The Fashion Market and Economic Growth - Article Example

HAS OUR YOUTH OUT- GROWN THEIR CLOTHES? The clothes give away the personality of the wearer. It acts as his/ her public relations agent. From the social point of view, clothing can be considered as being used calculatedly to arouse sexual consciousness and attraction between people. Thus creeps in the introduction of eroticism in modern clothing based on the principle that human body is primarily a sexual object. The change in fashion simply stresses the shift in the appeal of the various sensual zones of the body. This ushers in the latest trends in fashion, which is more evident in women’s fashion. If one makes a study of the history of fashion it will become evident that in the remote past the clothes did not change much with gender. People usually wore loose gowns that left only the head, the for-arms, and the feet uncovered. There was also a time when it was consider fit for a lady to reveal only her face. But those are things of the past. Phyllis Rackin is seen quoted by Valerie Traub (2002, p. 140) In Shakespeare’s time… clothing was designed to produce embodied sexual difference. Men’s robes had been shortened to reveal their legs….Women wore tight bodices that altered the shape their breasts and low- cut gowns to display them. Traub (2002, p. 141) further refers to the description of the fashionable ladies of France and Italy by Canon Pietro Casola. The latter is said to have observed as early as in 1494 that the Venetian women made such attempts at baring their chests publicly that he often was surprised to see that their clothes yet clung to their body. The psychology behind the dressing of the Venetian women could be found to a much greater extent in today’s youth. The conscience of a teen is no longer weighed down by what they wear or how much they expose. The motto is ‘If you have the figure why not flaunt it?’ They look upon it as advancement or breaking free. Hence figure- hugging clothes are preferred to loose and comfy ones. Also not that rarely the clothes are so designed as to enhance an hourglass figure. This is where a corset comes in handy. According to Phryne (2001) at the time when corsets were highly in fashion, the garments in general were very revealing; not necessarily because they exhibited a lot of flesh but certainly because they suggested it. This called for an enhancement in subtle exposure. Now corsets are back in fashion. There has sprouted quite a few shops that deal in this highly useful feminine accessory. All these points to the fact that today’s world pays little heed to the demands of either the elements or the morals of the society. In other words, the style in clothing has gone from the consciously polite, through the subtle revelations, to the blatantly erotic. Anyone who can claim to have been awake throughout the waking hours of his life will testify to the aforementioned argument. A single glance at the evolving teenage fashion will suffice as a case in point. As Debbie Vasen (2006) points out, the low- riding pants that bared the belly are being replaced by the mini- dresses that bare the legs instead. This is a welcome change to all those girls with long, flowing, sexy legs. And for all those who have a slim build she suggests the tight jeans. The style of clothing has also been encouraged by the coming of piercing and tattooing. The demand for piercing and the range of organs surrendered to the pain are certainly on the rise. The teenagers today have been influenced so much by the rock and punk music bands that they have taken to piercing as a fashion statement. Well, whatever the influence be, piercing are in if you happen to see a picture of a model wearing a low waist jeans and a highly cut top, the chances are that you might as well see a navel ring. And if the view is from behind there are chances of a low- waist tattoo being present. The same is applicable to men. It seems that to them piercing and tattooing contribute to the expression of the brute energy of masculinity. This look appeals to those who like to rough it. The see- through and knit- wares give ample outlet to present these insertions and engravings of fashion. They create the hot- guy look. And who does not want to be a hot shot? Popularity is a necessity among the youth. They are after making a mark of personality. But as the heat of the competition soars up the amount of the material clothing shrinks to a large extent. All these makes one wonder whether it is the clothes that have grown shorter or whether it is the wearer who has grown out of it. Anyone who has seen the movie Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) will hold witness to the fact that Bridget’s metamorphosis begins with a change in her wardrobe. Until that point she was the ugly duckling. Then suddenly she turns a ravishing and irresistible beauty who scores big time with her boss. She also seems to have developed the notion that her love- life is somehow intertwined with her lingerie. All these project her not as person but as a sex symbol. The film impresses on the subconscious of the audience the motto that if you need to be popular you better be sexy. This is where current fashion stands. It may seem to one that an insistence on bare minimum is the ruling fashion statement. There has been such a sudden and large inflow of low-waist jeans and skirts that makes it impossible for one to miss the explicit sensuality exhibited. In women’s fashion the tops have grown shorter, and revealing. Even if they wear some kind of a wrap, it hardly wraps anything. But do not go away with the impression that it is just in women’s wear that the erotic aspect has crept in. there has also been a considerable change in the men’s clothing as well. The low-waist jeans are in- fashion among them too. Sometimes the waist is so low that the person wearing it literally becomes the brand ambassador of some brief manufacturer. The short shirts are very much in demand, not to mention the tight tops. This gives them an ample opportunity to expose their well-developed physique and it creates the unmistakable aura of sensuality. The sensual style has even invaded the casuals and formals. The stress is on enhancing the sex appeal of the person who wears them. No doubt, that crown is highly sought after. People any day will prefer being the icon to being an imitator of your icon. The trend is never to imitate what others wear; be it your hero, or friend, or