Desire to Fit-In
According to Dr. Rebecca Arnold, the reason behind why do people mostly follow fashion trends is because of the desire and anxiety which is a contradictory mix of emotions and impulses within an individual. Man is all inclined to the idea of new and stylish, to things that offer a feeling of change and perhaps, progress. Simply because of the necessity to belong and be part of something recognizable. To fit-in and be updated with the latest fad and have that sort of familiarity. This familiarity becomes the social glue that bonds people together, and deliberately seek out the similarity and the recognizable in order to feel secure. If an individual is doing the same as everyone else, they must be doing it right, and finding a reflection of themselves in those around them is a form of validation and approval of the society.
The need for acceptance of oneself in the society is a basic human instinct – although some value it more than others. We all want to fit in, to belong. In order to achieve that, we often present slightly different versions of who we are, depending on the environment and whose company we are in. We might have numerous ‘editions’ of ourselves – for work, or at home, or even online. All tweaked and modified in order to be accepted in that particular situation. In short, seeking social acceptance is what releases a person from his/her insecurities and the lack of self-esteem.
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Glossy magazines and newspapers are displayed in restaurants, beauty salons, and convenient stores. Television rules the home as the main source of news and entertainment while the Internet means life in the office as it makes business and communication fast and easy. Various forms of mass media are everywhere and most often than not, they all share a common element – beautiful people in their stylish fashion
From newspapers, magazines, television, movies, and the Internet, people are connected to the media in so many ways every day. Media plays a huge impact on daily life, telling the public what the newest trends are, events that are happening in day-to-day life, and scandalous stories of elite individuals involving politics, fame, and money. From young children to middle aged adults, people are constantly fixated on the images the media portrays for how they should look. “Body image is defined as “perceptions of and attitudes toward one’s own physical appearance” (Burlew & Shurts, 2013, p. 1). The media has an impact on how society and individuals view themselves and each other.
Furthermore, sometimes the desire to be accepted is stronger than prevailing conventions. This makes an individual to do things to make him feel accepted in the society. Krakauer compares the people in Alaska and McCandless. He writes, “And I’m sure there are plenty of other Alaskans who had a lot in common with McCandless when they first got here, too, including many of his critics. Which maybe why they’re so hard on him. Maybe McCandless reminds them a little too much of their former selves” (Krakauer 221). In today’s society, an individual confirms itself to what a society wants and expect him or her to be.
Media is different forms of communication, such as radio, newspapers, and television, that are directed to mass audiences. Kilbourne’s presentation explores how media, specifically advertisements, have unrealistic and unhealthy perceptions of beauty, perfection and sexuality.
Everybody wants to be accepted, yet society is not so forgiving. It bends you and changes you until you are like everyone else. Society depends on conformity and it forces it upon people. In Emerson's Self Reliance, he says "Society is a joint stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater." People are willing to sacrifice their own hopes and freedoms just to get the bread to survive. Although the society that we are living in is different than the one the Emerson's essay, the idea of fitting in still exists today. Although society and our minds make us think a certain way, we should always trust our better judgment instead of just conforming to society.
