Analysis of the Fashion Industry - Research Paper Example

Analysis of the Fashion Industry Introduction Paragraph a. Set the Scene. Humans, unlike other animals that walk the earth, are bestowed with an aesthetic sense that enables them to admire and emulate beauty. Thus they have developed the ability to enhance their attractiveness by appropriately modifying their physical appearance with the help of apparel or other beauty aids. “Clothes and bodily embellishments have been the traditional mode of communicating rank, status, wealth, sexual orientations and group identities in most societies. Today, cultural attitudes projected through magazines and shopping displays tell us what beauty is and how we ought to look. This even involves crafting bodies through diets or surgery, as human bodies are considered sites of aesthetic innovation, to be sculpted and periodically upgraded.” (About Fashion). b. Statement of the main idea. (Thesis Statement): The beauty and fashion industry is cashing in on the weakness of humans who will go to any extent in artificially augmenting, or reducing or complimenting their physical features. c. Statement of the specific points to be covered in this essay. Plato’s “golden proportions” had a face with a width equal to two-thirds of length and a nose that was as long as the gap between the eyes, to be found in a few faces. Today the fashion industry promises tools that make such specifications possible for anyone who is prepared to invest necessary money and time. Very few societies are exceptions to such trends. The Chinese, who preferred women with small feet, practiced ‘foot-binding’ to make the feet small. Necks are elongated in some societies and in some African societies, women insert huge metallic discs in their lips to appear beautiful. Thus, certain specific physical features gained acceptance as symbols of beauty or perfection. I First Main Idea (use a transition in this sentence) Similarly in a sociological context, several theories have been suggested to explain the nature of fashion. Over half a century ago, Quentin Bell, in his book “On Human Finery”, observed that fashion in dress followed a cyclical trend, based on changes observed since the thirteenth century. Fashion keeps evolving and changing. A. First subordinate idea Sociologist Ingrid Brenninkmeyer suggests that every trend in fashion becomes popular, peaks after a while and then loses relevance, even as another trend is forming, almost similar to the rolling of waves at the beach. (Brenninkmeyer, 1963). 1. First supporting detail Other concepts brought out by researchers include the “trickle down” theory of fashion as a symbol of class, postulated by Bernard Barber. (Barber, 1957). “When the styles and practices of the upper classes were imitated, their fashions 'trickled down' to their social inferiors, and the upper classes were impelled to reconstitute themselves.” (McKendrick, et al. 1982). 2. Second supporting detail Other theories emphasized factors like ‘imitation’ (Gabriel Tarde: 1843-1904), and ‘displacement of sexual urge’ (René Konig: 1906-1992). During a time when fair skin epitomized the concept of beauty. Black women were tried to make their skin as white as possible by bleaching. To further mask their genetic attributes, they resorted to straightening of hair to conceal what were considered as flaws, especially in America. “Morality has been another important factor in determining fashions and the reach of the fashion industry. The Victorian era was ultra conservative and fashion was all about covering up.” (Revealing Fashion) 3. Third supporting detail Ankles constituted an erotic zone and ladies had separate staircases to avoid them being exposed to those walking behind. Women wore long, narrow skirts that were prone to splitting with long strides. This danger was prevented by having women wear “hobble garters” around the ankles. (Perceptions of Female Beauty in the 20th Century) The perfect nose was created using a “nose shaper”, a metallic contraption that was fitted over the nose with straps and buckles around the head and adjusted by screws. (Perceptions of Female Beauty in the 20th Century). Unfashionable curves were downplayed using “bust flatteners”, at considerable discomfort and strain. (Perceptions of Female Beauty in the 20th Century). 11 Second Main idea The twentieth century saw great changes in the perceptions of fashion and attitudes too, which caused it to evolve as an art and an industry. A. First subordinate idea Victorian attitudes underwent previously unimaginable changes with the advent to new ideas and ideals. Physical beauty of women came to be projected as never before and the fashion and beauty industry grew tremendously. 