Example Of Materialism In Fashion

Designer clothing, luxury cars, flashy handbags. These are just a few of the status symbols that differentiate the rich from the poor. These items are often used to determine the who’s who in today’s society by showing off wealth and status. Although others should not be based solely on their income, this judgement is sadly commonplace. The rich and the poor are segregated both by accident and on purpose in many situations and the lower class is the one that deals with the brunt of that discrimination.

If you look back through the past sixty years of fashion, you may notice a pattern.

I wholeheartedly endorse what Cottom calls “The Logic of Stupid Poor People”, that poor people buy status symbols to survive in this world. She demonstrates that, as a middle class black girl, her family had a way of turning the tables in their favor in multiple aspects in order to supply their needs and wants. Poor people buy expensive items, sometimes depriving themselves of their other needs, just for the respect of others. These items are 21st-century status symbols, they can single-handedly determine the fate of your everyday encounters. The author uses personal experiences to support her argument, persuasively changing your entire perspective and broadening your mind to another individual’s lifestyle.

Writings from The Other America took place in the 1960s and at that time things were not portrayed through the media as they are today, and that is what made the poor less invisible (Harrington, 1962). However, today reports are not only made through news stations, newspapers, radio stations, and magazines; they are also trending on social media cites, transmitted through websites, as well as cell phones and other electronic devices, and that makes me feel as though more people are aware of the poor, but choose to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. I also feel that a great number of individuals living in poverty disguise poverty even today. Harrington made a great point by stating, “clothes make the poor invisible too: America has the best-dressed poverty the world has ever known” (Harrington, 1962, p.5). That particular point in the article is what convinces me that the poor may even be more invisible today than they were in the 1960s. A great majority of the population I service are people living in poverty. Although they are living in poverty, many are well-dress and well-groomed individuals who are unemployed and receive governmental subsides, but do not consider themselves as living in poverty. So, not only are these individuals invisible to a great majority of the world, they may also be living in

Over the course of the history of clothing styles and production, one thing has never changed: a person’s wealth directly influences

In “The Singer Solution to World Poverty,” Peter Singer argues that Americans are extremely materialistic people. People have the tendency to feel the need to go out and upgrade to the newest clothes or electronics. Even though there is nothing wrong with the possessions that they have now. Specifically, he points out somebody that goes out and buys a new very expensive suit. He suggests that instead of going out and buying that new fancy suit why not donate to relief programs that will help save children’s lives. Singer states that it would only take two hundred dollars to save a child’s life. Singer suggests that instead of spending that thousand dollars on a new fancy suit why not donate it to one of the relief programs? Just in case that is not enough proof that people are very materialistic, Singer gives the example of Bob and his Bugatti on the train tracks. As you read you learn Bob had the option between letting a train kill a small child or crushing Bob’s Bugatti (380). Bob makes the decision to let the train hit the child because he had put too much money into his Bugatti. To Bob the Bugatti was his financial security for when he decided to retire and that is why he let the train hit the small child. And that is what Peter Singer is getting at when he says that American are too caught up about all of the new shiny things that they need to have. Peter also proposes that Americans have the “follow-the-crowd ethics” (382). While he is comparing Americans who are not

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

Hunger for luxury items and people’s strife for the brands and items they associate with being beyond reach is paramount for this system. It is this drive for items one can’t have that the author feels is one of the benefits of consumerism. He declares, “…the aspiration of the poor to

Case Study 1.2 “Geoffrey B. Small is Big on Quality, Customers, Community” is about a leading fashion designer that does not want his customers to think about the brand name, color, style or price of the fabrics they wear. Small’s wants his customers to be “thinking about the quality and origins of the fabrics you wear, their impact on the environment, and your own view of social responsibility as a customer.” Even if the customer cannot afford his clothing he wants them to understand his mission as a designer.

When you think of the word fashion, what do you think? Do you think about outrageous runway outfits? Cocktail dresses? Tracksuits? Whatever your impression of fashion, it is obvious that fashion plays an important role in today's society. We are judged by our clothing and appearance on an everyday basis, so why not make the most of our choices?

In today’s society, fashion rules the teen and young adult generations. Billions of dollars are spent each year on designer brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Off-White. At the same time that these large amounts of money are being spent of materialistic aspects of fashion, people in third world countries are struggling greatly. Instead of money being spent on expensive clothing, it could serve a greater purpose by being donated to countries who are in dire need. Absurd amounts of money in first world countries are spent on designer brands, while third world countries struggle to even get their hands on any clothing.

The world is the influenced by what they see and want to be there, where the low class wants to be like the middle class and the middle class trying to look like the upper class. Today celebrities and people in upper class have influenced our sense of importance and needs, when it comes to the aspect of picking commodities. Thus, many have resulted to high and unnecessary expending in order to imitate a particular social icon. It can be ascertained that almost all average American adult being in debt might be as a result of overspending their need limit. This excessive and unnecessary spending as a result to boost our economic status has led to some drastic tragic events. A Chinese man, Tao Hsiao, 38, on the 9th of December 2013, jumped to his death in a shopping mall at China because the girlfriend would not stop shopping after several hours of shopping ( The Washington Times). “He told her she already had enough shoes, more shoes that she

This essay aims to analyse the key role that the surrealist movement has played on fashion and the fashion industry. Both from a historical point of view, as well as its continued impact on fashion today, as a source of inspiration for contemporary fashion designers.

I agree with Simmel’s theories on fashion today. I feel as though fashion is a way of not only expressing yourself but also letting people know “who you are” in a way. Some people find it extremely important to dress in brand names because it makes them appear “rich”. However, some people who have millions of rupees dress ordinary and do not care to wear name brands as long as it looks good on them. So sometimes it can give people the wrong impression of where you stand based on how you are dressed. I would never judge someone by their clothes but when I do see someone wearing high end clothing i do say to myself “wow they must have a lot of money”. But this might not be true because some people wear very expensive clothes and shoes but in really they’re debt because of this. I feel like people should wear what they can afford and not try to present

What is Fashion? Fashion is a general term used to describe a style of clothing or practice used by people around the world. Fashion refers to anything that is a trend. Self-presentation is the most direct noticeable marker of fashion. Throughout history we have seen many changes in clothing, from the color, to the material used to make it. We have also seen the style in which clothing is made change drastically. Fashion communicates meanings that have individual and social significance. Society, cultures, gender and even political authority have impacted fashion over the years. Clothing styles characterize certain designs which represent the culture that wears the clothing. Designers continue to try to direct their ideas to a transforming