Nowadays, almost everybody is trying to follow global fashion trends and make themselves look the similar way. Influences that this fashion trends have on indiviuals’ lives are undeniable, as everybody faces them almost everywhere, from social media to billboards. In the following essay, I will explain some of the possible reasons behind this phenomenon and also, I will provide my own opinion which is to consider this development as a change which possesses both positive and negative aspects.
It has been a long time since people have started following fashion trends, at very first years by fashion and style magazines, and currently by social media and blogs. To mention some of the parameters that have greatly shaped this enthusiasm toward fashion trends, we may easily consider the role of social media on people’s minds and lifestyles. With celebrities posting their outfits and appearences at different locations everyday, it is almost impossible to expect their audience not to be influenced by them! In addition, daily changing in lifestyle required by modern world seems to have also had some impacts on this fashion craving attitude, specifically among youth. In fact, recently younger people are trying harder to stay up-to-date along with the changes in, not only their local environment, but also across the globe. As a result, following the global fashion trends could be considered one of the major sources of globalization of by which youth choose to be engaged.
However, the main debate is on the extent to which this trends are beneficial to our lives. In fact, this trend-following behaviour could bring both advantages and drawbacks. From an environmental perspective, fashion industry have brought vast amount of damage to the global pattern of consuming materials which are difficult to recycle or reproduce. For example, many individuals are now buying low-quality and non-recycleable clothes, because they know that they are not going to use them for a long time due to the instantanous changing nature of fashion! As a result, an increase in clothing wastes have occured in past decade due to the huge growth of fashion industry.
On the other hand, mode and fashion have introduced some healthy trends to societies as well. For instance, modern fashion have started to ban the use of wild animals’ skin and organs in order to produce clothing. This approach, indeed, led to a 30 percent decrease in wild animal hunting just conducted for fashion purposes in the begining of the current decade. As a result, it seems that fashion development have also assisted with reforming many habits of people in clothing area.
In conclusion, as we might consider the significantly growing fashion industry a consequence to modern lifestyle in many societies, we should start managing the harmful effects it has in order to lower the ecological load it might enforce to our planet. At the same time, it is highly recomended to policy makers to push these industries toward more long-lasting and nature-friednly trends.