Every morning, people wake up and ask themselves the same questions. “What am I going to wear today?” and “Does this look good?” With or without knowing it, everyone makes fashion choices every day whether they are what they wear to work or even on a date, people choose their outfits on what they think looks good and stylish and that’s where fashion plays a big part in people’s daily lives.
Fashion was originally designed to tell the wealthy apart from the lower class and to this day, that can still be seen with designer clothing stores like Hugo Boss rivalling the cheaper, more affordable shops like Primark and New Look. Everyday, more and more people are choosing to shop at high street stores as the quality of the clothing is near enough exactly the same as it would be in the designer shops. It’s also a way for young adults to express their own fashion style at a cheaper price. Shops such as Topshop and H&M have gained a lot of publicity for their unique edge on their clothing ranges which make it so much easier for people to experiment with fashion and find their perfect fashion style in which they feel most comfortable. For many people, fashion is now a way of life, a way of feeling different or unique and a way of being accepted. Everyday, many people will walk out of their house feeling good about what they’re wearing and instantly feeling a lot more confident about the day ahead. It has become a large part of society and the way people live, providing people with an identity and a way of expressing themselves in different ways each time they change their outfit.
Everyone aspires to emulate their fashion icon. Whether that be to dress very classical and glamorous or to dress unique and different, everyone has one. Ever since the 1960’s and the arrival of the world famous Twiggy, models have embraced our daily lives in more ways than one. To this day, teenage girls all around the world aspire to have the ‘perfect figure’ which they see every model portraying and as Kate Moss once said, “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Twiggy was the original model that every girl in the 1960’s looked up to as one of the most beautiful women in the UK, along with Marilyn Munroe and Pattie Boyd, Twiggy changed peoples perspectives on fashion forever. With a size 6 – 8 figure, Twiggy was not seen just as the perfect figure but also the perfect size that lots of people would love to have. Even in the 21st century, Twiggy is still seen as one of the UK’s most famous models to date, as well as the likes of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. All of these models have made women feel like they need to be a size 6-8 and have a perfect figure to even succeed in the fashion industry and to look good in the fashion choices that they make, as they are all over the tabloids promiting that ideal shape.
In the past few years however, many new celebrities have tried to break that mould and promote a new type of fashion, a fashion in which anything is possible. Lady Gaga is a prime example of this as she is always in a new, unique outfit that is completely different from what society sees as acceptable. “I used to walk down the street like I was a star. I want people to walk around delusional about how great they can be, and then fight for it so bad that the lie eventually becomes a truth” Lady Gaga once said as she tried to entice people to be different in their fashion choices. “I don’t care what people think about me.” In 2011, Lady Gaga was the one of the most well known fashion icons for the younger generation, which inspired many people to dress however they please without feeling out of place. Ever since Lady Gaga embraced the ‘alternative’ fashion route, many people, including celebrities have started to dress in different ways to the fashion sense we see as normal. Katy Perry is now debuting her quirky sense of style as well as many other celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Ke$ha. This style is advertising to people that they don’t need to follow a crowd and that being individual is ok and needn’t be frowned upon.
There are still many people who disagree that having an over eccentric fashion sense is ok, however the majority outrules them. Being different and being unique in your fashion sense can be the way you stand out and grab peoples attention. If you think about it, who’s are people going to take more notice of? People who follow the crowd and dress the same or people who forget about what people think the right way to dress is and dress their own way instead?
Since the 1960’s, fashion has changed tremendously. People like Lady Gaga and Vivienne Westwood have changed peoples opinions on fashion and now people embrace other peoples styles without being judgemental and rude. Being different is now some peoples way of life and this way of life is now accepted and sometimes even praised. We’re in a century where being unique doesn’t come at a price and people now grab the opportunity to be original in their clothing with both hands. “I have multipersonality disorder – in a very good way of course, when it comes to my fashion choices.” – Katy Perry.
saskiasteelswright 