Fashion has always portrayed a sense of self, consisting of one's unique personality and moreover, social status. Clothing, more and more each day is converting from being a simple way of presenting oneself in a socially acceptable manner, to using clothing to define a person and to symbolize who they are. This is particularly interesting to see in a down economy such as we see so often today. Designers as well as recognizable men and women in the media have put more influence on the necessity of making the fashion they create and wear Eco-friendly, seem more affordable, or tie certain designer labels into the positive PR (charities) they fund. This is the most noticeable with the mentioning of different people feeling guilty for spending so much money on a specific piece of fashion when so many people are hurting and the news coverage of brands that are giving back to the hurting communities around them. Fashion is the backbone of hollywood, therefore the media.
To be accepted in Hollywood and in the media you have to look the part. This often takes on the face of a makeover, something I call being hollywoodized (an ordinary person who undergoes professional make-up and hair treatment, and finalized through being brought up to date with fashion and converted to a person with style). This shows how much fashion and looking good can change a persons life- the way they feel, act and are received. 
However, whether people in the media are sporting high fashion items or fashion pieces that are considered a bargin, it is fact that fashion will never take a back seat in the media no matter how bad the economy gets. This is so interesting to me because it directly connects the way people feel about themselves by being fashion forward and the strong connection people have to always looking their best.
I definitely agree that clothing is used to define ones self and also social status. I am glad to see that designers and brands are trying to make changes to help out consumers in this economy though. For example, I think all the designers that have teamed up with Target and done special lines have been a really positive thing for consumers that are hurting from the economy. Fashion is connected to the way people feel about themselves so I agree that it will be interesting to see how fashion grows and/or changes in the future.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm a big fan of your term you have used here. "hollywoodized". Very nice. I hope that pops up into the dictionary some day. Carry Underwood was definitely hollywoodized, but I think she looks much better now than when she tried out for American Idol.