Impact of the Clothing Industry on Society and

Vise Versa!

From a sociological point of view, fashion is about the "collective ways of making connections with others and, at the same time, marking differences" (Kaiser).

Fashion – a way to connect

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-impact-fashion-industry-cant-fashion-3393156.html

The Fashion Industry is also a major factor in dictating society's definition of beauty

Because of the fashion industry’s portrayal of beauty in advertisements, a value system that focuses on looks and external beauty is built by the men and women that are exposed to them (Sheehan 108).

Fashion – a dictator of beauty

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Many studies connect the exposure to such advertisements and media coverage of thin models to women with a negative self-esteem and issues with body image (Sheehan 108).

The images of women that are presented by the Fashion Industry, especially in magazines, represent an image that is nearly impossible to achieve

recession and the current economic downturn has not been promising for industries like the Fashion Industry

“major designers, Vera Wang, Betsey Johnson, and Carmen Marc Valvo, pulled out of showing their collections (Russo).” – to avoid flaunting an excessive lifestyle at a time when people are suffering financially

Social & Economic Impact on the Fashion Industry

Trends often die because society will quickly reject new concepts – “too out-there”

Designers have to curb their creativity to meet social standards of dress

Curbing Creativity

Since people are generally externally focused, the fashion industry will always play an important role on society

Fashion and society are strongly linked