Fashion also lends its hand to many issues present in modern day society. In our society people no longer have to think for themselves. People no longer wish to strike out and go against the stream, as the idea of fashion was perceived to do, but in actuality all it does is turn you into another follower, another sheep in the flock of society. Everyone in life wants to be accepted, as shown in Mazlow’s Heirarchy of Needs, the need of acceptance is one of a human being’s most prominent requirements. By wearing the latest fashion, people feel accepted, but are trapped in the black hole of unoriginality and the loss of individuality.
One of the more worrying and disturbing factors of fashion is the health risk. Catwalks show the public the main fashion trends with a lot of exaggeration. When such larger-than-life outfits face real life they not only look ridiculous, but can be very harmful. A model wearing a pair of eight inch heels on the ramp is not the same as a regular person wearing them on the streets. These dangers of fashion are not only linked to clothes. Tattoos can be extremely harmful, but people see prominent figures such as the sexy Angelina Jolie and funny Drew Barrymore and can't resist a temptation to get one for themselves. One of the most dangerous health risks associated with fashion, is anorexia and bulimia. The modern day perception that being stick model, size 2 thin women is desirable, attractive and the word discussed earlier: “accepted”. People get surgery, starve themselves, and obsess in front of mirrors thinking how fat they look. A study conducted by the University of Heidelberg showed that 10% of reported cases are still suffering after 20 years, and a further 16% have died as a result of these disorders.
The element of fashion affects the economic system and the society of people. Fashion is more than a light-hearted issue; it is a global industry, one of the largest in the world . There is so much money involved with fashion that it has become a very serious and crucial part of our society. People all want to conform, so they go along with the rules of the current fashion, and like lemmings, some will even pursue it to their death. Fashion never made great claims, but it has become a huge subject nevertheless. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest accomplishment.”
Word count: 620 words
Bibliography
BUSINESS TIMES 2008. The “Hemline theory”. Business Times. 26 Apr 20008
JOHNS, K. 2004 Fashion life. Mail & Guardian.
ROWSON, G. Personal correspondence
ROWSON, S. Personal correspondence
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