What Is Fashion?

Fashion is the trends in clothing, accessories, footwear and even hairstyles. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that influences what people wear and how they wear it. But it is also a topic that is debated and scrutinized. People can be quite judgmental about how other people dress. This is especially true in the case of celebrities. What they wear is scrutinized by the media, and many people try to emulate their style.

Fashions can be very fast and short-lived, or they can last for years. They can be driven by music and pop culture, or they can be dictated by the political climate or by the financial interests of big business. Fashions can even be used to enforce uniformity, as was the case in China when Mao suits became the national uniform.

Clothes reveal a lot about a person. They can give away a person’s age, ethnicity and occupation. They can even be used to create stereotypes and distance between groups. For example, in high school, the clothes someone wears can identify them as a goth, a skater or a prep. This can be positive, if it gives the person some kind of status or distinction, but negative, if it creates division.

It is hard to trace how popular styles make it from the streets to the runways. It is even harder to determine what makes something “fashionable.” It can be hard for some people to keep up with the ever-changing fashions.