In this day and age, fashion has indeed become more important than ever before. While it is possible to assume that its impact on people’s lives is positive and beneficial, I still believe that the overwhelming influence of clothing and fashion trends cannot be regarded as an advantageous development. Quite the contrary; it appears to be rather pernicious, due to a number of reasons.
Admittedly, the growing popularity of fashionable clothes, as well as other items, might be considered positive. The theoretical reason for this is that trendy outfits enable people to look attractive rather than plain or boring. Stylish accessories and extravagant footwear positively contribute to a person’s appearance as well. As a matter of fact, the first impression builds an image of a person; essentially, appropriate and beautiful clothes play a significant role in determining this image. As a result, people are bound to feel more confident, relaxed and even accepted, realizing that they are warmly received due to their great sense of style. Additionally, the way one dresses definitely speaks volumes about a person, their social status, principles and even their inner world. To illustrate, provided that a person’s look is presentable, fashionable and smart, they are normally believed to be well-mannered and educated; accordingly, they are likely to be better perceived by others.
Nevertheless, following modern fashion tendencies quite frequently appears to be irrational and rather fundamentally flawed. One of the main reasons lies in one spending a lot of money on clothes and other attributes. In other words, in order to conform to contemporary fashion trends, people are pressured to purchase a multitude of glamorous garments, which, as a rule, are quite expensive. Presumably, instead of wasting their budgets on trendy, but unaffordable outfits, people may very well allocate these costs to something more meaningful or really pleasurable. For example, the economies made by not buying branded clothes could be spent on travelling, completing some useful courses or simply on one’s hobbies, which might bring much more genuine joy and satisfaction. Not only are the fashionable clothes expensive, but they also can be fairly impractical and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, one can hardly deny the fact that meeting fashion expectations in an attempt to look charming often implies sacrificing one’s comfort, convenience and even, sometimes, health, in the case of wearing high heels, for instance.
In conclusion, today’s fashion industry really seems to be influential, and, in certain cases, it may benefit people, making them appear more attractive and, consequently, confident. Yet, I am of the opinion that such imposed trends are irrational and pressure people into conformity, particularly in terms of spending money and tolerating discomfort.