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Fashion
"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." - Coco Chanel
The word fashion is used to explain a prevailing mode of expression, but also applies to personal expression unrelated to the culture in which it exists. Some people create their own fashion simply by opting for whatever isn't in fashion at the moment. The degree to which we follow the fashion of popular culture or don't can be seen as political expression. We don't wear fur, for instance. We wouldn't care if it would get us a front row seat at the Oscars, we still wouldn't wear it. Our politics dictate our fashions in this case. Fashions change more quickly than the culture as a whole does. That's why your grandmother, usually, isn't wearing what you are. She probably bowed out of keeping up with culture decades ago. The terms fashionable and unfashionable are used to describe whether someone or something fits in with what's current and popular. The word fashion is also frequently used as a synonym for glamour and style. In this sense, fashion is a sort of communal art, through which a culture examines its ideas about beauty, and acceptance. In direct contrast, the word fashion is sometimes used in a negative sense, as a synonym for trendy materialism.
Fashions  are social psychology phenomena. It is important to realize what the fashions of the world can teach us. Through fashion we can see into history, see into politics, see into cultures from a distance, and into individuals close up. To see this in practice today, consider the traditional hijab that Muslim women wear to cover their faces, and the extent to which it has been dissected and discussed. Though fashion changes constantly, some clothing remains almost synonymous with its culture. For instance, a white toga is usually associated with the Roman Empire. A silk kimono is associated with Japan. Fashions like these can be symbols for certain times and places.
Are you saying anything about your time and place - about you? Consider Coco Channel's statement about fashion, and have fun! Say something about yourself and your world.
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