Essay on Fashions and Fads – Fashions and fads also represent two forms of collective behaviour. Both of them arise in most of the instances in a spontaneous manner and tend to disappear after some time. They may also become a permanent component of culture.
Fashions: Meaning and Nature
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“Fashions are the currently accepted styles of appearance and behaviour”—Ian Robertson. When some style is termed as “fashion”, it is taken for granted that it is temporary and will ultimately be replaced by a new style.
In simple, rural and tribal societies, fashions are not very much apparent. In many traditional societies they are virtually not found. In modern complex societies, fashions are not only rampant but also change very rapidly. Automobile paintings, college students’ hair styles and dress styles, style of house construction etc., for example, change with the passage of time.
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Why do the Fashions Arise and Spread?
1. In a modern complex society novelty is considered desirable rather than threatening. Hence people want to exhibit their likings towards novelty in all aspects — say, in their dressing, spoken style, habits, etc. Societies which are oriented more towards the future rather than the past, give lot of scope for fashions to arise and spread.
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2. Fashion is often used as a means of indicating one’s social characteristics to others. This is especially so in competitive and a status — conscious society. In such a society, people may try to appear more attractive, distinctive, or affluent, and a new fashion helps them to do so.
3. According to Koeing (1974), fashion originates in the desire to decorate one’s body for greater sexual attractiveness.
4. It is in the open class society with considerable mobility that fashion is important. Tat middle class tending to move upwards is more fashion-conscious. Those who are already there in the per class in a secured place can afford to ignore fashions.
5. There is no rule as such that fashions always originate among the upper class or elite and spread downwards to the middle and lower classes. They may originate at any class levels. For example, blue jeans are the traditional dresses of the working classes, but they are now highly acceptable for young men and women of the middle and upper classes.
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6. A new fashion is generally more likely to be accepted if it does not differ too much from existing fashions. For example, “Chudidar” has become a popular dress style among the college going young girls throughout India. They do not mind minor changes introduced by their tailors in stitching such a type of dress.
7. Fashions spread very fast among people who always wish to be up-to-date in all respects. They are the people always on the lookout for a favourable selection from many competing models.
8. “Fashion may involve almost any aspect of group life manners, the arts, literature, philosophy, even the methodologies of Science”. But fashion is most often seen in clothing and adornment.
Fashions are not entirely silly or whimsical. They reflect the dominant interests and values of a society at a particular time.
Fashion-changes often reflect changes in needs, attitudes and values. There was a time, when the use of dining table and chair for dining purpose was condemned, but it has become the order of the day especially among the urban middle and upper classes. Similarly, ‘disco’ dances and ‘break’ dances were not allowed in college day celebrations some time ago, but now, they have become fashionable.