Have you ever thought of the things you buy in respect to the person you are??? Or the ways in which your things determine the way others see you??? According to Storey we communicate through what we consume. Consumption is our dress rehearsal. Our performance is an everyday occurrence changing daily based on our attitude and moods. Through our performance people can connect with us through our cultural identity and social pattern.
So lets think about this.. what was the last piece of fashion or clothing you have purchased??? For me the last item I purchased was a pair of wedge open toe Steve Madden shoes for thanksgiving. Through the purchase of my shoes I created an identity for myself. Identity is something that is constructed and always in a process of becoming, but never complete. I can change my identity to fit my mood and attitude of any given performance. My shoes were the finishing touch of my identity and the image I wanted to convey for myself at that given stage of production. Identities are, therefor, a form of "production" rather than the consumption of a fixed legacy. Fashion allows individuals to present themselves in such a way that they are constantly changing through their life long performance. Fashion continues the process of constantly becoming rather than being.
On any given day I can choose an outfit that best fits my mood. It can either be sweat pants and a sweatshirt or jeans and a cute top based on the places i will be going and doing. Through fashion my identity is made in circumstances and conditions since we cannot make identity alone we need fashion to help us be the person we want to be on stage.
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"Have you ever thought of the things you buy in respect to the person you are??? Or the ways in which your things determine the way others see you???"
I think everyone who has ever bought an article of clothing after that tragic day in middle school when you found out that your K-Mart fashions weren't cool anymore has felt this way. However, I'm not so sure that I'm willing to follow you into your emphasis on identity construction. Sure, people are aware that what they wear says something immediately to those that they encounter, but I am resistant towards the statement that fashion helps people complete their identities. In fact, I think that many times fashion hinders people from letting their personal identity flourish. For example, what about the person who cannot afford the clothing which he feels best represents his personality? The person who cannot afford nice clothing for his date or job interview? Or even the kid for whom the pressures to fit in outway his or her motivation to express their uniqueness through clothing? So I think I have a sort of yes and no response to the question of whether consumption patterns determine who we are. Of course they do.....but not really.
Because identity is constantly changing, I can see how fashion can at times tend to show some part of how we percieve our social setting. But the only thing that fashion can really tell about us as individuals is our financial status. Just think about it, if you could afford the high price fashion clothing you wanted, wouldn't you buy it. We may buy fashion that looks like it cost alot of money, but that is not a representation of who we are, but rather what we are trying to say about us.
PopPeter
Sometimes I think people give too much power to clothing. When shopping in a store I never think about what my friends will think of my clothing or how I think this particular outfit will make me appear in a group of my peers. I think fashion is a fun aspect of life that lets people experiment with their identity instead of define it. Sometimes when shopping I buy on a shirt that I would never normally wear… but I like having it because sometimes its nice to be someone else. We as a culture give too much credit to our material goods, when we truly stop and look at it, it becomes more clear that we are not defined by our appearance but can use our appearance as a tool to better understand ourselves.
the last article of clothing i bought for myself was a comfortable T-shirt in a thrift store over four years ago but i have had to buy more culturaly acceptical clothing since then to be able to fit into the normal profeshional workplace
I definately agree with the notion of clothing as an extension of yourself. I think in general you can tell a lot about a person based on their clothing. You can't tell things such as morals and ethics and whether they get good grades because that would be too biased. Poeple can use clothing to label themselves as what they want to be seen as , one great example for me is my sorority sweatshirt, I wear it to parties and social events because i am proud of my social ties to the group, however I try to never wear my greek letters to class because of the social stigmas that come from it and my fear of being judged by teachers.
Many things make up a person's identity. What they eat, read, watch and yes... what they wear. However, some see fashion as an artistic form. There is a group of people i feel like we neglect to mention when we talk about brand names and consumtion and the like, these people being the designers. These are people dedicated to the art of fashion just like a chef dedicates himself to the art of food. Some poeple want hot dogs, some people want veal. Some people want thrift, some people want Gucci. Lord knows you don't have to be fashion savvy to get dressed in the morning, one thing that most of us have in common is that we are all wearing clothes when we leave the house. Some of us wear clothing that is outside of our means because we want to appear a certain way. Some of us wear clothing that is humorously "unfashionable" which in itself becomes a new style which is quite fashionable. Some style is governed by environment while other styles mock or contridict an environment. The fashion industry works in waves just like everything else and if one feels supressed by their clothing or uncomfortable in how they are attempting to define themselves only they, themselves, can change that. It's all in the individual's approach.
popbrittany
the fifth one down is pop aaron
I am of two minds about fashion....First, I think that we pay more attention to it the more we are placed in front of groups of people. It isn't just about fitting in to the professional world or looking the part for what we end up doing in life. There is always variation in even these constrictions...so when I get dressed every moring I think of myself as putting on a costume to do the things I need to do that day. But, I do that in a way that certainly reflects the other aspects of who I am that can be telegraphed in my appearance. On the other hand I think of fashion as great creativity. My cousin is a person who has always had her own "style." She bucks what is expected, but in a really attractive and unique way. She is clearly influenced by what is expected, but she always manages to make it something else. To me that is where the creativity and agency of one's appearance is seen and not only to we reflect the expectations but we can play with and nudge them out of the rigid lines we sometime assume we have to meet. poppat
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