“Every fucking thing is the problem with me….every fucking thing!!!” shot of Bani in Roadies as her apparent neurotic frustration being considered hip by most of us was eye catchy. Today’s definition of fashion ranges from fashion in emotions, fashion in appearance to just fashion in our action. For some that Jockey underwear flashing in public places is fashion and to others splurging all their pocket money on selective bargained clothes in ‘Fashion Street’ may be fashion. Not only does fashion change in geek to nerd parameter but it changes drastically with age. Before heading onto exaggeration of overrated importance of fashion to youth today, am just tempted to take a brief pause to wonder how our dear ol’ dads must have perceived this diverse term ‘Fashion’. Can’t really figure that one out completely!! Due to limited recollections of bright checked shirts, bell bottom pants, red based makeup, plates, sari clad babes with really high buffo and lots and lots of running around trees…Umm…quiet visually enticing for youth of that era I guess!!
Now getting back to generation ‘X’…y…z…more to come….it think our generation must be highest in the fashion conscious graph with internet, television, films and advertisements to influence our imitation hungry minds. Before sounding too biased let me bring some light to the fact that even imitation can bring out individualism from person to person varying from what they actually chose to follow. Youngsters today have various trends and fads to follow just to be popular. Fashion is being used as a tool to have an edge over others not only by youth but by professionals to middle aged women. Youth is bending towards fashion due to increased importance to appearance and growing materialism; growth in buying power, westernization and globalization adding fuel to fashion fire. Well fashion is not limited to models and celebrities but now it has also extended to middle class teens. The main reason for this being availability of cheap imitations of various designer clothes in local markets. Accessorizing has also become a cheap affair with vendors in train and footpaths selling amazing stuff at throw away prices. But that does not mean the youth today is cheap…Boss! Ours is the most brand conscious lot that has ever existed since dinosaur times. Youth today has been the reason to the expanding adv. Industry with them being the most sought after target audience. But even if gen’X’ is brand conscious, they are not brand loyal and ready to experiment all the time giving lot of access to new products in the market.
Talking of market and industries, Fashion industry is growing like a baby. Youth today has a major liking to fields like modeling, designing, fashion photography, fashion communications etc. Not only are these fields very lucrative but they also require tremendous creativity, so they are not possible for all. Being a super model must be a dream to many young strugglers but is a reality to a handful. With various fashion portals all the fashion freaks have a scope for prompt up gradation.
Tattoos, cosmetics, surgeries, flashy cars/bikes, piercing all amounts to fashion. Looking good was never a crime but compulsively spending or bizarre inferiority just for fashion is obviously unacceptable. For many of us today fashion has become a addiction which we all follow subconsciously. We state ‘Judging the book by its cover is wrong’ but we rarely ever mean it and literally never hesitate to pick up the book with most attractive cover, at least to flip through it. Never know who catches your fancy just on the basis of looks.
Like there is fashion there is ‘Fashion Faux’…in layman terms fashion disaster. This fashion defies all rules of fashion, social acceptability and sometimes just plain sanity. We see these fashion faux passes more than often these days. With fad of ditching the natural, hair coloring can look really weird at times. Parents can’t help but compare the hair of their beloved babe to near to extinction exotic bird. Heartbreaking is that moment for that father who imagined his son to grow up and be a MAN, darling son now with long colored hair, rings not only on fingers but in ears…eyebrows…tongue and lot more unmentionables, accessories more than his mom has ever worn and regularly visiting parlors for maintenance, spending mammoth amount of money in the process. Metro-sexuality term coined for over conscious males about appearance.
Even though fashion is a subject that can generate communication unlimited but its not just something that associates with youth at all times. Even though face of fashion changes, the crux remains. Perception and individualism are part of every person that is mirrored by fashion they follow. Beauty without brains can be at times repulsive, but looking good is essential in today’s date. Stay Fashionable!!!
Now getting back to generation ‘X’…y…z…more to come….it think our generation must be highest in the fashion conscious graph with internet, television, films and advertisements to influence our imitation hungry minds. Before sounding too biased let me bring some light to the fact that even imitation can bring out individualism from person to person varying from what they actually chose to follow. Youngsters today have various trends and fads to follow just to be popular. Fashion is being used as a tool to have an edge over others not only by youth but by professionals to middle aged women. Youth is bending towards fashion due to increased importance to appearance and growing materialism; growth in buying power, westernization and globalization adding fuel to fashion fire. Well fashion is not limited to models and celebrities but now it has also extended to middle class teens. The main reason for this being availability of cheap imitations of various designer clothes in local markets. Accessorizing has also become a cheap affair with vendors in train and footpaths selling amazing stuff at throw away prices. But that does not mean the youth today is cheap…Boss! Ours is the most brand conscious lot that has ever existed since dinosaur times. Youth today has been the reason to the expanding adv. Industry with them being the most sought after target audience. But even if gen’X’ is brand conscious, they are not brand loyal and ready to experiment all the time giving lot of access to new products in the market.
Talking of market and industries, Fashion industry is growing like a baby. Youth today has a major liking to fields like modeling, designing, fashion photography, fashion communications etc. Not only are these fields very lucrative but they also require tremendous creativity, so they are not possible for all. Being a super model must be a dream to many young strugglers but is a reality to a handful. With various fashion portals all the fashion freaks have a scope for prompt up gradation.
Tattoos, cosmetics, surgeries, flashy cars/bikes, piercing all amounts to fashion. Looking good was never a crime but compulsively spending or bizarre inferiority just for fashion is obviously unacceptable. For many of us today fashion has become a addiction which we all follow subconsciously. We state ‘Judging the book by its cover is wrong’ but we rarely ever mean it and literally never hesitate to pick up the book with most attractive cover, at least to flip through it. Never know who catches your fancy just on the basis of looks.
Like there is fashion there is ‘Fashion Faux’…in layman terms fashion disaster. This fashion defies all rules of fashion, social acceptability and sometimes just plain sanity. We see these fashion faux passes more than often these days. With fad of ditching the natural, hair coloring can look really weird at times. Parents can’t help but compare the hair of their beloved babe to near to extinction exotic bird. Heartbreaking is that moment for that father who imagined his son to grow up and be a MAN, darling son now with long colored hair, rings not only on fingers but in ears…eyebrows…tongue and lot more unmentionables, accessories more than his mom has ever worn and regularly visiting parlors for maintenance, spending mammoth amount of money in the process. Metro-sexuality term coined for over conscious males about appearance.
Even though fashion is a subject that can generate communication unlimited but its not just something that associates with youth at all times. Even though face of fashion changes, the crux remains. Perception and individualism are part of every person that is mirrored by fashion they follow. Beauty without brains can be at times repulsive, but looking good is essential in today’s date. Stay Fashionable!!!
4 comments:
Good yaar
Keep it up
fatte!! nice article...
cool man good article keep on writtin
nicely written..
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