There is much scholarly debate over fashion and clothing and their importance within present day society. Fashion and clothing can be defined as many things that hold our society together. Fashion can be defined as a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette and socialising, or the conventional usage in dress and manners, whereas clothing is defined as garments collectively or something that covers. If fashion and clothing were abolished there would be no room for individuality, the world’s population would be uniform. There also would be a loss of the distinctions between social classes, which was most predominant in the 18th century but is still present today. However fashion being abolished would have little impact on tribal and classless societies as it does not exist there. The abolishment of fashion and clothing would also change the dynamics of the social world and social relationships.
Abolition of clothing
Social structural aspects.
Clothing is used in society to show the outside world who a person is. Sennet (1978(1976):67-8) quoted by Corrigan(Corrigan 2010:163) ‘on the street one stepped into clothes that whose purpose was to make it possible for other people to act as if they knew who you were’. Clothing therefore can show the different classes of society, and who a person is, for example their religion or ethnicity. Peoples clothing is usually a reflection of their personality, they dress in a way to make the rest of the world perceive them in a certain light or how they wish to be perceived. If clothing was abolished there would be a decrease in the individuality of people, all would be perceived in the same way not how they wished. The abolishment of clothing would have an impact on the social structure of...
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...tates that ‘the street theatre of dress has not one audience but many’, suggesting that fashion and clothing are there to be observed by an audience, and if abolished could have serious impacts on society.
Reference List
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A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney is composed of dialogues, proficiently written to disguise social issues in Britain in the1950s. The conversations between the characters reveal their dynamic relationships and Delaney “dresses” each character uniquely based on their social identities and personalities: The “black” characters in the play had uniformed professions to boost their social status since uniforms are associated with “honorable” professions. Social identities based on class is best illustrated by Helen’s clothing, for example her possession of only one hat and her reaction to Jo’s request for new clothes (), however, the clothes for her wedding were new () suggest as change in class, which she could not previously afford (). Hence, the play skillfully relates clothing to racial stratification in Britain, where it was thought that “black” people were affiliated with the jungle () and social division based on wealth, which affected where they lived and level of sophistication they could afford.
The evolution of clothing has been drastically changed through the course of history, from the style to how they’re made. Women and men’s clothing changed at different rates. The way clothes are made reflect the style. Clothing always has been an important aspect of one’s culture as well as a representation of a time period. Overtime clothing has changed just as the people it clothes.
Have you ever seen people that follow a mixture of religions,dress differently in public all over
Fashion is a form people use as a way for self expression. For me, fashion dictates how a person sense of style is; some may be bold and loud or simple and calm in which it also gives others an outlook on how their character may be. Although fashion is a way to express ones’ sense of style it does not tells us who the person is personally. Fashion in the society of the 1900s has changed female gender roles then and now by the way their roles changed during the time.
Fashion was culturally formed, and there is a close relationship between art and fashion. The first designer who had his label sewn into a garment he created was Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895). In the 1840s, adult women adopted a variation on girls' pantalettes as an undergarment. (Toccata: March 2010 toccatamundi.blogspot.com
For many centuries clothing was used namely as a form of symbolising one’s ascribed class and social honour. A good example of this was evident in Feudal European times when sumptuary laws were created in order to regulate and specify the clothing that could be worn by certain classes. In 1463 Edward IV went so far as to ‘[declare] that purple silk was to be the prerogative of the aristocracy’ (Finkelstein 1991, pg. 137). As purple dye and silk were both very expensive and sought after this declaration demonstrated quite simply that those who were in possession of such materials should command respect and were of high social standing. Eventually these laws were abolished as, instead of ‘confining people to their designated rank, the laws provoked an intense interest in fashion and a desire to transgress the codes, both in the process of prestigious emulation and as an act of rebellion’ (Craik, 1994, pg. 205). This abolition allowed groups and individuals to establish their own chosen style or ‘marker’ in order to indicate their place within society. By allowing such freedom, ascribed social status gave way to that which was achieved. This not only meant that many more people were able to engage in the ever-expanding culture of ‘Haute couture’ but also that honour was no longer perceived as a birth right but rather as something that could to be obtained. Such a shift in symbolism provided a way for those of not so noble a birth to portray themselves as the latter through a variety of means such as renting or stealing clothes and buying counterfeit copies (a common occurrence in today’s society also).
