Teen Dreams
To teenagers, fashion is the key method by which they express to the world who they are, or who they want to be. They also use it as a means to bond with their peers, gain social status, and express their beliefs and affiliations. And that explains why putting on anything that’s not trendy makes them feel as if they don’t belong in the same class as their peers.
Designers have also propagated the idea that thinner/skinny models look more attractive than their plus-size counterparts. This has made many young adults become obsessed with what medical doctors would deem as underweight and/or malnourished models on the catwalk.
Critics claim that such figures being perpetuated by the industry can give the perception to young women to be overly self-conscious about their weight because the trend poisons their attitudes towards their own appearances, and makes them work hard towards being skinny. This leads to chronic eating disorders and mental health issues, yet the fashion industry still continues to give out the products called “doll clothes” for young women.
Society wants to see young adults who are full of health walking on the streets, not people with “jutting bones and no breasts or hips.” The problem is, our young adults try to copy the idealized and over-sexualized body images they see with fashion models.
Fashion influences confidence and this obsession can be a source of stress, depression, or anxiety for adolescents who don’t have those body sizes or the money to purchase the clothes they think they need in order to look like those fashion models and to fit in with their peers.
It is true that fashion models and celebrities strongly influence what teens wear and often set the standard for beauty. But, in some, this results in internalized negative body images, and a state of mind in which individuals feel unhappy with their appearance. Comparison, social anxiety, eating disorders, and low self-esteem are negative effects that can mark teenagers in a negative way, and destroy their personalities for the sake of fashion.
It is, therefore, the fashion industry's social responsibility to promote a healthy balance between style and a silhouette that is both realistic and practical. Lifestyle is one word, and designers should not ask consumers to choose one word at the expense of the other.
In light of all these negative effects, the players in the fashion industry should come together and help instill confidence into young adults about their own body images so they can set realistic and practical goals about style and body image.
