Alternative Fashion - Research Paper Example

Introduction People tend to show their identity through unconventional means, alternative fashion. This is in a bid to express different values, beliefs and convictions that go against common beliefs held by the society. Among them is to stand out, represent an alternative lifestyle and gain a sexual identity among others. To understand why people show their identity through alternative fashion, it is essential to understand some of the reasons that will be discussed in this paper. Alternative lifestyle Alternative lifestyle defines a way of living that is outside the culturally accepted norm by the society in which an individual lives (English Republic). A person who spots alternative fashion styles usually does so, to stick or conform to the subculture that has a unique way of conducting itself outside the mainstream lifestyles. Subcultures, in this case, refer to cultures that consume a majority of a person’s time and are different from predefined social norms. This way, alternative lifestyles are used to show conformity and a sense of identity with the group that one belongs to and its significance. For example, nudism as an alternative lifestyle advocates for people to stay naked or expose their bodies in any manner that makes them feel comfortable. In this case, the alternative fashion is that which helps them identify and portray the values that their lifestyle stands for. However, on alternative lifestyles, people are sometimes classified according to various stereotypes found in the society and not according to their lifestyle. For example, for people who like to live a gothic lifestyle from the dark ages, are usually labelled as Satanists despite having no affiliations with such groups or practices (English Republic). Since this is just but a stereotype, the real value of their lives lies in their outlook of the world around them. In this case, their outlook on life is usually dark, and their thought focus is usually on death. The need to sport alternative fashion in the form of torturous materials and disturbing images adorned on their clothes comes from this outlook. Moreover, on lifestyle, alternative fashions are adorned by members of certain groups and stick to them as their identifying factor in the lives they lead. The groups do not necessarily have written codes but an understanding of how they behave and conduct their activities is known. This is in people such as hippies who are known to be friendly, open-minded and tend to love everyone they meet. As a result, they have a fashion trend that is not conventional to that of the rest of the world, in that it makes them unique and helps them speak out for that which they stand for. This is through wearing tie-dyed clothes and tonnes of jewellery, as well as clothes printed with various extreme views on the environment (English Republic). In addition, affluent lifestyles have their own dress codes or styles in a fashion that match the capabilities that the, affluent, individuals have. In this regard, alternative fashion is used to express the capability that the person holds concerning his or her purchasing power. Therefore, alternative fashion and alternative lifestyles are tied together to go with the change in times and the changes that a person goes through (Ling 120). This is in the form of convictions, values and imagination that a person believes works with their position. In turn, it means that alternative lifestyles and fashion are a collection of habits and expressions of the effects that occurred in the past that are anticipated to happen in the future. Furthermore, on lifestyle, alternative fashion is a means of showing that an individual, as mentioned earlier, bears the ability to take part in certain events such as coming up with their own brands. This is particularly so in the making of custom made fashion products; that most of the time fall under the alternative life style category. Conservative lifestyles are also another driver for alternative fashion as they are, usually, unconventional, going against the grain of the society and taking a stand in issues they find controversial. This is by calling for certain events to take place such as taking responsibility for the working conditions of the people that make the fashion items they adorn. In this way, it is meant to show that a person lives a life that is concerned about the plight of others and that one is willing to do all that which is their power to better their conditions. This is evident in people that go against conventional brands and take a liking in these alternatives just to prove a point of what their lives represent which is their opinion. In addition, regarding the issue of lifestyle, people choose to adorn themselves in alternative fashion to show the changing trends in culture as it acts as warning signs of significant cultural transformations (Hatfield and Rapson 46). This, therefore, shows the dynamics in the various lifestyles that different people who opt to go alternative culture anticipate. Not only does this happen to express change but to rid the society of monotony of similar conventional fashion designs and items. This is in that the wealthy keep coming up with new products, which ensure others are not