FASHION'S SUPERFICIALITY
On how the way one presents themselves affects their credibility in the world of fashion
One of the main characteristics related to fashion is it being a hard industry to get into, associated with many problems - superficiality just one amongst them.
It’s very subjective, opening lots of debates, and giving space for dialogs to be held. That’s where problems can accrues.
How can such a visual field distance itself from judging just that, the aspect of it that can be seen?
Fashion is inherently judgemental.
From set standards of looks and weight to calling skinny jeans cheugy, there are too many examples to count on what makes fashion toxic.
As I already said, fashion is very visual which makes it easy to observe and comment on.
Everyone and anyone is allowed to form and express their own opinion, which can be a really beautiful thing, it is one of a few fields that doesn’t require any kind of a degree to form thoughts and feelings.
On the other hand, it can also be a curse, giving everyone the right to criticize with 0 actual knowledge on the topic. Some of the matters discussed are deeper than they may appear to be and listening to the perspectives of people educated on it might be a learning experience.
Dismissing opinions of others solely based on the way they look.
If you have any form of social media where you voice your opinion on fashion (or just follow others who do so) I bet you came across this problem, but using TikTok made me see it much more often compared to other platforms.
Countless times, I’d come across a video where someone talks about trends, runway shows, fashion industry, or anything related to it, just to be met with the comment section filled with a lot of them ignoring everything said because the person talking doesn’t meet a certain "standard".
If the viewer doesn’t agree with what the creator has to say, they don’t try to express why or give an insight into their point of view, rather just dismiss them based on their looks.
Those are the ones who subscribe to the school of thought that states one has to appear flawless in order to engage in fashion discourse.
Hate to break it to you (well no, I don’t) but the way people look doesn’t have anything to do with their intellect. Bringing others down if their hair isn’t done just shuts you off from gathering new information and a better grip on the subject.
It is shallow and says more about those making said remarks than the creators they’re referring to.
Misogyny?
The problem discussed above is especially noticeable with female (presenting) creators.
While it may appear to some that it is, fashion is not a female-dominated industry at the top and is facing a lot of issues rooted in misogyny. While the majority of industry employees are women (they make up around 85% of the workforce), as we get higher in the hierarchy the percentage shrinks (only 14% of large brands are run by women).
An unspoken expectation of what a woman should look and act like can be found in every field and, if the standard isn’t met, it is used to discredit them.
This is especially noticeable in the fashion industry, for it is considered a must for those involved in it to always be "put together", the pressure of it being much heavier on women.
Because the standard for women is that much higher, when it’s not met it becomes the number one point of discussion for those who think they have the right to do so.
Superficiality blinds them and makes them unable to form any constructive argument.
These are all problems whose solutions I, unfortunately, don’t know. Fashion is based on personal opinions and it is hard to differentiate between what some classify as hate and others as expressing thoughts.
Whatever you think it is, I find discarding people’s opinions based on the way they look utterly pointless.
Criticism should be directed towards topics discussed and nothing else.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope the things I wrote about made some sense!
It took me such a long time to feel adequate to talk about fashion for these very reasons. I was always afraid my thoughts would get tossed aside because I don’t look the part. It’s a weird feeling and I am still working on it but I hope it will completely leave me soon!
What are some issues you faced? What do you relate to the most?