Fashion – Then and Now

Fashion in the modern world is an inescapable evil, pervading every sector of life. No matter where you turn, you will be bombarded by advertisements for the latest styles, tips on how to look like celebrities, or you can even catch a glimpse of the walking fashion billboards known as teenagers. With all these fashion trends around you, it can be overwhelming, and maybe you’ll decide to back off, stop worrying about fashion for a little while, and just do your own thing. Well, the world of fashion is a fickle mistress, and that “inescapable” up above was not just

It used to be that the highlight of fashion and the knowledge of all the latest fashion trends was based solely in the really big fashion centers, the obvious ones that everyone knew; Paris, Milan, and so forth. If you really considered yourself on top of the fashion world, you kept up with what people were seeing at fashion shows in these cities, you kept up with all the fanciest dresses and nicest suits, all in the name of fashion. Ostensibly, that is still true today. If you want the newest in high fashion, you follow the same cities as always. Sure, maybe the newest in high fashion is a bit stranger than it used to be – a bit more angular, a bit more revealing, a bit less possible to wear in public (to be blunt) – but fashion changes with the times like anything else does. But notice that the above example is in high fashion, “high” being the keyword. If you want to be fancy, you wear this stuff. But fashion isn’t just runways and celebrities anymore.

More and more, fashion is starting to include teen culture. And why shouldn’t it? Teens follow the things that are cool and popular in mainstream culture, things that everyone can find something to like in. Failing that, it will appeal to the rebellious nature of teens, ensuring high sales. No matter which, it will be everywhere in culture, that can be guaranteed. Because of this, it must be considered equally important in culture. As you may know, modern teen culture is mostly what used to be/is still considered “emo” or “goth” – wear all black, act like indie band members, be considered cool. Emo and goth have been glorified: where they used to be seen in a negative light, even as signs of depression or other mental issues, the only mental issue they represent now is a severe case of attention-grabbing. But still, teens are where the money is. Whether from their own work or their parent’s paycheck, the teens are the ones spending their time and money in all these stores popping up selling whatever is in the scene.

And teens are as fickle as the fashion industry, doubling the effect of fashion’s fickle nature. See, teens don’t like to look alike unless they look like their friends or idols. So, it’s only natural that the attention seekers will fall in line with many different fashions. Aeropostale, Hot Topic, Hollister… mixing of styles is rare, and rivalries form between teens based on petty things like who’s wearing what best, or who wears what’s more popular.

Where do you Fit in the new Fashion

What does this have to do with you though? We talked about how you’re backing out of the scene, didn’t we? Not quite. You see, fashion is hard to escape. Ads, tips… wait, we went over this. In any case, it seems like the only solution to escaping the cold world of fashion is to stop conforming to the trends. Non-conformism is always a good way of expressing your opinion, usually one of distaste… right? Not so fast. Non-conformism isn’t even a safe bet any more.

It’s been mentioned that teens fall into a lot of different styles, and those styles are at war. But what of those teens that don’t want to fight this war? They fall into non-conformism. Then, all the other sides of the war team up. The non-conformists become the enemy. Those who refuse to fight are shunned, teased, antagonized. Non-conformists are ironically the biggest fashion groups of all. And those who embrace the fashion of having no fashion become hipsters, and hipsters are collectively reviled. You don’t want to become a hipster. They’re the ones that even the outcasts dislike, the butt of all the jokes, the jesters in a court of kings. Stick with non-conformism and keep reading.

So, we’ve established that you aren’t into fashion, and you are not going to become a hipster. You’re stuck then – in the fashion war. Why is this? Simple: because you’re going against the grain. And for teens, against the grain is a way of life. And since teens are the main drive of most fashion in modern times, even adults fall into this. Against the grain is a fashion, so you have absolutely no way out. This leaves you with few options but to jump back in the scene, or to ignore it completely.

Your limited options aside, you need a plan. You really don’t want to follow fashion trends, and that’s reasonable; fashion is a pretty rough world, and one accessorizing mistake can get you shunned. You should accept the fact that there is no external escape from the world of fashion… hell, even in death you get dressed up all fancy for your final sleep. You can’t leave the rat race, so you need some coping mechanisms. So stick with non-conformism, it’s best in the long run; you get to wear what you want, when you want (none of those silly spring fashions being outdated by the time summer comes around), and the best part is that you can claim you aren’t doing it. You can protest fashion, back away from trends, and just say “I’m wearing what I want to wear”. There’s nothing more freeing in the world than realizing that you can be happy even if you can’t escape a bad situation. And fashion is a better situation than most. So give a grin, put on your favorite pants, and get out in the world! You may still be in the rat race, but you’re winning without anyone realizing.