in a position to rapidly imitate and get to their position. Therefore, alternative fashion allows alternative lifestyles to thrive in a bid to have diversity in the society and rid of monotonous similar products that obliterate differences (Hatfield and Rapson 46). Standing out Alternative fashion tends to be catchy concerning its appeal, and ability to attract the attention of onlookers towards the individual sporting it. In this regard, people seeking attention tend to express their attention deficit issues in this manner. This is because; the items and products that they wear are usually of peculiar designs and colours that scream for attention. In this manner, alternative fashions acts as a form of ornamentation that makes others notice the individual in question (Hatfield and Rapson 47). This is because, conventionally, people have always drawn attention to themselves by using a given dress code that stands out (Hatfield and Rapson 55). Therefore, to replicate this, attention catching trends from alternative fashions tend to be more appealing because they are rebellious towards the society and that they are not conventional. The other reason for using alternative fashion to sound out is the power it holds towards delivering messages to observers who are captivated by it. Due to the nature of alternative fashion, by having features that capture attention, numerous messages can be passed across on the platform. This is as seen by Courtney Love in the late 1990s, who chose to use alternative fashion to transmit a myriad of messages to her fans by standing out and dominating her show (Hatfield and Rapson 55). Still on standing out, alternative fashion offers a means of identifying individuals who are the said fashion concerning attire and accessories adorned. For example, in schools and colonial times, authorities enforced alternative fashion on the subjects for easy identification (Hatfield and Rapson 56). This is also popular among schools where all students are supposed to stick to a specific dress code while the seniors are adorned in different attire for easy identification. In addition, it meant to signify rebellion and the course for which an individual is fighting. In this way, they stand out signalling opposition for the course against which they rebel (Hatfield and Rapson 57). In some events, such as parties and other social events, individuals choose to show off their personalities to dominate events and make everyone else drawn to them. As a result, bizarre fashion accessories are worn for this reason to outdo one another and make the rest of the people at the event either jealous or envious (Hatfield and Rapson 48). Standing out also asserts an individual’s personality, which is one of the reasons that alternative fashion is used. This is in the form of personal goals over collectivist goals that are pushed for by conventional societies and fashions affiliated to them (Hatfield and Rapson 53). Furthermore, as used in glamour, alternative fashion in regard to standing out s used to divert attention from one’s flaws and towards the attractive features about them (Thompson and Haytko 17). This way, alternative fashion makes some aspects of one’s personality and body stand out in eyes of the public, or that of the observer, while concealing unattractive features. The other reason for identity expression by alternative fashion is to express the innate curiosity in an individual. This is concerning experimenting with the new fashion trends that make one stand out and be appealing to his or her appeals in an attempt to have a new look. Sexual Identity Sexual identity refers to what is expected to be viewed as one’s gender and the gender that one identifies with. The use of alternative to express one’s sexual identity is common. Since make up, accessories and clothes form the fabric of fashion; it is used to give people their sexual identity in society. This is done through the various forms of fashions that suit the different genders such as male only, female only and unisex. Alternative fashion, which goes against the grain of conventional society, allows for people who feel trapped in the wrong genders to dress in manners that make them feel comfortable. This can be seen in people who cross dress to identify with the sex that they feel better suited. In addition, it also occurs in cases where the person wants to provoke the thoughts of others or identify with groups protesting against injustices of any kind directed towards a given gender. Also, others have figures that do are not typical of their prescribed genders from birth, and, therefore, opt to go for alternative fashion that accentuates their body forms thus giving them the desired sexual identity (Groeneveld 179). In addition, alternative fashion gives sexual identity through making some features of an individual appear more appealing thus making them look sexier and brighter thus more appealing to the opposite gender due to the colours and designs worn (Klanovicz 767). In this manner, an individual receives sexual identity that is not otherwise apparent with conventional fashion accessories and clothes. Youth identity Alternative fashion has a youngish feel to it as compared to conventional fashion trends. Therefore, for people who like