Fashion is an outlet people use to express themselves. People anxiously wait to see what the next trends are as seasons pass by. We buy anything that doesn’t break a bank, people buy a $10 shirt just because it’s cheap and they might not even wear it, but it’s all right, since it wasn’t expensive. As harmless and normal as that scenario sounds, the fashion industry has created the harmful concept that is “fast fashion”, in which stores sell an abundance of extremely cheap trendy clothing and “where deliveries are small and often, with stock delivered twice a week, for instant-access fashion.” (Cochrane)
Fashion in the 21th century is a big business, as its production employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars in revenue. Fashion has for the past century been, and is still today, used as an indicator of social change and progress, as it changes with the social norms of the society and the political changes of the world (Finkelstein 3).
Introduction Historically, multiple styles of dressing have been created during the last several decades, which played an important role in modern fashion in the UK. Everyone has a different and unique dressing style in their everyday life. Some styles are influenced by vintage styles which are attributing to the deep effects of old vogue, and another group of dressing styles are inclined into the fresh element. Despite those different styles, some of them have even evolved into the milestones in fashion history. To start this essay, it will introduce the evaluation of the first significant revolution of dressing style in the 1960s.
Clothing has been around for thousands of years; almost as long as the modern human has. At first, it served the practical purpose of protection from the elements; but, as life for early humans stopped being a constant struggle to survive, they started noticing how they looked and the concept of fashion began to take shape. These first few garments were typically dyed draped cloth that was pinned at the shoulder and/or waist. This was seen in many ancient civilizations around the world, Greek and Roman the most notable. Over time, clothing began to get more and more complex and formed to the body’s shape, eventually leading up to the tailored style we now have today. However, the sophisticated world of Haute Couture; or high fashion, can distinctly trace its roots to Paris during the mid-19th century. Clothing from there was thought to be superior to those from anywhere else, and women began to come from all over Europe just to buy dresses. This was probably due in part to one notable dressm...
Fashion, psychology and the sociological perspective have long been perceived as mutually exclusive concepts. However, is there a possibility that a trinity exists in the former? To illustrate, it is evident that throughout history fashion has influenced society as a whole and has mirrored its aspects i.e. economical and sociological. Furthermore, this influence has developed to be perceived psychologically where individuals identify with fashion in the sense of translating visual information showing their personal views and attitudes. To that effect, what is fashion? Traditionally and in the literary sense, fashion is defined as ‘a popular trend, especially in styles of dress and ornament or manners of behavior’ . However,
In conclusion, fashion will speak out a person’s social signal, people dress on designs that blend with their social class. Just as population, social activities and fashion are changing with time. Fashion has made clothing to be convinient, everything needs to be done with the least effort and spend the least time.
Fashion is a controversial issue in society nowadays. We live in a consumerism advanced era in which whether following fashion trends or not has become a debatable point. Many people believe that it is important to follow fashion trends. For example, Lord Chesterfield once said, “If you are not in fashion, you are nobody.” The question is why fashion should be an essential matter of concern to all of us. As far as I am concerned, each person should be able to decide if one wants to follow a trend or not.
Fashion is a currently valued style of appearance and behavior. It is a way to shape one’s external custom. The history of fashion dates back to hundred years ago and it has seen a remarkable progress in the 21st century. Man has endeavored a lot to bring new changes according to style and elegance that suits his needs and desires. Apparently, our culture is inclined towards fashion and change in the former brings change in the latter.When we talk about Pakistan, from the independence day of August 14, 1947 up-to-date, it has been a society in transition and being dynamic in nature, it isconsequently ever-changing and its patterns are transforming from time to time.
Fashion is an interesting thing. It is often said that it is recycled. I have even heard people from different generations say “ I use to wear that back in my day”. I find it so fascinating, that I would sit and wonder if the clothes that I am wearing now was once the style of previous generations in my family. Through the years, fashion has been created, recycled and even it even faded away. Have the fashion trends throughout the generations of my family followed any parts of the cycle?