Young people today pay far too much attention to fashion. How far do you agree?

It is only in the developed world that we see the problem of youth paying too much attention to fashion. Fashion does not feed the people of the developing world, nor are they likely to derive as much satisfaction from it as much as youth from the developed world. The developed society in question is driven by wealth, the influence of the mass media, and a flourishing advertising and fashion industry that has perfected a formula for getting consumers to buy their goods. The necessity to look good is perpetuated by the media in its promotion of good looking idols, however, and is vital to making a good impression in todays judgmental society. Additionally, the impact of fashion on self-esteem cannot be neglected. It is my opinion that the youth of today focus too much on fashion, in excess of its benefits, thus leading to extreme consequences. Youth today pay too much for fashion, literally. This is because of the affluence of society, particularly in modern cities such as New York and Tokyo. With so much money to spend, and all their basic needs met, the young people of today look to fashion as a means of flaunting their wealth and as entertainment. This has resulted in excessive spending on fashion, sometimes even beyond their spending abilities, which they charge to credit cards. Consequently, a minority are unable to pay their credit card bills, causing them to chalk up debts with interest. The consumption of luxury brands in fashion such as Prada, Louis Vuitton and Rolex are clearly unnecessary in lieu of cheaper substitutes, yet the more expensive their goods are, it seems that more people want to buy them, possibly as a way of highlighting their wealthy status. However, buying on credit is not the same as purchasing with cash. People who buy on credit to show off their wealth may not actually have the resources to support their spending habits. It is a grim reflection of our societys unhealthy obsession with materialism today. If young people continue spending more on credit and do not change their spending habits, they may fall into bad debt, or even be declared bankrupt if they are unable to pay their debts. Evidently, excessive attention paid to fashion can be dangerous for ones finances. If one takes a closer look at the situation, a multitude of factors encourage such materialism in society, including the influence of the mass media and the strategies of the advertising and fashion industry. Young people are constantly exposed to the ubiquitous presence of media in the forms of television, advertisements, newspapers, videos, websites and the like, which continuously show edited pictures of celebrities looking glamorous in fashionable apparel. In their aspirations to look good, young people, it is unsurprising that many eventually follow fashion trends initiated or followed by celebrities, ignoring the price they pay for the superficiality of their choices. It is at this point where they begin to pay too much attention to fashion, when they willingly give up comfort for fashion. High heels, for example, are obviously painful to walk in, and long term wear imposes strain on the feet and stress on the backbone. It is fashionable to walk in them it has even become part and parcel of societal expectations of working women. Ironically, while wearing those makes women look good with seemingly longer legs and a slimmer body it is in reality harmful for the back and the feet. Giving up personal comfort for fashion at the expense of ones health highlights the excessive emphasis young people place on fashion today.

Another driver of materialism is the advertising industry. It is infamous for encouraging a desire for goods that we do not actually need, including fashion, while the fashion industry further exacerbates materialism by manufacturing consumerism in its seasonal release of new fashion designs. Young people therefore have a greater tendency to spend on fashion that they do not actually need and often end up not using it much. This has cultivated a buyand-throwaway attitude amongst the young that is extremely wasteful, particularly during a sale. Cheap fashion, clothes sold at rock-bottom prices, is also another large contributor to this wasteful attitude as young people disregard the costs of impulse buying. Such habits are highlighted in Elizabeth Clines book on the costs of cheap fashion. People buy cheap goods regardless of their quality, leaving them with a closet of clothes and nothing to wear. Clothes used to be a seasonal investment up till the 1990s when the low-end clothing market was formed and dominated by firms such as GAP and H&M. The sharp contrast between todays wasteful habits and the frugal habits of the past thus highlights the vast difference in the attention paid to fashion. In Britain, 91 billion worth of perfectly wearable items were disposed of after being worn only once in the past year. Such excessive wastage is a direct consequence of excessive attention paid to fashion today. On the other hand, one can actually argue that attention paid to fashion is justified as a means of self expression. As young people unsure of their place in society, fashion allows them to take on different roles in life, to explore who they are and what they can be, in their search for personal identity. Whatever one wears is a message to someone else about the kind of personality you possess. Recently, a psychological study from the University of Kansas has found that the shoes people wear offers clues about the kind of person they are, and some matched social stereotypes such as people who wear stylish new shoes are likely to earn high income, while some did not people who wore flashy footwear are not necessarily extroverted, but they are considered more emotionally stable. Furthermore, the indirect psychological impact of greater self-esteem brought about by fashion cannot be ignored. This is particularly important for people with low self esteem. People uncomfortable with themselves but look good think better of themselves. While fashion can help such people see themselves in a better light, it does not address the root cause of their low self-esteem which is an intrinsic thing that can only be solved by ones own determination, and perhaps some psychological support. The excuse that attention paid to fashion can help improve self-esteem is a distraction from the main point, and such attention may still be considered excessive in terms of spending and wastage. In conclusion, peoples obsession with fashion today is simply a manifestation of the consumerist culture in modern society, propagated by influences from the media and the wealth in developed societies. Fashion is a status symbol. It plays a large role in the psychological development of the young. Yet, many young people today are still excessively materialistic, chasing trends wastefully, even when they are unable to support their habits. Thankfully, such habits are localized in the developed world it would be horrifying to imagine the worlds youth prioritizing fashion over their financing abilities, their health and comfort, while at the same time encouraging a wasteful culture.