Effects Of Cultural Appropriation On The Fashion Industry

The book satirizes the fashion industry, which is a significant force in defining conventional expectations of beauty, can affect one’s

Cultural appropriation is something that is starting to become a very big epidemic in America’s society today. Appropriation occurs when a style or high fashion is developed from racist generalizations or stereotypes of other cultures. Many see no problem with this appropriation and some might take it as paying homage to a race, but others may see it as a sign of disrespect.

In “The Fashion Industry: Free to be an Individual” by Hannah Berry, Hannah emphasizes how social media especially advertisements pressure females to use certain product to in order to be considered beautiful. She also acknowledges the current effort of advertisement today to more realistically depicts of women. In addition, these advertisements use the modern women look to advertise products to increase women self-esteem and to encourage women to be comfortable with one’s image.

Americans see and read about celebrities all the time, either through online advertisements or through massive popularization on social media such as Instagram and Twitter. Through the internet, we can always keep up to date with what our favorite celebrities are doing or wearing. Celebrities post their outfits of the day on their profiles for their followers to see. If a pop icon begins to advertise a type of shirt or jeans, that item of clothing instantly becomes a trend and due to their popularity everyone wants to dress and look like them. Therefore, people begin to see that everyone around them, in the streets or at school dress alike. For instance, a type of shoes such as stilettos is popular in one generation and not popular the following generation due to the evolving style of popular icons through social media. Popular icons can also change the perspective of body images in the American identity. If most of the celebrities have a certain body image that is widely popular, such as having larger appearing eyes, that body trait will begin to become more popular in the society. More people will pay to look like those celebrities by plastic surgery and different cosmetic procedures. Therefore, if a mass popularity begins to look or appear the same, that trend will become a part of the American identity. For example, in the

We come across many different cultures and fashion in our society. Some may indicate that the culture influences one’s fashion while others may oppose and state that each aspect stands alone. Fashion and culture fall into the following identity categories: chosen and assigned. Culture affects many parts of an individual, in some cases you can determine an individual 's culture by their speech and clothing; in addition to traditions and the environment in which they were raised. Whereas fashion may be impacted by culture and tradition, but it may also not interact with culture at all.

Cultural Appropriation is the adoption and adaptation of certain elements of a minority culture by a socially dominant group of people. This is becoming a large social issue because, people are refusing to acknowledge the true meanings of these elements. Malversation has occurred steadily throughout American and global history and it has been very prominent for the duration of the 20th and 21st centuries. For example, wearing a traditional Native American headdress for the sake of an international fashion show and not acknowledging that it is a piece of ancient, and even present day sacred and a religious sacrament. The headdresses are worn by highly respected tribal chiefs and symbolizes great strength and “god's messenger” and is reserved for the highest power in the tribe. To use it in a lingerie campaign is disrespectful

Fashion is everything to society and the media. The fashion industry has transformed into a necessity in the life of people. Everyone wants to look good, feel fabulous and feel as if we belong with everyone else. The envy and desire to wear certain things and look a certain way all come, from wearing the latest fashion handbags, accessories, dresses, shoes, and the list goes on. But, when is considering fashion into an individual’s life going too far to the extreme? Many do not consider the whereabouts of fashion materials and how the environment is affected by the mere existence of certain garments. Some may believe these objects grow on trees. But that is clearly not the case. Even though it would be nice. The fashion industry as a

The fashion industry is rapidly growing and constantly generating new fashion trends almost weekly. Fashion for some may seem ridiculous and unnecessary; but fashion is not just a meaningless usage of article of clothing or farcical materials sew together for coverage. There is more to fashion than meets the eyes, fashion is precious and significant. It is a reflection of self-image, it speak the ream about who we are and how we review ourselves. Not only is fashion the reflection of self-image but also the reflection of our history as Coco Channel have said, “Fashion is not something that exist in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion

What is now considered as cultural appropriation is when people see or hear about someone else’s culture or way of life and use it to benefit themselves, mainly for monetary gain or popularity, without a care as to it’s true meaning or purpose. During the minstrelsy era, cultural appropriation came into play when it was used to get a few laughs by making fun of their differences. This led to minstrelsy being heavily misappropriated as a way for white supremacists to prove that they should remain dominant over blacks. Fortunately, nowadays minstrelsy and blackface are looked down upon and is not being used in popular entertainment today. The use of another’s culture for personal gain does still happen, not always in a negative manner as minstrelsy,

