How Fashion Influences the Society Essay

In the broadest sense, the word fashion is determined as the attitudes towards external shape of culture existing in a certain period and commonly recognized at this stage. In this way, fashion could be understood as a very dynamic form of standardized mass behavior that occurs mainly spontaneously under the influence of the dominant social moods and rapidly changing tastes, interests and so on. At the same time, fashion is typically characterized by both continuous changeability and stability in its influence on the psychology of the masses, which will be the subject of our study.

The first to point out the special features of the society in which mass fashion appears and acts was the German sociologist Georg Simmel in the late 19th century, who identified the following characteristics: 1. A society must have differences between social strata in terms of prestige (that is way there was no fashion in primitive society). 2. Representatives of the lower strata tend to occupy a higher position in society and have the opportunities to do so (i.e. there are no rigid social barriers) (Simmel 544-548). According to Simmel’s elitist concept, the lower strata seek to emulate the elite, demonstrating an illusory commonness with the upper classes copying their fashion examples. Thus, fashion standards and samples gradually “leak” from the top down reaching the lower strata, spreading in the society. However, in the 20th century, the elite theory of fashion has been criticized, in particular, by the American sociologist H.G. Blumer, who stressed that the middle class plays the leading role in the formation of tastes, thus being a trendsetter because of its relatively unstable intermediate position in the society: on the one hand, seeking to improve its social status, it imitates the elite, on the other hand, emphasizes its difference from the lowest social strata (Esposito 603-607). For example, the famous fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld said in 1980’s that whoever neglects the street is a fool, since it’s the street that determines the fashion of the last twenty years (Esposito 608).

In general, this implies that fashion primarily serves a social regulator, showing, on the one hand, social inequalities in society, indicating the differences between social groups (different social groups have different opportunities and incentives to engage in the fashion behavior, fashionable samples have different value, etc.) and on the other hand, smoothing the differences between social groups being a factor of democratization of modern society.

Meanwhile, fashion is not just a means of demonstrating a social status, but also a means of communication between people; it is a form of mass communication, and connected with the main socio-psychological mechanisms of communication: suggestion, infection, persuasion, imitation. Imitation out of respect, for example, prevailed under absolutism when the tastes of the king were unconditional fashion standards. Today, this role goes to all those in sight: politicians, movie stars, popular musicians, and top models. Imitation is based on imitation reflex and a need to identify one’s position in society (Esposito 609-611). Opportunity to follow fashion or antifashion allows mutual assimilation of an individual to members of one’s group and at the same time conscious opposition to members of other groups.

Therefore, fashionable imitation introduces a person to a system of group values, and thus following the fashion is closely related to conformity. In particular, in following the fashion, self-expression is easily replaced by the referent conformism, and the latter, in turn, gives way to blind conformism. Indeed, on the one hand, fashion softens the conflict between the need to obey the conformism and the need for individual distinction, but on the other hand, it excludes a genuine choice, offering an individual the ready-made options, standard patterns of behavior that one can be mindlessly follow and at the same time maintain the illusion of individuality. This represents the protective, compensatory function of fashion (Simmel 551-554).

In addition, while in most of the other phenomena of mass psychology community occurs on the basis of emerging common emotional states and then contributes to their regulation, in case of fashion a reverse effect is also taking place. Fashion creates a special kind of mass-based external similarity of similarly dressed, thinking or speaking people and thereby generates a secondary emotional connection between them; thus, superficial resemblance immediately generates and awakens the group feeling of “We” (Esposito 605-606).

In general, various studies of the influence of fashion show that the possession of fashionable standards and samples gives the consumer a sense of personal success, equality with neighbors, frees the one from having to think, cause sexual needs, promise the prestige in society, improve physical health, facilitate digestion, provide the external appearance with appeal in accordance with generally accepted standards, and satisfies psychological needs (Simmel 556-558; Esposito 609-12). Thus, commitment to fashion compensates for the lack of prestige; otherwise, the individual feels slighted and not matching the group norm.

Summing these factors up, we may conclude that the mass fashion has five primary socio-psychological functions of impact on people and society: it makes human psyche massive, raises a person’s prestige, satisfies the human need for new sensations, contributes to self-assertion of personality, but at the same time, it strictly regulates emotional state. Fashion acts as a regulator of human communication, becomes a mass habit and then receives protection from the force of public opinion. Thus, fashion satisfy important human needs as a means of resolving the conflict between social conformity and individual freedom, gives the illusion of personality change, and contributes to joining the group norms.

 

Works Cited:

Esposito, Elena. “Originality through Imitation: The Rationality of Fashion.” Organization Studies 32.5 (2011): 603-613. Print.

Simmel, George. “Fashion.” American Journal of Sociology 62.6 (1957): 541-558. Print.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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