My inquiry question: “Does society influence fashion or is it the other way around?”
A challenge I overcame during this project was coming up with my initial inquiry question. My question is “does society influence fashion or is it the other way around”. I was originally planning on the question “does fashion influence society” but I found it too broad and I wasn’t sure what to research.
After formulating a more specific question I narrowed down my approach to decide if fashion impacted or was impacted by society in 3 different time periods.
I also initially tried to look for specific events to back up my thinking, but I came across another challenge there. Since I was looking at such a vast topic, it was hard to narrow it down to exact dates and events. I decided to look more generally after my first blog post which led me to a less concise answer. Where my first blog post had a definite answer, my other two were more up for debate.
This took me to a different answer than I was expecting, but it taught me a lot about my topic. I learned how society and fashion are truly intertwined, and there is no definite cause for either. It is nearly impossible to separate and define them and that’s what makes my inquiry question so interesting. I hope to learn more about this topic another time!
Before doing this inquiry, I was always curious about fashion. I wondered how people gravitate towards the clothes they wear and what the deeper meaning behind all of it was. After researching I found many in-depth stories about how societal events impact what we wear and how our clothes can make changes in culture. In learning about women’s fight for equal rights, I learned the historical depth behind garments we often wear without thought. Miniskirts, for example, were popularized as a way to rebel against traditional standards for femininity. Or power suits which were used to integrate women into the workforce.
On the other hand, cultural events shape our wardrobe, and I found that precedent in my research about how body standards in the 2000s affected the styles in fashion. Primarily low waisted pants and cropped baby tees were seen in stores to show off slim figures. In this time, the size zero and double zero were introduced, creating “Vanity Sizing” to promote the ideal of smaller body types.
This research makes me think that events in society are impacting our clothing and that there really is a behind what we wear.
My third blog post was about how fast fashion and consumerism are affecting the planet and in researching this I uncovered many things I hadn’t thought of before.
I was aware that fast fashion left an impact on the planet but not on the scale of how it is affecting us currently. The rate at which we are consuming will lead us to consuming more resources than we can produce, which leads us to a disturbing future.
Another thing I found was that the way social media is set up we are forced to over consume and purchase more things we don’t need. The amount of content we are being fed on a daily basis leads us to copious purchasing habits.
After knowing this I will be more conscious of the fashion I purchase in the future. I will pick my pieces mindfully and put more thought into what I wear.
I hope after reading my blog posts people will find interest in what they wear. Learning about these stories will hopefully make them more conscious and informed about their clothing. Maybe they’ll think twice before purchasing their SHEIN cart or wonder more about why they wear miniskirts. I wish that no matter where people live globally, they can understand the importance of fashion through my posts.
Whether it’s a way of protest, something that pushes harmful beauty standards, creates waste, or something that brings us together, fashion always speaks louder than words. I hope you have enjoyed my inquiry post, and I hope to see you next year!