The room is buzzing with energy and excitement, murmurs are filling everyone’s ears, and anticipation is building. Music accompanies the busy ambiance of the show and everyone is rushing to finish last minute details, ensuring perfection. Above the music you can hear the anxious heartbeats of the numerous models and designers, hoping the show goes without fault. As the show begins, models flood the runway and cameras begin to flash. Seated front row at 2017’s New York Fashion Week, it is almost overwhelming. In this years show, you can see a wide rage of gowns and tops, bottoms and jackets, and many other various clothing items considered high fashion.

The cultural exchanges of ideas, beliefs, and technology, the greater chance of cultural appropriation. This phenomenon is called globalization. Cultural appropriation is inevitable, but it can be viewed in a positive perspective instead of the current negative one. Consider the first time blue jeans became popular in American culture, now across the global people wear blue jeans and some consider it a major part of American culture (). The piece of clothing is so synonymous with American culture some countries like North Korea, have banned the item because the country believes its citizens would start supporting American ideals instead of wearing blue pants. Or the multinational company of Coke-A-Cola has marketed its product across the global but many consumers can identify its products as American goods. Items like blue jeans, dream catchers and henna can carry a lot of

If you look online, there are millions of pictures of Harajuku style. Guys and girls dressing up androgynously, or wearing the most bizzare pieces of clothing ranging from sky-high platforms to mixing unlikely prints together. Some even wear their hair and makeup in the most avant-garde way. Japan for a while has been displaying fashion that intrigues us and influences us in many ways and what people don’t know is that of these fashions there are different communities and subcultures of fashion that these people in the pictures conform to. Japan has a vast array of street fashion styles and trends. They are all mixed with elements of traditional, foreign and/or local styles. Their street fashion cultures vary from the tan skinned Ganguro girls to the victorian styled Lolitas. One of the most popular and biggest Japanese fashion influencers were the high school girls of Kogyaru. What exactly did these schoolgirls do to become one of the biggest trendsetters of Japan? The answers are within their signature style, Japan’s popular magazines, and ability to popularize certain products.

Although celebrity culture is typically associated with actors and actress, consumers may also rely on the trustfulness and credibility of politicians and first wives when deciding fashion trends. In the 1960s, fashion icon Jackie Kennedy took over the fashion industry (Joel 1). She appealed to many stay-at-home women because she was commonly known to have a “sophisticated simplicity” (Joel 1) approach to fashion. Her successor, First Lady Michelle Obama has instantly become a fashion icon herself as well. She is commonly seen wearing American designers therefore pushing “the American fashion industry into the international spotlight” (Givhan 1). People are often so draw to her style because it gives a glance into her personal life. As Givhan states, “Obama’s clothes have connected with the public in contemporary terms, in the language of Hollywood’s glamour, Seventh Avenue’s bold entrepreneurship and the democracy of the mass market” (Givhan 1). In March 2009, Michelle Obama appeared on the cover of US Vogue which showcased her “dress, style, and poise” (Gibson 40). Brett Schenck, president of Hart Schaffner Marx states, “It’s usually the frenzy behind the first lady” (Jones), but in the some instances, President Obama has also made an impact on the fashion industry. In the summer of 2009, designer Donatella Versace created a runway show that was designed and dedicated to him. The clothes she created where inspired by President Obama because it showcased “a relaxed man

The current paper discusses how and why a particular brand functions as a cultural resource and how companies benefit from this brand functioning as a cultural resource. The brand selected for the discussion is the Japanese fashion line Comme des Garçons.

There are companies in today’s global market that rely on branding to sell goods. Clothing brands including Levi’s and Abercrombie and Fitch capitalize on the “Americanness” of the brand they have both worked to create. While these brands may seem second nature to those living in the United States, abroad these brands ooze American culture. Brands like Levi’s and Abercrombie have created a relationship between its brand and the culture from which it came. Abercrombie is essentially selling a brand that is hip to New York Fashions. Levi’s is selling to an audience that believes their jeans are better because they have been created in the progressive city of sunny San Francisco, California. While in reality, these goods are even