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The relevance of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
The relevance of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
The relevance of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
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Fashion is the creation of physical items of clothing designed to trigger the desire of consumption and conformity. Fashion is about looks. Fashion is armor. Fashion is experimentation. Fashion is creative. Fashion is the product of a world-view. Fashion is an industry. Fashion is a phenomenon.
People need fashion for several causes. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs demonstrates a five-step model that can be split into “basic (or deficiency) needs (e.g. physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and growth needs (self-actualization)”. (Abraham H. Maslow, 1998, Page 98).
Figure 1 Maslow's Hierarchy of needs
One must fulfill the lower level basic needs of fashion before moving on to meet the higher level growth needs. After these lower needs have been moderately fulfilled, one will be able to arrive at the highest-level named self-actualization, allowing them to create their own identity using fashion.
After taking these essential components of fashion into consideration we can see that clothing is not just required for the fundamental needs of survival. It is needed for so much more than protection from the elements (e.g. to appear acceptable in society, create their own look, adopt style through influences, fit in with groups, identify who they are and create relationships etc).
As homo sapiens are extremely social animals we often find ways to communicate who we are in the social environment. Because we are so influenced and affected by society, the act of fashion approval instinctively comes to us.
To feel that we belong to society we create and style our exterior look to make an impression and help others understand who we feel we are. How we want to look in society is the way we express our personali...
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...ise, or are assumed to commend. The contrast varies from the immediate – our friends, siblings and parents – to the distant persons – Celebrities, pop stars, fashionistas, sports stars and other performer. We begin to identify with our own superstars and start to adore them. Interestingly, in our media-proliferated age, our superstars are probably “well-orchestrated” celebrities.
It has long been understood that a person’s fashion choices affect how they are perceived, and we live in a culture where we are encouraged to admire and acquire through inspirational imagery of prominent personalities. Instead, Style and fashion should mirror one's own character and self-worth. We should stand out from a crowd with a unique style and not be a person who follows popular trends slavishly.
“Fashions fade, but style is eternal” – Yves Saint Laurent. (Yale Breslin, 2012).