Fashion and Identity: An Analysis of how Fashion Shapes Identity

Answer

Fashion and Identity: An Analysis of how Fashion Shapes Identity

Cities such as Paris, London, New York and Milan are some of the regions which have been considered as high capital fashion centers. Paris is associated with classic elegance while New York is known for its modern and casual chic fashion. Other cities are also being established as a result of the strong voice that they inflict on style. Considering the sentiments of fashion historians such as Christopher Breward, fashion plays a crucial role in boosting the cultural economy of several major cities across the globe. Fashion shapes identity in various ways. The color of clothing chosen by people is ingrained in their style preferences which craft one’s identity. Shoes, clothes, accessories, tattoos, piercing, hair dye and cosmetic surgery are some of the factors which define fashion. Fashion can craft identity on the basis of gender, class, and age among others. The purpose of this essay is to examine how fashion influences identity while exploring concepts such as age, gender, class, culture and self-esteem. Although clothing was established with a fundamental role of covering nakedness, fashion directly impacts identity.

Age

People have been taught from a tender age that there are unique ways in which people should dress at different life stages. Zhang (2016) notes that there are instances where women have received the “dress your age” judgments. Such situations depict that fashion plays a vital role in crafting identities. Arguably, most people use fashion to represent their age, whether it is the actual age or how they feel inside. As people age, their fashion sense also changes. For instance, it is difficult to see a 40-year-old woman with a pink hair walking down the streets in a city. Zhang (2016) reiterates this fact by providing that fashion will influence not only appearance, but also sexuality and self-assertion, which play a vital role in crafting identity.

Gender

Clothing can be used to represent gender whereby boys are commonly associated with blue while girls are associated with pink clothing. Rantisi (2011) suggests that fashion can be utilized to indicate overlapping identities. Appearance style visually articulates several overlapping identities such as race, gender, social class, sexuality, national status, politics, personal interests, and aesthetic among others. Not all the noted personalities are consciously present at any given point. However, with fashion, it is possible to represent such identities. Fashion enables self-expression through an appearance style. Fashion creates an opportunity for one to put into words a statement which has proven to be difficult to articulate, thus creating an identity. Despite the fact that style can be utilized to suggest gender identity, it is evident that there are some gender-neutral styles to be considered as illustrated in image 1 below.

Image 1: Gender-neutral Styles

Source: McTaggart (2018).

The fashion consumers in the modern world are continually embracing the use of style as a form of individual expression. McTaggart (2018) explains that this is a form of personal expression since it facilitates a shift from fashion defining a class to one which depicts consumer fashion. Despite this, the noted process was not a smooth one in that modernity resulted in dislocation and fragmentation which generates a paradoxical sense of what it means to be an individual. The modern definition of individuality creates fear about sustaining the autonomy of the self. Fashion comes in handy in eliminating this fear by providing that individuality is a factor which can be suppressed. Even though clothing has been utilized as a mean of self-identification for several centuries within the public space, it is also used as a means of differentiating dominant cultures across the globe. Saucier (2011) argued that identity has several benefits over more fixed concepts of psychology. Additionally, it is also not a code word utilized to define the self-concept. Instead, identity is considered as a factor derived from social interactions. In today's life, appearance comes in handy in facilitating identification and differentiation. For instance, during the 1960s, it is evident that fostering an awareness of age identity was construed through personal preferences founded on appearance styles. Moreover, social movements visible in the early 1970s also accentuated the stylistic means for constructing several identities such as gender, sex, race, and ethnic personalities.

Fashion is more than the clothes people wear since it involves how people carry themselves. Style distinguishes people from each other providing an outward expression of how people view themselves. Even if an individual is not fashion conscious, it is still apparent that the choice of clothing that one puts on influences the perception that people have about others. When people have a positive self-image, they will utilize clothing to reflect the inherent value or to conceal it if it is negative. Fashion is also perceived as a woman-based orientation since the members of this gender are always more cautious about how they look in comparison to their male counterparts. In the past, women's clothing represented femininity. However, this concept is continually expanding in the current world as fashion can serve more factors such as the concept of the self.

Class and Culture

Fashion can also be utilized to represent class and culture which defines identity. The amount of money which an individual makes in a month plays an essential role in determining the brands which a person can afford and where to purchase the clothing. Additionally, one's financial status will also influence their dressing code hence suggesting that fashion shapes identity by supporting the lifestyle of the wearer. Branded handbags, luxury clothing, and names are considered as an essential part of a wealthy person's life. On the contrary, an individual from the lower social class is highly likely to purchase clothes from thrift stores or experience difficulty trying to maintain a tatter-free closet. As a result, it is evident that clothing plays a vital role in shaping one's identity.

Self-esteem

Clothing has a direct influence on self-esteem. If one wears a perfectly fitting dress, it is evident that the style will provide an extra boost of confidence which indicates that it has a positive influence on one’s self-esteem. The correlation existing between fashion and self-esteem is highly evident in that when one buys new clothes, it is highly likely that he/she will look and feel better about themselves. Moreover, the way people dress will always influence how other people judge them. The fact that people will always judge based on appearances suggests that the manner of dressing can generate outward appearances which can also cause predeterminations such as the motive for dressing in a particular way. Therefore, if people seek to improve style, they should first figure out who they are before beginning to wear clothing which is a representation of their self-identity.

Fashion is a dynamic trend which is continuously changing. Style profoundly influences the lives of the people. The fact that fashion can craft one’s personality and communicate a message about an individual means that people can express their nature based on their style, they can determine how they look which constructs a social-cultural identity vital in defining one's uniqueness. Every individual relies on clothing as a form of self-realization. In the past, clothing was designed to serve the functionality of covering nakedness. However, the concept is continually changing as people are increasingly embracing new fashion to craft an identity of their culture or gender among others. This is achieved as the clothing alone provides necessary details about the person wearing it.

The symbolism of fashion can communicate an indirect message about the life of an individual. For example, sexual orientation can be expressed by a person’s way of dressing. Style can be utilized to represent one’s cultural identity. Rantisi (2011) suggests that the manner of dressing can come in handy in demonstrating the cultural roots of a community such as an oriental Indian woman. For instance, image 2 below provides an insight into how fashion communicates cultural identity in an oriental Indian woman. Through these factors, it is apparent that fashion and identity cannot be separated. The symbolism which comes about with fashion depicts that style can craft an identity by establishing one’s personality based on individual attributes. With fashion, one can portray an image which he/she wants to be visualized by others in the community.

Image 2: Fashion and culture in an oriental Indian Woman

Source: (Rantisi, 2011).

Conclusion

The changes in time provide people with a chance of revealing their identity. Every cloth contains a strong message about the owner. Therefore, fashion can be considered a way of telling people about the owner's status which can also be predetermined. Arguably, fashion and art are comparable elements. Similar to an architect's designs, style serves as a form of nonverbal communication. Through this, it can be derived that in the world today, people not only wear clothes to cover their nakedness but also to communicate essential factors such as gender. Moreover, clothing also influences the perception of how others will view the wearer which can determine an individual's self-esteem level.