Fashion and Appearance - Construction of Social Identities - Essay Example

Fashion and Appearance Construction of Social Identities Introduction Sumathi (2002) says that fashion is the of the styles as well as the wearing trends that are seen to be prevalent and followed by the people of the specific time. Somehow fashion is only seen as the way of how one wears and how one carries on the clothing but in fact the term carries much more in itself. Steele (2005) says that the way a person wears the clothes is reflective of many things including the gender, the social identity of the person as well as the values that the person believes in. Breward and Evans (2005) says thereby in terms of fashion designers the clothing and the ways in which the clothing is done in just another language that speaks for itself and thereby clothing is the way to communicate with the others. Sparke (2004) says that the clothing is itself a system that has to be read in the deep manners as to realize the importance of this very system. As this is the system that encompasses within itself more than just the fabrics. Clothing defines the lives of a person. Four themes and fashion The case that we are considering here is the relation of fashion to society in four ways including gender placement, the body discipline, the individual identity and its relation to fashion. 1. Body discipline According to me the body discipline has string bonds with fashion. It has been argued by Crane (2001) that body discipline is the approach where the fact of well maintenance is dealt with. However this is the statement that does not deal with the relation of body discipline to fashion. It remains limited in its argument by only discussing the fact of self maintenance. The argument needs to be linked to the statement that self maintenance is the idea of body shaping and the maintenance is dealt in a well fashioned manner. In addition an argument has been made by Craik (1993) linking fashion and body discipline by including that fashion emphasizes on looking good and feeling good so that the person has the feeling of self assurance. Here the argument holds that fashion is one way to make the person feel good about himself. So it can be assumed that the goodness of one's well being is the message being spread in this case. As it has been very well added by Chall (2004) that a person with a well-maintained body shape will have almost all the clothing to be wore, as there is no restrictions of the size that can or cannot fit. Thereby I can shape this statement by saying that the fit person is the one with more options to wear well and look good. 2. Social identity I have a firm belief that fashion has a way in creating social identities. If a person wears the clothes it would be influenced by the beliefs that a person has, gained from the society. So it can be assumed that the clothing that is done by a person that somehow reflects the way a person thinks and the ways in which the life and its surroundings are perceived. Therefore there are two arguments in this case, one being the choice of a person for the clothing and second the choice being in turn influenced by the cognitive ways taken by the society. Thereby the argument holds that what is gained from the society is given back to the society in the same way as the clothing that the person wears reflects the moral values and the beliefs that the person has and that have been gained from the society. Breward and Evans (2005) say that fashion has a role in creating a unique social identity of a person. Thereby I think that it seems obvious that the clothing reflects the mind and the cognitive thinking mechanisms of an individual. According to Sumathi (2002) "Design is concerned with how the needs are identified, related and in some cases, stimulated" (p. 7). 3. Gender and fashion There are two arguments that need to be dealt here, the gender and the gender's representation in fashion. According to me, very strong way of arguing this has been given by Crane (2001) that fashion and clothing has a unique way to differentiate the gender differences within a society. Here I can say that the effects of the society can be included as a society and the social values implemented by the society create the differences between genders where the differences not only include the differences in the social identities and the values but in fact the differences in the beliefs that the males and the females have within a society. here it is assumed that the differences that the two genders have between each other is truly reflected by the clothing that a person wears. The point that needs attention is the female gender as the true feminine side is reflected by the dresses in the cuts and the fabric being used. This has been dealt by Craik (1993) who argues that females are assumed to be a symbol of care and sensitivity thereby these are the two symbols truly reflected by the fashion that they adopt. So I think that if fashion reflects the social influences that they have from the surrounding society as well the social identity that they have within the particular society therefore it can be said that the female clothing also defines the values that they believe in. According to Diana (2001) "Clothing choice provides an excellent field for studying how people interpret a specific form of culture for their own purposes, one that includes strong norms about appropriate appearances at a particular point in time" ( p. 1). 4. Material and symbolic production of fashion It has been strongly argued by Chall (2004) that the clothing lines that are produced by the fashion designers and the famous fashion brands seem to be incorporating the values that the society to try to incorporate within the individuals personality. Here the statement also assumes that fashion designers materialize this symbolic representation in the dresses created. If the dresses symbolize the social values than they are chosen accordingly by the consumers having the set of beliefs that are reflected by the dresses and thereby wearing the dress makes the person reflective of the very social values. It has been emphasized by Sumathi (2002) "Clothing can be considered as an art form. It has shape color and arrangement of details i.e design" (p. 13). The argument holds that fashion photography is the best-considered way to symbolize the various aspects of fashion and this has been seen in many photographers. Imagery analysis 1. The argument that can be related to by this very image is the symbolic representation by the fashion photography. This image has been named as Invitation la danse. The photographer has been very successful in exhibiting the delicacy that is a part of the feminine side. This is the picture is a symbol of female sensitivity that makes the female gender so different from the males in the society. The image portrays the model who is dancing in a very unusual portrayed manner that reflects the delicacy hidden in the moves of the model. In addition to this the facial expressions that the model has are beyond doubt wonderful. 2. The previous argument related to materializing the gender differences by fashion can be related by means of this image. This is the photograph by Miles Aldridge. The photograph is reflecting the true sensitivity in the female gender as the observation suggests the use of the cuts and the design of the wear being the factor that is dominating this picture. Moreover the curves and the sensitive factors are more outlined by the glass present in the background. This is the photograph that reflects the true blends of the power of the picture and the reflection of the sensitive side of the female gender. Thereby the argument that had been made that either the designers focus on the cuts to enhance the feminine side of the females can be seen being answered by the photograph. 3. This image supports the argument made that fashion materializes the gender differences especially in the case of females. This is another very beautiful photograph presented by Solve Sundsbo. This is the picture which is reflecting the female sensitivity and the colors in a perfect blend. This is another proof of the answer of the argument raised earlier. It shows that the females are the genders that are very sensitive to the colors and the kind of the fabrics being used for the dress and the accessories are one of the main themes that the women like. Conclusions Fashion is only seen as the way of how one wears and how one carries on the clothing but in fact the term carries much more in itself. The description of the term itself has been seen to be changing through many ages and the changes are dependent on the thoughts as well as the cultures. clothing is the way to communicate with the others. The clothing is itself a system that has to be read in the deep manners as to realize the importance of this very system. the clothing defines the way the person stands in the society. References Breward, C., and Evans, C. (2005). Fashion and modernity.Berg Publishers. Chall, L. (2004). Sociological Abstracts. Sociological Abstracts, inc. Craik, J. (1993). The Face of Fashion: Cultural Studies in Fashion. Routledge. Crane, D. (2001). Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing. University of Chicago Press. Routledge. Sparke, P. (2004). An introduction to design and culture: 1900 to the present. 2nd edition. Steele, V. (2005). Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion. Thomson. Sumathi, G. J. (2002). Elements of Fashion and Apparel Design. New Age International. Read More