to defy their age, they have an option to utilize alternative fashion to satisfy their desire to look young to their peers and even have that youngish image. In addition, the youth make use of alternative fashion to flaunt their freedom of choice concerning what they can wear without having to be answerable to anyone; this is otherwise called losing all sense of reason (Abaza 284). In this regard, anyone who wishes to have that feeling of being young runs to alternative fashion to express the feeling of youth within themselves. The other way in which this works for youth identity is about identifying with particular social groups that the youth form. In these youth groups, alternative fashion provides larger choice concerning the dressing code (Abaza 289). Alternative fashions and an identity of youth blend in together in regard to the amount of admiration that is accorded to people of an advanced age and are able to pull off certain youthful looks that accompany alternative fashion. It shows defiance of age and conventional beliefs that persons of advanced age should dress in conservative designs, as prescribed by society. Moreover, the elderly who seek to air them by using their manner of dressing at times share the extreme views that are possessed by the youth. The dress code helps to identify with the youth, and the ideas, beliefs and values they stand for. However, at times the youth identity is not necessarily the main objective as it is just a means o express an extreme opinion towards the youth such as the inappropriateness of the fashion in the eyes of others. Marketing Hype Producers and designers of fashion products put in plenty of effort in the production of their products. For this reason, they feel that there is a need to seek compensation for all the effort they put in, in the form of market returns. Consequently, they publicize their products through multiple media platforms that reach the target audience. In return, the consumers end up falling for the product due to the popularization campaign. Furthermore, the claims and tag lines used are usually appealing to the consumer to the extent of having them acquire alternative fashion. Some of the claims are based on enhancing or improving the outward look of the user. Therefore, to cover the inadequacies that a person bears, alternative fashions come up as a means of showing self-esteem issues that one has (Hatfield and Rapson 48). The other means is that of the capability of an individual to afford that which everyone else is talking of in a bid to show off to the world his or her capabilities. In this way, marketing hype seeks to boost the confidence of the person because; the item purchased or owned is of envy to the rest and stands a chance to improve their social standing (Hatfield and Rapson 48). Special In some cases, people show their identity through alternative to get that distinct feeling of uniqueness that comes with alternative fashion. This is almost similar to standing out because it beats conventional fashion that many are dependent upon for their public image. This is because some alternative fashion items are not common; making them difficult to find as they are only found in certain areas such as specialist boutiques (Abaza 295). In addition, alternative fashion for use in special occasions such as weddings also create the feeling of being special towards the consumer as the items are not utilized on a daily basis where it becomes common and apparent to everyone (Currie 490). The other situations are those where expression is done through rare, alternative fashion items made by specialists (Currie 498). In this regard, the items are collector’s items that are of significant value, unlike common products. Conclusion In summary, expression of one’s identity through alternative fashion is not a new concept in the contemporary world as it has been in existence for a long time. In this regard, it is used for numerous reasons and each of them has its own value to the person. Works Cited Currie, Elizabeth. Fashion Networks: Consumer Demand and the Clothing Trade in Florence from the Mid-Sixteenth to Early Seventeenth Centuries. Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 39:3. 2009. Retrieved from ebscohost database. Thompson, Craig and Haytko, Diana. Speaking of Fashion: Consumers’ Uses of Fashion Discourses and the Appropriation of Countervailing Cultural meanings. Journal of Consumer Research24. 1. 1997. Retrieved from proquest Research Library Klanovicz, Luciana. Veja Magazine and Fashion in Brazil (1985-1990)- Between Maintenance and Dilution of Sexual Roles. 2010, Vol. 39 Issue 7, p765-780, 16p. Retrieved from ebscohost database Abaza, Mona 2007, Shifting Landscapes of Fashion in Contemporary Egypt. The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture". Vol. 11 Issue 2/3, p281-297, 17p. Retrieved from ebscohost database. Groeneveld, Elizabeth 2009, ‘Be a feminist or just dress like one’: fashion and feminism as lifestyle. Journal of Gender Studies. Vol. 18 Issue 2, p179-190, 12p. Retrieved from ebscohost database. English Republic. Alternative Lifestyles. n.d. Web. 19 Jul. 2012. Hatfield, E. and Rapson, L. History, Psychology and Fashion: The Bizarre, Weird, Wacky- and Cool. 2011. Web. 19 Jul. 2012. Read More