a model from the pages of a fashion magazine. So there is a constant work to adopt and adapt designs to the demands of the youth. But how much of alterations are possible in one single design? Thus come the necessary and sometimes unnecessary cuts and crops. The three fourths and shorts are making a big entry in men’s fashion today. They have already been accepted as a common casual wear mostly exposing an admirably athletic build. One might even find the teenagers wearing such apparels to occasions, which demand of them to wear formals. Breaking free is the trend. One is no more chained to any bound law of dress code. Actually it has become a thing of the past. The sensual trend has even attacked a wide range of kids wear. Now, it is a well-known fact that kids take after adults. They all have their icons and crave to imitate them. This opens a new market for big things that come in small sizes. The market is exploiting this tendency to a great extent. If only one would stand apart and be an unbiased critic would one see the sorry situation! But no one dares to do that and risk be thrown out of the ways of one’s generation. Since the youngsters are the future and influential majority, it is no surprise to find the designers continuously labouring to polish the new face of the world. They are in a never-ending labour to bring out new trends that make its predecessor look out dated. What it actually causes is more confusion. The trend of today might change in the blink of an eye. And one is always left with the feeling that one’s wardrobe is so tacky. This insecure feeling of being ‘old- fashioned’ no doubt contributes to the economy. The world today is one that judges by fashion so much so that there seems to have emerged a God of Fashion. Shirley R. Klein (2003, p. 4), quotes President Heber J. Grant in her address saying that he felt ashamed, to walk along the streets due to the lack of modesty in the dresses, not only among the young people, but among their mothers and even grandmothers. This prompted him, adds Ms. Klein, to denounce the God of Fashion. Sensuality in clothing is here to stay and to a certain extent it is commendable. But there are times when it crosses all boundaries and becomes highly erotic. How much more exposure it will demand is yet to be seen. This becomes increasingly evident with every passing fashion shows. No wonder, the Red Carpet of the Oscar Awards at the Kodak Theatre is an eagerly awaited event. That is one hot fashion show well covered all over the world. Moreover that is precisely where one should look while planning to buy something to dazzle at a party. It is a good thing to know that economically the America is aiming at and making progress but is that a good enough reason to throw to winds all sense of morality? The world might be looking at the US as being the trendsetters, at least in teen wear. Assuredly, America is not that behind Paris or Milan in witnessing the birth of new and sought after designs. But in plain statement what is produced is more erotic than esoteric. Also, being in the limelight can make one fidgety. That might be why no one who wants to be fashionable dares to be seen decently well covered up. It is not that the casuals and formals have become extinct or the like. What has actually happened is that they have been revolutionised to such an extent that it is impossible to figure out where the casual or formal look end and where the erotic begins. The trend has moved a long way away from the symbolic and suggestive to the explicit. The world of fashion is constantly evolving and the designers have to do their best to keep abreast with this. Thus they come out with all these new trends, which are evidently a big, hit among the youth and the middle-aged alike. Needless to say, the market has only stood to gain from this ‘mad after fashion’ scenario. There as been an economic boom in the textile and fashion industry. Every day introduces a crop of budding fashion designers and a whole host of new brands. Eroticism, as expressed in dressing might have been a smear on the face of morals but it certainly is a fertile soil for economic growth. It will only be safe to conclude that the fashion market has increasingly become an economic battlefield and the survival of the fittest is the rule of this world. From the point of view of the market, money counts and rules. Ethical and moral guidelines are a heavy weight upon the demands of economy and hence cannot but be ignored. Where this is taking our culture is yet another question, but a very pressing one at that. The answer as to whether the youth should be considered as sex icons or as individuals with a unique yet pleasing personality, has to be figured out fast. In short, modern clothing is explicitly styled on eroticism. It banks more on the sensual than on comfort. The saying clothes make a man is the war cry now. You wear the bare minimum not always because you wish to wear it but because it demands to be worn. There reigns the feeing that the faintly sensual revealing of one’s body adds to the charm of the person. It gives the wearer a feeling of being more irresistible and hip. It also gives the additional consolation that you will always be stared upon; whether with admiration or repulsion is another matter. One wonders what the future holds for our fashion freaks. How much more is there to be cut? How low and in how many styles? May be the clock has come a full circle and will recede to the time when clothes were unheard of. But that will demand the extinction of designers. Hopefully that will not happen as they keep on coming up with new methods in hide–and-seek clothing every season. REFERENCE Bridget Jones’ Diary. (2001). Directed by Sharon Maguire [film]. United States: Canal Plus, Studio canal, and Working Title Films. Klein, Shirley R. (2003). Clothes Talk: Parents and Teens. Family Expo Conference, 8 April [online]. Available from: conferences@byu.edu. Phryne. (2001). The Subversive Stays - Corsets and Sex, Erotica and Fetishism. Edited Guide Entry. 12 July [online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A592274 (Accessed: 22 February 2008). Traub, Valerie. (2002). The Renaissance of Lesbianism in Early Modern England. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vasen, Debbie. (2006).Teen Girl’s Clothing. Teens. 22 December [online]. Available at: http://teens.lovetoknow.com/Teen_Girls%27_Clothing (Accessed : 22 February 2008). Read More