(no subject)
Subject: Fashion
Warning: Lots of sociological ranting within.... enter at your own risk.
Considering the last post I posted... I'm sure one could figure out how conflicted and confusing my fashion tastes are. (I like both dark, masculine fashions as well as cute, feminine fashions).
So... During my break from school, I think I'm going to explore fashion and what it means. Since it's such a broad subject, I think I'll use the four week break to explore what fashion means to me personally before expanding further to a societal level. I'm going to try and use my sociology research methods and use it as a practice. I plan to conduct interviews. Depending on how passionate I get about this, I may or may not try and involve it with gender studies.
Since I just came up with this idea (seriously, like... an hour ago) I think I'll do some pre-rambling about fashion.
Fashion is obviously a very social subject. Everything we do (or don't do) in fashion signals to others our values, thoughts, and lifestyles. As a society, we, differentiate fashions and rank them depending on a situation. Conservative fashions are preferred in jobs, outlandish ones in parties. Being able to dress in a certain way allows one to play by the rules and get farther ahead in life. On the other hand, being able to dress in another way may lend to more friends, partners, and social networks. Being able to 'successfully' dress in a certain style can lead to an unequal distribution of rewards (e.g. such as the person able to buy and wear a nice suit to a job interview is more likely to get the position than an equally qualified candidate who wears jeans and a shirt ((this is an assumption, have yet to support))) A question that must be asked is that is fashion achieved or ascribed. It seems there is a consensus that fashion is achieved with work. Some people, however, can have advantages in being able to learn fashion. These teachings are informal and involve parents and friends helping. When one has crossed a boundary on fashion, informal punishments are also in place either making fun of the person's mistakes or simply a disapproving glance can be made. These responses are full of ranges. However, when casually conversing, it seems that people often spend time and effort being able to learn fashions. Fashion magazines, televisions, advertisements all tell us how to dress. Even those in subcultures seem to do some sort of research in order to learn the correct way to look good (internet browsing, copying bands, etc). Then how do some slip through the cracks? Do they slip through the cracks or do they actively resist learning fashion? Why can't they become involved with their outfit but their friend can? Does it help if rolemodels are in place to show the way? What makes a person decide on a style, stick with it, and spend enough effort to become a successful member of that fashion's culture? Fashion is often used as a way to differentiate 'real' members of a subculture and 'fake' members or posers. Often this is assumed to be in groups such as Goth subcultures in which the standards of fashion differ from group to group, but each one trying to make a distinction simply on the fashion of clothes. Another example is groups that prefer expensive brand names and label those with knock-offs to be posers. Is this a class issue? What makes these distinctions and are the reasons for this ranking the same across subcultures?
And then one must consider gender distinctions between fashion. Is there a distinction between males and females? While males are assumed to spend less time on fashion, is that really true? If that is so, what is the market differences in men's fashion to women's fashion?
What about homosexuals and heterosexuals? Minority race vs white? Class distinctions? Age differences?
Are fashions really chosen on 'what looks good' on a person or is it simply constructed in our mind of what looks good? (this question is more social psychological)
Does fashion really signify what a person's values and beliefs are... or are we guided by what society tells us that fashion is? Is it another endless cycle?
:0
More posts to come...
Warning: Lots of sociological ranting within.... enter at your own risk.
Considering the last post I posted... I'm sure one could figure out how conflicted and confusing my fashion tastes are. (I like both dark, masculine fashions as well as cute, feminine fashions).
So... During my break from school, I think I'm going to explore fashion and what it means. Since it's such a broad subject, I think I'll use the four week break to explore what fashion means to me personally before expanding further to a societal level. I'm going to try and use my sociology research methods and use it as a practice. I plan to conduct interviews. Depending on how passionate I get about this, I may or may not try and involve it with gender studies.
Since I just came up with this idea (seriously, like... an hour ago) I think I'll do some pre-rambling about fashion.
Fashion is obviously a very social subject. Everything we do (or don't do) in fashion signals to others our values, thoughts, and lifestyles. As a society, we, differentiate fashions and rank them depending on a situation. Conservative fashions are preferred in jobs, outlandish ones in parties. Being able to dress in a certain way allows one to play by the rules and get farther ahead in life. On the other hand, being able to dress in another way may lend to more friends, partners, and social networks. Being able to 'successfully' dress in a certain style can lead to an unequal distribution of rewards (e.g. such as the person able to buy and wear a nice suit to a job interview is more likely to get the position than an equally qualified candidate who wears jeans and a shirt ((this is an assumption, have yet to support))) A question that must be asked is that is fashion achieved or ascribed. It seems there is a consensus that fashion is achieved with work. Some people, however, can have advantages in being able to learn fashion. These teachings are informal and involve parents and friends helping. When one has crossed a boundary on fashion, informal punishments are also in place either making fun of the person's mistakes or simply a disapproving glance can be made. These responses are full of ranges. However, when casually conversing, it seems that people often spend time and effort being able to learn fashions. Fashion magazines, televisions, advertisements all tell us how to dress. Even those in subcultures seem to do some sort of research in order to learn the correct way to look good (internet browsing, copying bands, etc). Then how do some slip through the cracks? Do they slip through the cracks or do they actively resist learning fashion? Why can't they become involved with their outfit but their friend can? Does it help if rolemodels are in place to show the way? What makes a person decide on a style, stick with it, and spend enough effort to become a successful member of that fashion's culture? Fashion is often used as a way to differentiate 'real' members of a subculture and 'fake' members or posers. Often this is assumed to be in groups such as Goth subcultures in which the standards of fashion differ from group to group, but each one trying to make a distinction simply on the fashion of clothes. Another example is groups that prefer expensive brand names and label those with knock-offs to be posers. Is this a class issue? What makes these distinctions and are the reasons for this ranking the same across subcultures?
And then one must consider gender distinctions between fashion. Is there a distinction between males and females? While males are assumed to spend less time on fashion, is that really true? If that is so, what is the market differences in men's fashion to women's fashion?
What about homosexuals and heterosexuals? Minority race vs white? Class distinctions? Age differences?
Are fashions really chosen on 'what looks good' on a person or is it simply constructed in our mind of what looks good? (this question is more social psychological)
Does fashion really signify what a person's values and beliefs are... or are we guided by what society tells us that fashion is? Is it another endless cycle?
:0
More posts to come...