Being accepted is an human tendency and we crave each other 's approval. In the scholarly article,"Being Accepted For Who We Are: Evidence That Social Validation Of The Intrinsic Self Reduces General Defensiveness", Schimel associates human’s low self-esteem with being rejected by society. The feeling of rejection leads to depression, and then ultimately suicide (36). Rejection is never taken lightly especially when it deals with something we have no control of. Even then, people are constantly pointing out each other’s differences making them feel self-conscious and wanting to change who they are. Race is not something we can change with medicine, surgery, or other remedies; we are born into our race it defines us. Learning to accept other can save a life and bring society closer to ending the feeling of
Style is something that comes from within. If there’s anything absolute about style it’s that it holds you accountable to yourself at every moment. People understand that what they put on in the morning is the first thing that people notice about them (Garcia 6). The clothing you wear affects how you feel about yourself throughout the whole day. In fact clothing is the most principal means for identifying oneself in a public space (Crane 9). Clothes are supposed to give us a sense of security in presenting ourselves to society. Our personal identities focus on our own beliefs, goals and value systems, and our fashion comes in all forms. This form of identity can be expressed when people wear whatever they like because it makes them feel good about themselves and makes them feel happy, confident, less self-conscious and free from social expectations and
Emerson, one of the greatest American essayists, poet, and thinkers, clearly understood the importance of self-acceptance. He believed in searching for truth from within our self. Emerson had experienced both the benefits and drawbacks of going against mainstream culture and society. The same message applies even in modern times. We are constantly bombarded by ideas that try to make us something else. We are told how to be, who we should be like, how to live, what our beliefs ought to be and what we should wear and the list goes on. We strive to fit in; we mold ourselves so that we can be like everyone else. If we deny who we are we can never find true happiness, we need to stop thinking about pleasing other people.
The media play an indispensable role in modern life, and are considered amongst the most powerful and inaccurate sources of social information, education and entertainment. Our mass media is an electronic (TV, film, video, videogames, internet) visually dominated media with print (newspaper, magazine)...
Our people are too blind to realize what fashion can do to a person. Sure first impressions are influenced by appearances. It’s true indeed that the first trait when people see each other for the first time is what they are wearing. However where do we draw the line? People excessively attempt to imitate runway models or their favorite artists. Becoming too wrapped up following the newest trend or the hottest style this season. Men and women desperately try to mold themselves into fashions “ideal body.” Fashion is harmful to society; it promotes harmful lifestyle choices, can contribute to bullying and often causes debt problems to young woman.
Conformity is vital to people’s life. Humans, being compound animals, live in a culture that works as a whole. Therefore, if there is a fault, the whole system might disintegrate. So, people are obligated to respect the affairs of others so that they can stay together as a whole. On the other hand Individuality, just like conformity, is necessary to life even despite the fact that modern person may not understand its worth. At one point people may want to be special from all the rest in one way or the other. As a result individuals might dress a bit in a different way as well as choose to do things we actually like. And, for on one occasion, we might create the opinions based on what we actually feel. However, earlier or later we are required to curb our impulsive desires so that society or culture does not tag us as eccentric or else weird, simply for the reason that people fear being alone.
Mass media influence has expanded since its inception during the 19th century. Media has become a direct influence on people today by shaping social identity and giving people a false sense of contentment. Today mass media has become more influential to society because it sets the standards of what a person’s appearance should look like along with what is beautiful – especially in women. Women have become a focal point for the media to target; media have used a female insecurities to promote products and establish a false perception of beauty. Today, mass media have defined beauty for an ideal woman, and established this ideology across the globe. This essay will argue the following (1) false perception of advertisements, (2) shadism, and (3) how females react to advertisements.
Social Media plays an important part in America and the role that beauty plays in our everyday lives. Young girls are getting exposed each day to magazines, bil...
Mediums of mass media have become the primary sources of information dissemination in today’s world. Technological advancements have not only increased the forms of mass media but have also expanded their influence on the society.
Firstly, I agree that the people who follow the trends create an image about themselves which does not reflect their character because they do not make their own decisions on what to wear. It is argued that fashionistas tend to lose their
To live in style with fashion is mostly preferred by college going youngsters who are the main follower of fashion. Fashion is related with all age of people either male or female in different manners. Mostly girls fashion is too much trendy and advance then any others. Fashion is not only limited to dressing style but it includes all other different aspects of life like the house they live in, what they eat, what kind of work they prefer to do for their time pass and many more. In our country, source of fashion is generally the glamorous and entertainment industry where every week a new style of dressing, makeup and hairstyle is introduced. Some of the people have registered their name for introducing the new trend of fashion in the glamorous world. These are Manish Malhotra, Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Beri, Sabhya Sachi and many