Fashion based in a dreamworld
Kathryn Grahm
The Metropolitan
Trends are not our friends but good marketing paired with mass production have made them impossible to ignore. There have always been fashion trends, but not so long ago, clothes were hand-sewn by the owner and used for practical utility only.
By the 1960s designer labels and fashion trends were all the rage. Tights made their debut and Mary Quant made the mini-skirt popular by 1966. The clothing market began bombarding women with the latest fads and clothing became something more than it was originally intended to be.
Today, popular icons set the fashion trends. Low-rise pants and skirts, so short they make Quant's mini seem conservative, continue to be hot fashion commodities. However, Paris Hilton's new and upcoming apparel and denim line, launched under Heiress Clothing, is a fad that will not compliment most women.
The latest trends are everywhere and they aren't realistic for the majority of consumers. A very small percentage can successfully wear what is currently plaguing us. Clothing cut for unnaturally thin bodies are not going to flatter the average woman's body in the same way.
"Most research points to the role of the media for doing that," said Judith Wonstolen, an instructor with Metro's women's studies department.
The average model is 5'11" and weighs 117 pounds, which is considered underweight by body mass index (BMI) calculations.
The average woman has a height of 5'4" and weighs approximately 145 pounds, which is considered healthy by BMI calculations. The majority of American women wear a size 12 or larger.
The BMI evidence proves that there's nothing wrong with women but there is something wrong with the current trends and their influence on consumers. Studies show that 46 percent of 9-11 year-old girls are sometimes, or very often, on diets and 50 percent of women with a normal body weight think they're overweight.
These trends needlessly put pressure on youth and adults to meet the unrealistic standards of the fashion world.
Natural body proportion is ignored. Currently, the popular body type is super thin with big breasts, which doesn't exist in nature. Typically and naturally, women with big breasts have hips to go along with them. "It's an impossible standard for woman to achieve," said Wonstolen.
Although most come-and-go fads are marketed to teens, trends like low-rise pants fill the clothing stores, making it hard for young women to find clothes that fit correctly.
Stores are jammed with all the impractical trends and when women buy into them, individual style suffers. Fashion can only reflect reality if women get real with themselves and make wise clothing choices.
Fashion experts suggest that real fashion is about finding a personal style, regardless of the latest trend. It is fashionable not to be fashion obsessed.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, fashion trends are out because they've lost touch with reality. But it's hard to believe that trends are out, considering they line clothing stores everywhere, which suggests a significant percentage of consumers must still be conforming and buying into these fads.
There is and has been for some time an influence of vintage fashions. Being a fashion minimalist and keeping it real is an underground phenomenon, but due to media and social pressures, it is not the choice of the masses.
"We [women] get all of these superficial choices to take our attention off of the deeper choices that we don't get to make," Wonstolen said.
Although trends come and go, classic styles remain and define the people who wear them. Take the late Jackie Kennedy Onassis, for example: people still try to emulate her timeless style. One good way to tell if the clothing purchase is classic or not is to ask yourself it you would wear it even if no one else did. If you hesitate for even a moment it's not a classic.
Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine have a hit show on the BBC called "What Not To Wear." With their outspoken personalities, they show women that the current trend isn't what to consider when choosing a wardrobe. They also offer fashion tips and tricks that can help women feel more secure with their appearance. Their approach is a start in the right direction.
According to Woodall and Constantine, there are four different body shapes: the hourglass, the pear, the apple and the ruler. Choosing fashion that matches individual body type, comfort, utility and personal style is truly what counts when choosing a wardrobe.
There are clothes available-though not always visible in stores-that will work for anyone. One thing to ponder: Is it the right fashion for the right reason?
"Some parts of fashion are aesthetics. There are nice fabrics," Wonstolen said. |
