The fashion standards presented to women. Are they unreachable?

Do you believe your fashion standards are controlled by the society around you? Our fashion standards from the size we are to the way our hair looks is, in one way or another, controlled by the people or companies that we are around the most. We all know the story of Abercrombie and Fitch, how the CEO makes his sizes smaller because he doesn’t want obese people wearing his clothes. When you compare a pair of American Eagle jeans to a pair of Abercrombie jeans we see a size gap. Size 2 jeans in American Eagle would be about a size 6 in Abercrombie. As much as people say that the number doesn’t matter and you’re the only one that knows what you are, most people still have that drive to be the smallest that they can be. This is what is in style right now, to be a woman who has a tiny waist.

We have learned what they right and wrong way to dress as a women were when we were little girls playing with Barbie dolls. No matter what Barbie doll you had, if it was the doctor or the dog walker, she was always dressed up her best. As little girls we would look up to Barbie dolls as to how they wanted to dress and who they wanted to be when they grew up. Even when we were young, companies set high expectations for how women should look and dress. A quote from Fashion Dolls and Feminism by Louise Collins best explains how little girls idolize their dolls; “’through their play [the girsl] were imagining their live

s as adults. They would sit and carry on conversations, making the dolls real people.’” This quote came from the pre Barbie doll era. Once Barbie dolls were created parents were pleased because now their tomboyish daughter could learn how to become just like a Barbie, a presentable fashionable young lady. The problem with Barbie dolls is that not only do little girls want to dress just like them, its also that girls want to have the body that a Barbie would have; with a perfect hourglass shape, perfect breasts, blonde hair, and blue eyes. This body picture has now become the ideal way to look.

There have been studies done that show that women who dress nicer and get more compliments on how they look feel better about who they are. However, theres a problem with this, people often compliment others on how they look when they are dressed in style, in order to dress instyle you have to follow the crowd and have others “control” what you are wearing. Even if it’s not the companies that are making people become smaller and smaller, it could be that one person that you are trying to get their attention. In order to get their attention you dress how they would like you to dress, If you are at a  party you dress more scandalous, or if you are in class you dress to impress with a nice dress or a cute outfit. This might not be you; personally I am most comfortable in sweatpants than anything else. I don’t have the time or the energy to dress to impress each day. Does this mean that I won’t get any attention from others? I truly believe that people shouldn’t be judge on if they are dressed in style or not. It doesn’t truly show who th

e person is. What would happen if every woman came to work or school in sweatpants and sweatshirts? They are the same person but they will be overlooked just because of what they are wearing. However when a man comes dressed like that he is still given the same respect as if he were dressed any other way. So the question now becomes is Should women have to live by the standards that are presented to them by society? What do you think?

Ethical Questions:

*Is it ethical for women to have to live by the standards that are presented to them

*Should little girls have the opportunity to become what they truly want to be, no matter what they look like?