The Dark Side of Glamour

THERE is no doubt that following fashion can help you to improve your appearance and boost your self-confidence. The right outfit can minimize some physical flaws and even enhance your positive features. It can also have a bearing on how you are viewed by others.

But there is a dark side to the fashion world, one that cannot be ignored. Shoppers can become trapped in an endless cycle of replenishing their wardrobe. After all, the industry keeps churning out new styles. This is no accident, for fashion houses make more money when clothes become obsolete quickly. As designer Gabrielle Chanel put it, “fashion is made to become unfashionable.” Thus, the unwary consumer might feel obligated to buy new clothes just to keep up to date.

There is also the danger of succumbing to the subtle pressure of advertising. Fashion companies spend millions of dollars promoting their products, often portraying a certain carefree life-style that those who wear their label supposedly enjoy. These messages can have a powerful impact. “Nothing is more traumatic for teenagers than not having the ‘right brand’ of shoes,” says a schoolteacher in Spain.

The Lure of Fads

Some groups use a certain style of clothing to identify themselves. What they wear may convey a rejection of society, a liberal life-style, or even violent or racist ideals. Although some of these styles may be outrageous or shocking, there is usually a high degree of conformity within the group. Even some who do not endorse the group’s ideals may be attracted to the style. Those who adopt these trends of dress may give others the impression that they share and promote the group’s core beliefs.

Fads usually come and go, some within a few months. They may originate with a popular musician or other trendsetter. A few fashions, though, become established styles. Blue jeans, for example, were popular among youthful protesters in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Now, however, they are worn in a variety of settings by people of various age groups.

The Quest for a Perfect Figure

Those who take fashion too seriously can become overly concerned about their appearance. Fashion models are usually tall and slim, and their images bombard us constantly. * The “right” physique is used to market everything from cars to candy bars. Britain’s Social Issues Research Centre estimates that “young women now see more images of outstandingly beautiful women in one day than our mothers saw throughout their entire adolescence.”

This barrage of images can have a detrimental effect. In the United States, for example, a survey quoted in Newsweek found that 90 percent of white teenagers were dissatisfied with their bodies. Some of these will do virtually anything to attain the ‘ideal figure.’ Yet,  the Social Issues Research Centre claims that less than 5 percent of the female population can achieve the media ideal of weight and size. Nevertheless, the idolizing of the very thin figure has led millions of young women into slavery. It has led some down the slippery slope of anorexia nervosa. * Spanish model Nieves Álvarez, who suffered from anorexia, admits: “Putting on weight frightened me more than dying.”

True, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia can be caused by a number of other factors. However, Drs. Anne Guillemot and Michel Laxenaire state: “The cult of slimness bears some responsibility.”

Clearly, fashion has a positive side and a  negative side. It fills a basic human desire to look presentable and have something new to wear. But fashion extremes could lead us to wear clothes that give others a wrong impression. And if we attach excessive importance to appearance, we could subscribe to the erroneous belief that our worth depends on our ‘packaging’ rather than on our inner values. “We have to begin to value more a person’s ability and inner self, rather than simple wrapping,” says Álvarez, quoted earlier. But such a change in standards is unlikely to happen soon. How, then, can we find a balanced view of fashion?

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Would Anyone Really Wear That?

The fashion houses of New York, Paris, and Milan parade exclusive clothing of top designers every spring and fall. Apart from their huge price tag, many of these creations seem highly impractical, if not unwearable. “The extravagant, outrageous designs you see are not really created with the public in mind,” says Spanish designer Juan Duyos. “The purpose of the fashion show may be more to draw attention to the designer or the brand name than to sell the clothes that are on display. For example, a striking collection that draws a lot of comment from the media might help to sell a designer brand of perfume.”

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Keeping up with fads can be costly

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Some have been led down the slippery slope of anorexia

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Adopting some clothing trends may identify you with a certain group