Fashion as an Aspect of Popular Culture

Another aspect of popular culture which we may take for granted is fashion. Fashion itself is a reflection of social, economic, political and cultural changes. It expresses modernity, symbolizing the spirit of the times. Fashion trends are always changing and many people are repeatedly trying to change the way they dress and look even if they don’t necessary like it. Fashion plays a major role in our society. Supose you Stand in any line waiting to check out and the covers of magazines exude fashion. Designers have movie stars wearing what they decide the season should call for. Every movie or television program has carefully chosen what look they want to portray. Every ad may not be about fashion, but the clothes are a subliminal way of catching what audience they are geared to. Fashion reaches every corner that you turn. The market reaches the elementary schools as most kids “want to fit in”. High School is a great target for young teens who must have what everyone else is wearing and at this age kids are very self conscious; they are in grade school too.

Nowadays fashion isn’t just a style or just simply wearing what you like but it is also an open door for stereo- typing and judgments. Girls for example are immediately categorized if they wear a short skirt or wear dark makeup and guys might be labelled as homosexuals if they are wearing colours which are associated to girls such as pink or purple, in most cases even if they wear jewellery especially in countries like India, Saudi Arabia and Uganda which are still very unaccepting when it comes to homosexuals. Teenagers and adults feel pressured into fitting in, dressing like their friends or relatives, buying designer clothes they can’t afford simply to be a part of society’s trends. Weddings for example are huge money makers for the fashion industry and people will spend almost their lifetime savings for the special day every little girl dreams of. Fashion moves money which helps the economy of fashion separate the classes of society also. There are endless restaurants, social events, and churches where fashion plays a large role.

These fast fashion brands, known for bringing democracy to the once elite world of fashion, have created a following of consumers who practice impulsive shopping, being blinded by the thrill of possessing something new as often as they can. In the last thirty years the luxury industry has been completely focused on profitability and quality has become a secondary objective for the luxury tycoons. The production of the finest merchandise is no longer their main objective. The focus has shifted from what the product is to what the product represents. In order to achieve this, big luxury corporations have intensively promoted the heritage of a brand, hiring a young designer to give it a modern edge and splashing the logo on everything from handbags to bikinis. The product itself is not in the spotlight anymore: it is the brand that speaks.

Works Cited

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