1. First supporting detail The invention of jeans by Levi Strauss is one of the milestones of fashion in the twentieth century. The appeal of this apparel hasn’t taken much time to spread all over the world as a cult. Health and physical fitness came to be increasingly associated with fashion in the twentieth century. Apparels and beauty aids became products that had great demand and fetched good profits for manufactures. 2. Second supporting detail “The Women's League of Health and Beauty started by Prunella Stack in 1930 with 'Movement Is Life' as its motto emphasized the notion of a healthy mind in a healthy body. Sunshine, tans and the beach culture came into being, along with beach wear and accessories.” (1914-1955 C20th Fashion History). 3. Third supporting detail Post-war babies were teenagers in the sixties and sexuality came to the fore. Modesty was given the go-by, and exposure of the body became the order of the day. The mini-skirt, invented by Mary Quant, was a product of the sixties. “Long shapely legs were in demand and most women struggled to achieve these proportions. The sixties also saw cosmetic surgery being increasingly used, and removal of the back teeth and lower ribs were common procedures.” (Perceptions of Female Beauty in the 20th Century). 111 Third main idea Thinness became an obsession and the difference between the weight of the average woman and the ideal became impossibly wide. Weight loss methods and equipment were in got demand. A. First subordinate idea Men were under less pressure to be thin, and the weight of male models was not of much import. (History of Fashion 1920-1930). 1. First supporting detail Fashionable platform shoes of the seventies, which caused thousands of sprained ankles, reemerged as a fad twenty years later too. Curves were “in” in the eighties and nineties, but so was fitness and thinness. 2. Second supporting detail The portrayal of women in advertisements is an interesting pointer to differing perceptions between men and women. Fashion magazines which catered for female readers, had thin and “waif like” women as models, while fleshier models appeared most often in men’s magazines and pornography. 3. Third supporting detail The post- nineties also witnessed a surge in the numbers of plastic surgeries such as breast and chin reduction/augmentation, liposuction, de-wrinkling, cheekbone implants etc. 3. Conclusion (use a transition in this sentence to show that this is the conclusion) Thus, in conclusion, it can be stated that men and women, driven by the quest for perfection, manipulate their bodies to achieve perfection. a. Restatement of the main idea The beauty industry is thriving on this human weakness for physical perfection and humans are paying the price of losing their natural bodies. b. Restatement of the main points and how they relate to each other Fashion and beauty have been capturing the attention of men and women for long, various theories have been expounded to explain why they do so, and as a progression of this obsession, several milestones were established on the fashion scene during the twentieth century. The obsession with thinness, often achieved using artificial and unnatural means, began during this period. It continues to engage the attention of men and women; and through this the industry is flourishing. c. Significance of the topic and your discussion of it. (Should answer the question, "So what?") The multi billion dollar fashion and beauty industry is creating perceptions that actually harm the well being of men and women with long run. The negative impacts of the fashion and beauty industry needs to be addressed and corrected. Work cited Boyle, Yolanda (2004). What is Fashion? Available from: [Accessed on January 5, 2007]. Bell, Quentin (1947). On Human Finery. New ed., revised and enlarged edition (1976). Hogarth Press. Brenninkmeyer, Ingrid (1963). The Sociology of Fashion. (Koln-Oplander). Barber, Bernard (1957). Social Stratification (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company). McKendrick, Neil; et al. (1982). The Birth of a Consumer Society. London: Europa. Bryant, Michelle. Revealing Fashion. Throughout history, fashion has conveyed the politics and culture of an era. Available from: [Accessed on January 6, 2007]. Home Page, Fashion Era: Available from: [Accessed on January 7, 2007]. Wood, Louise. Perceptions of Female Beauty in the 20th Century. Available from: [Accessed on January 7, 2007]. History of Fashion. Available from: [Accessed on January 7, 2007]. Veblen Thorstein (1989). The Theory of the Leisure Class. New York: Macmillan. Finkelstein, Joanne (1991). The Fashioned Self. Oxford: Polity. Read More