Cultural Attitudes And Expectations

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Apsara Sabaratnam

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC:

What are the factors that affect our clothing choices? Discuss by looking at some of the following issues: identity, communication, cultural attitudes and expectations, body and body image, fashion and personal feelings.

SUBJECT CODE & NAME:

BUSS 101 Communication

WEEK DUE:

Week 5

Date Submitted: 19/ 03/13

STUDENT NAME:

Marilyn D’Souza

STUDENT ID #:

BHI 1333548

Assignments are to be submitted in the lecturer’s assignment box by 5:00PM on the day of the week that they are due. A soft copy is to be emailed to lecturer where specified no later than 5.00pm on the due date.

Late Submission Procedure: Overdue assignments must be submitted directly to the Head of Fashion (Debbie Pratt). The following grading penalties will be imposed on overdue assignments.

(1 day late)

(2 days late)

(3 days late)

(4 days late)

(5 days late)

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

This document must be signed and stapled to your assignment. Assignments that comprise non printed materials (e.g. CDs, DVDs etc) must be submitted in sealed envelopes. It is the responsibility of students to retain copies of all material submitted.

Declaration: I declare that the work submitted is entirely my own, except where clearly indicated in either direct or parenthetical quotation, or paraphrase, and referenced accordingly in citation information.

SIGNATURE OF STUDENT: Marilyn D’Souza

Topic: What are the factors that affect our clothing choices? Discuss by looking at some of the following issues: identity, communication, cultural attitudes and expectations, body and body image, fashion and personal feelings.

Modern fashion is characterized by continuously changing trends and is favoured for frivolous rather than practical, logical, or intellectual reasons. Nevertheless, it is necessary to say that fashion still has a huge influence on the lives of people and possess more than frivolous reasons for its existence. This essay investigates how identity influences our choice of clothing and how social movements help to shape our sense of identity. Furthermore, the essay looks at how the fashion industry has cleverly used the media to change males and females perception of what we should look like. To address this, the essay will first look at the meaning of identity and its link to our choice of clothing. Furthermore, the essay will look at body image and how this is greatly influenced by the fashion industry and finally, the essay will look at how the fashion industry has changed how we perceive how we should look, and the media has been used as a major influence. Finally the essay will sum up some of the resultant negative and positive impacts of fashion on teenagers today.

The clothes we wear say a lot about who we are as a person and as a result it has become a reflection of how our society perceives each individual. In today’s society identity and how we perceive ourselves majorly influences our perception of what constitutes beauty and ideal body image. Guy, A & Banim, M (2000) argue that, ’women and teens today have a certain connection to their clothes and can be categorized as, "The woman I want to be", "The woman I fear I could be" and "The women I am most of the time" (pg 321). Many women and young teens express their identity through the clothes they wear. Wilson (1987) states that women identify with what they wear as it creates a new look and self. Furthermore women today have a certain relationship with their clothing, which enables them to be more creative and adventurous.

Social movements such as Rock, Hip-Hop and Rap have also influenced fashion trends and the priorities of people. Today young teens and the identity of women is also based on the types of social movements they identify with, whether it is rock culture or Hip-Hop. In-order to conform to the groups we identify with, we dress according to the group’s norms. Shah, V who interviewed Claudia Shiffer argues that fashion is constantly changing today and teen today want to belong to a specific group and are constantly influenced by people around them and by the clothes they wear, the style of clothes their favorite band or celebrity they idolize, films they like or influence by your culture. She goes say that fashion caters to everyone’s needs and in the end its up to you to decide what fashion means to you. (The Role of Fashion in Human Culture Website, 2012)

Body image and body images related issues plays a huge part today’s society and this has largely been influenced by media organizations portrayal of idealized body shapes and types. The use of phrases such as "thin is in" and "prefect body" by the media has been linked to the subsequent development of eating disorders, depression and lack of low self-esteem among young women. The media’s significant and increasingly growing role on how women and girls perceive their bodies is largely related to their endorsement of styles and looks that are considered to be "it" looks. The use of provocative and inappropriate images of extremely underweight models in magazines, television and music videos send out a distorted message of what is considered to be an ideal female appearance. Willett (2008) conducted a study on 12-13 year old girls and found that they are generally unsatisfied with how they look and what they want to look like, leading to inevitable comparisons of themselves with celebrities and everyday people that have the ‘ideal body’.

Furthermore, the media has completely re-defined what we are meant to look like, while curves were in the 1950s today the new ideal is someone that is rake thin. You won’t ever see a fat, big person advertising a beauty products or a clothing range. In recent years fashion magazines have made models such as Kate Moss household names and lead to teenagers aspiring to be like her. Consequently many these teenagers fall into this trap and don’t understand that looking like their favourite model is unrealistic. This is not only unrealistic but also harmful as these teens starve themselves to achieve this desired look, often suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia as well depression. Thus wreaking havoc on their mental ad physical state, as many do not realize that the images they see in magazines of celebrities and models have been retouched. Furthermore, the clothes by these models have been duct taped to enhance fit, while many blemishes are covered or altered. That’s not all they remove two inches from the model’s thighs to make them on average look 25 per cent lighter than in real life. As a result the media has a responsibility to communicate realistic messages to women about ideal body image. However, what many young teens and women fail to see it that beneath all that thinness lies a great deal of self-doubt and low self esteem.

To sum up fashion today is ever changing. The clothes we choose to wear say a lot about us. Identity, body image, media and fashion are very important in our society today, especially teenagers. Our identity is merely based on our influence to certain social movements which define us in a unique way. Body image and media has impacted the way we dress and see ourselves in a negative way which affects teen girls both mentally and physically. But overall identity, body image, media and fashion are the four factors that affect the clothing choice made by teenagers today. . On the whole fashion is continuously fleeting while style is forever.