Fashion isn't Shallow

Playing: Bizarre Love Triangle-New Order
Reading: Alexander McQueen: Genius of a Generation by Kristin Knox
We had to write a short, informal essay about a cultural aspect we found interesting for English and after being called shallow by many people for liking fashion, I decided this essay would be a nice way of telling them to shut up that fashion isn't superficial. This fits into culture, right? I mean it's clothes and clothes show culture, right?

Dior Haute Couture S/S 2011 (One of the best shows of all time!)

Even though fashion is all about looks and who’s wearing what, the idea that fashion is shallow is completely false because fashion is for everyone, even those who resist it. “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening,” Coco Chanel once said. Fashion isn’t something that applies to only clothes, but is something that affects the way we live and what we do. At the most extreme side, thoughts and ideas have to do with what’s in vogue. For example, it’s not very in vogue to be a racist, so racism is looked down upon. Style applies to the ideas that flow in and out of our heads, telling us what is cool to believe in and what’s not popular to think. Fashion has the ability to morph our ideas and the world’s outlook on life.

Rumi Neely proving that sweatpants don't have to be a sign of defeat.

 Everyone has to get dressed in clothes everyday no matter what their job is, so therefore, fashion applies to everyone. Even the sloppiest of sweatpants says something about you and can be a fashion statement. According to Karl Lagerfeld, “Sweat pants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life, so you bought some sweatpants.”  That’s what your sweatpants are telling the world. Whether you wear shredded jeans or haute couture, your clothing does say something about you. People judge others based on their appearance, so shouldn’t we all get a little dressed up, even if it’s just out of courtesy to others? None of us truly want to be the nation’s eyesore and embarrass our country, do we?  

Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture F/W 2011

Even those anti-fashion people, who believe that dressing in torn sweaters and acting like a rocker will show how anti-fashion they are, take part in fashion. They’re just appealing to a different type of fashion. Rather than the high glamor fashion of magazines like Elle or Harper’s Bazaar, they’re trying to fit in with what is considered rocker chic. Whether you want to admit it or not, you probably care about your looks too and what you wear to a certain extent, right? Dressing up is what makes me feel like I’m expressing myself and what makes me feel wonderful and special. It has the ability to boost my height (Thank you heels!) and can make me feel tougher than I really am (Thank you Marc by Marc Jacobs boots!). Well, that’s fashion and what’s so shallow about something that can boost your confidence and transform who you are?