Hell is other people
And yet we appear to pay so much attention and give so much respect what other people say is right.
Fashion is an industry entirely built upon the concept of being accepted by and gaining the approval of others by compromising ones actual individuality and gravitating toward that of an apparently knowing elite consensus. The genius of this is that every season, the fashion from last season becomes obsolete and the style-conscious consumer is forced to spend top dollar in order to pick up the latest threads or run the risk of being seen to be off the pace. Lots of money is thus spent on overpriced, cheaply made shit that never has to last more than a few months because even if the stitching holds out, it will be criminally wack before the year is through. Somebody laughs all the way to the bank while you are left wondering whether that tribal print bandana could be used as a tablecloth.
The reality is, however, that in the modern day, there is no voice of the masses. The people do not have the power and nothing captures imagination of the public. Trends are dictated by the few. These “tastemakers” have developed reliable avenues for governing the will of the many. And the primary weapon is shame.
Have you noticed that those who claim to have an ethos of free spiritedness and individualism are often the most uniform? Goths assert their refusal to conform by dressing the same as each other.
If ever there was a good reason to be fearful of fashion, I give you: the 1980’s.
These people didn’t think they looked ridiculous but history has proven that yes, they did. And if we had any free will and sense of decency, we would have pointed an alarmed finger and exclaimed “the emperor is wearing fluorescent towel socks”.
But you daren’t because other people might think you a frightful square.
The time is ripe to call a spade, a spade and to understand that the hot new fashion will be revealed as actually quite tragic and the hot new buzz band is probably not very good.
This is how revolutions begin comrades, the people rising up and demanding a better deal.
And if we are not as a people to throw off the shackles of oppression and fashion, then we can, at least, as individuals rage against this silly machine and accept certain truths as self-evident: some things are just great and some things are just awful, fashions will come and go, but a quality suit and a well written song will still be worth having in your life for years to come.
4 comments:
we will fight them in the shopping centres and on the local town halls steps where they gather, with their wonky hair cuts and multicoloured stupid patterned hoodies. there will be blood on the cobbles....no what am i saying i'm a pacifist. But come the revolution comrade i'll be there, right behind you.
yay. A Ford blog that's not on MySpace! I'll link to your blog from mine :)
Fashion is overrated. People call it self expression, then end up wearing what the magazines tell them. But I say...whatever floats your boat, be it your scene haircut that every other Camdenite is sporting, or those trainers that are oh so cool but out of 'fashion' next week. I'd love to say I'm above it all, but I'm not, I'm guilty of Topshop tunnel vision..
PS Good to have you back in the UK...now will you please come play in London, and soon?!
Thank Heaven for Levi Strauss.
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