Fashion in Media
Fashion has become an inescapable aspect of society that has embedded itself into the daily lives of most people. Fashion can be defined as a popular trend, especially in styles of dress and ornament or manners of behavior. With the immense increase in media platforms, fashion has easily climbed to be one of the most influential arts as it is seen in aspects that many people don’t even realize. In almost every type of media, there is some sort of fashion influence that is being projected towards the audiences. From fictional characters in movies to live broadcasted fashion runway shows, the influence from fashion in media is everywhere. The exposure that media is capable of makes it almost impossible to escape any sort of influence that is trying to be implemented. As media continues to grow in popularity, platforms such as social media, music, and cinema films/award shows, heavily influence the general public of the latest trends, gears them towards a certain aesthetic to follow or inspires a new look to replicate.
One of the most major media platforms if not the biggest that influences fashion are social medias, such as Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. These platforms allow for many different users especially well known influencers to share their day to day outfits, their fashion inspirations, and where they shopped for their clothing. Social media has created a super accessible place for anyone to find any inspiration they are searching for whether that be a brand page, social media influencer or just any user that one likes. Having these social media platforms at the tips of your fingers, accessible at all times through the day has given fashion so much exposure. In a way these trends are inevitable to escape; as soon as you open one of your platforms, you are bombarded with pictures of individuals in their best outfits. Today’s social media is flooded with different companies trying to get their products in the hands of consumers. Individual’s social media feeds are constantly being interrupted by advertisements for the latest trends of fashion or celebrity endorsement for a product they are being paid to promote. Many corporation have taken advantage of this opportunity that has made reaching large demographics of people so much easier. After a research conducted on these companies and social media it was inferred “such data make clear that corporations and their logic dominate social media and the Internet…”(Fuchs 102). With so many influencers and big companies having such high leverage through media, it is clear that many of the general public fall into their influence. People are just waiting for many the latest product to drop so that they can follow in the current trend. The exposure to every latest brand, model, and launch, is showcased on social media platforms which is then consumed by the general mass. Although the fashion industry on social media can cause many controversial conversations, overall it allows for many people to express themselves in a creative manner, pushes individuality, and also creates many jobs for people. Social media can be a very helpful aspect to society if used for the right reasons.
Similarly, music has had a profound impact on the fashion industry as every designer wants these popular musicians whom are going on tour around the world and making videos with millions of views, to wear and endorse their brand. With music being a global phenomenon that every person is able to connect with, even when they differ in language, creates a major audience for these artists. These are artists are in the public scope all of the time and are constantly being talked about in terms of what they are wearing, what designer they are representing this time, and what their latest style looks like. Not only do they wear the brand and clothing, but they also implement what they are wearing into their song lyrics. For example, a very popular song that blew up in today’s society that had an insane impact on fashion was “Gucci Flip Flops”. In the song, rapper Future, mentions that he engages in sexual activity while wearing his gucci flip flops. The outcome of this consisted of many of his followers wanting to own a pair of Gucci flip flops in order to replicate the Future’s line. Soon enough everybody wanted to own a pair and post about it to show that they too had some. The idea that you could be wearing what the artist was also singing or rapping about became such huge aspect in young culture. With music becoming such a prevalent aspect in young culture all around the world, these popular songs that reach the top of the charts begin to play a big role in how people dress and act. Music has created a culture that has brought massive attention to fashion. This culture is able to maintain such a prevalent aspect, “through communication, including mass communication. When we talk to our friends; when teachers teach; when grandparents pass on recipes; when media professionals produce content that we read, listen to, or watch, meaning is being shared and culture in being constructed and maintained”(Baran 11). In this case, the creation of music is creating a new culture that is being mainly implemented into a younger culture. This younger culture is now trying to follow the trends pertaining to fashion for this instance. This sort of influence can be a bit more controversial because at times it seems as if people are solely copying whatever the musician is wearing just for popularity rather than inspiration.
Lastly, cinema films and award shows highly impact the fashion trends all round the world since these are attended by the most popular celebrities. Many of the films showcase a new and innovative fantasy of fashion and the endless possibility it can reach. With a huge increase in technology, many people find the inspiration to makes these looks come to life. They create one of a kind looks on actors that then influence new ideas for fashion in the real world. For example, recently in the Met Gala in New York City, we witnessed someone recreate a Cinderella dress that literally was brought to life by lights as she was walking down the red carpet. Without the influence of the original story and movie of Cinderella, this look would never have been possible or at least not likely. Hollywood can be seen as the biggest fashion influence throughout the world, “Given the century-long influence of Hollywood movies, and with it the power of related newer media such as TV, video games, and the Internet, it might be used… the United States as something akin to a ‘cinematic society’” (Boggs and Pollard 457). This quote is directly explaining the impact of the Hollywood movie media on the world and the long lasting impact it creates within society. These industries are able push the creativity of designers who are dressing these celebrities that will be showcased globally, reaching demographics from all parts of the world. They then are able to inspire new ways of fashion as everyone wants to recreate these exceptional looks that are seen on the big screen. Looks that no one has ever seen in live action but rather have the opportunity to make it come to life. Having the ability to take something that is seen as only a fantasy, then bringing it to real life is inspiring to many people which helps them push their creativity overall. Exposure to this type of media allows for individuals to push themselves to reach new heights and drives passion to create breathtaking looks.
The fashion industry has become a huge component to everyone’s day to day life and grown to inspire many people to take part in it. With fashion being a form of expression, what you wear and how you wear it has become a crucial aspect in our culture. Many times fashion is one of the first impressions people judge others on. The concept of looking good by wearing certain type of clothes has increased tremendously due to the popularity of media. Social media, music, and cinema films/award shows, have all paved a new way of influence on the general public showcasing the latest trends and creating a common culture of what is popular and in style.
Fashion in Media 