashion, Culture and Identity. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press English, B. (2007). A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th Century. Oxford: Berg. Jenkins, R. (2008). Social Identity. London: Routledge. Paulicelli, E. and Clark, H. (2008). The Fabric of Cultures: Fashion, Identity and Globalization. London: Routledge. Steele, V. (2010). Fashion Theory: National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life. Journal of Dress, Body and Culture. Vol. 6, Iss. 2 Read More