Take a fashion website and put together a list of the ways the fashion industry molds the way we perceive ourselves and bodies.

Take a fashion website and put together a list of the ways the fashion industry molds the way we perceive ourselves and bodies.

Lauren Gregory

Mass Communications


Flawless skin, perfect hair, ideal height and weight are just a few things I added onto my to do list after checking out Expressfashion.com. Based on appearance, some may deem me as being out of fashion, but after browsing the merchandise and the way Express presented what they had to offer, I will take being ‘out of fashion’ as a compliment.


Although I personally consider fashion to be confusing, culture-specific, ever-changing, dynamic, and expensive, I still regard it as one of the most successful and prevailing industries in our culture. Not to mention the hundreds of magazines, stores, and Hollywood stars devoting much of their lives to be considered “in”, by those who are not.

Last time I checked though, individuality was my favorite character trait, and showing up to a party in the same get up as the other girls seems like the most contradicting way to be original and remembered.

In humanities this year, I studied time and kleos, which translates simply to honor and glory; two closely related terms found in the Iliad (Greek times). After killing in battle, a warrior rewards himself with his victim’s armor, which in turn enhances the way they are viewed by others. Meaning the best warrior had the best (most) armor.

One of the most highly regarded philosophers of all time, Homer, said that the never-ending battle to gain time and kleos in hopes of not being forgotten is intrinsic and will continue for all time.

Now, centuries later, this everlasting fight for honor and fame is still around but unlike Greek warriors, people are unaware of their deepest intentions. According to Homer, the instinctive desire to be the best is eternal. The only difference now is that for teenage girls, gaining a dead man’s armor is out, and fashion is in!

Using this to their advantage, fashion industries thrive off being considered “the best” which makes them capable of fishing out the most desired models in the world. They continue on by advertising everywhere to reinforce and define their concept of an ideal person. As a result, people mimic what they see; some going to greater extents as did the MJ impersonator to the right.

One of the most apparent and problematic downfalls to the fashion industry is that by painting the walls of our country with an irrational idea of perfection, we are essentially destroying who each one of us is. If Homer was correct and a snowball effect occurred, this could potentially mean that we are sacrificing and forgetting who we are in order to fulfill our innate desire to be remembered.



For fun, watch video clips from the movie Troy, which is based on the Iliad here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JEmW6qYfhqE

Then…

Check out Australia’s next top model and notice the similarities between what drives these girls and the warriors at Troy.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hd2Hu26Tm1Q

Finally…

Read up a little bit on America’s most famous plastic fashion model, Barbie!
http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxvi/12.4.98/opinion/holley.html