textual. contribute you all. (rhymes?!)

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A few days - ahem, WEEKS (man, I've even had this post prepared for awhile now...) - ago, I posted this super awesome magazine and, to end the post, I posted my absolute favourite page of the entire magazine. Which is below. I suggest you read it, because that's what I'm surrounding this post on.

Now, I don't usually ever (as in NEVER) do "all-word" posts, but I feel like this is an important topic. I'm kind of assuming that most of you have an interest in fashion as this is a fashion blog, and you probably have a fashion blog, and yeah, so I thought that this might be a good arena to discuss this subject of "fashion." I'll try to make it as coherent and eloquent as possible but, truth be told, I'm kind of between ideas and opinions and thoughts and rambles and I can't promise that those two adjectives will best describe my words. So warning?

When I read this page, I IMMEDIATELY agreed. Fashion absolutely has a tainted portrayal of the real world; the clothing is unaffordable, the sizes are unnatural, and fashion's overall portrayal of the world is incorrect. Absolutely. Without a doubt. Looking at magazines, now in particular, a lot of questions run through my head... Why don't I see normal people on the runway? Why are the pages in the magazines from a seemingly different world than my own?
It's really sad what fashion portrays. There's this tainted perception of beauty and what's "hot" and what's "in," warping people's mind on both beauty and the fashion industry, in general. And I disagree with this. Definitely. At risk at sounding like a five year old, the fashion industry needs to GROW up. We NEED to see different sizes and races and people. We NEED to see the real world, and not just this warped world of so-called "beauty."

But, then again, I don't think that fashion denies what it portrays. No one is like, "No, fashion depicts what life should be." No. I think that we can ALL recognize that the world isn't filled with size 0 white girls in thousands of dollars worth of clothing. I think the people in the industry recognize that fashion ISN'T reality. (I'm almost certain that Anna Wintour alluded/ said this in the September Issue, but I'm failing at finding a quote that encompasses this.) Ultimately, fashion - or at least how it's portrayed in the media, in the runway, in the industry - ISN'T real life. And perhaps that's the idea?

Is fashion SUPPOSED to reflect the real world? Is fashion supposed to be attainable? Or is fashion supposed to be an idea, a dream? Something to escape to?

I don't know; I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with these thoughts. These are just questions that are entering my mind. I guess the main concept that all of these ideas are kind of leading towards is WHAT IS FASHION SUPPOSED TO GIVE YOU?

The answer to this question is pretty subjective - to be honest, I don't even have my own, full opinion constructed - but I'll try to examine it. I mean, from an industry's perspective (and I am in no way in the industry, so I guess that this is just an "outsider's" perspective), I would think that the main objective of fashion is to create a vision - it's a luxury, it's glamorous, it's something people are supposed to look at and WANT. (Again, insert Anna Wintour quote here.) Magazines put pretty people in pretty clothes with pretty words and when you see all if this you think, "Wow! I want that!" No, it's not realistic, nor attainable. But that's the idea. I mean, if it WAS attainable, if it WAS something you saw looking outside your front step, what would be the purpose of the magazine? What would it be presenting? After all, fashion is, ultimately, like any other industry - a business. To sell, to market, to manipulate. All in all, the fashion industry wants to create a vision that you WANT; not something that you already have.

Now, what is fashion supposed to give YOU, as a person? Like I said, this is obviously extremely subjective. It gives me something to get excited about, it gives me a mean of self expression... But, when I thought about it - I mean, really thought about what and why I love fashion - it kind all boils down into a simple idea: it's an "escape." When I look at a beautiful collection on style.com, flip through a fabulous editorial in NYLON, put on a eccentric outfit, or even write in my very own blog, I feel like I'm entering a different world. Not necessarily a world of "glamour" per say, but a world that's, well, different from what I'd see at a local mall. It's NOT real life. It's a whole new world. And THAT'S pretty damn cool. (Is that the trap of fashion? Is that what the industry is TRYING to do? Am I being lured in?)

So I guess this is kind of alluding towards the idea of fashion and what it does: which, in my opinion, is creating a vision, an escape. Something that IS different from real life. IS fashion supposed to be truth? About real life? Or is it supposed to be an image? A vision?

Now, I know that it sounds like I'm defending fashion, so I'll have you know that I am, in no way, agreeing with the fashion industry and it's portrayal of "beauty" and, as the magazine is alluding towards, life in general. Rather, I'm trying to generate an idea as to WHY this is going on. WHY fashion DOESN'T show "real life." And, in my opinion, the creation of luxury, image, and visions is why this goes on.

This isn't to say that I support all this. No. Definitely not. I remain true to my initial reaction to this page - utter agreement. To put it simply (my personal opinion, of course), FASHION NEEDS REVOLUTION. It needs to change its perception of the public - deciding what people should look like and the ideals of beauty - but, at the same time, the public also needs to change its perception of the industry. Because of these faults of fashion, the public has a very warped perception of the industry. And rightfully so. With skinny-minnies going down the runway and magazines flaunting all things "HOT," OF COURSE the public questions the industry and its morals and ideals alongside.

But, I think that the industry has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. Fashion is everywhere. It really, really is. I know that I'm being very bias because I love fashion, but still. I'm kind of reiterating what I said in part of my speech here but, fashion is inescapable. To borrow a quote from Coco Chanel, "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

I truly view fashion as art. Look at something like THIS and tell me that's not art. It's beautiful. But, because of how the fashion industry can portray itself in magazines - "Wear this!" "Ladies, look hot today!" 'That's so out!" "Lose your fat now!" - fashion gets the label of being frivolous, arrogant, and stupid. And sure, in some respects, perhaps caring about your appearance IS arrogant. Yes, we should be judged for WHO we are - our personality, our morals, our talent - not what we wear. But is that to say that we have to reject fashion? Yes, there is more to life than fashion. Absolutely. But is that to say that we can't ENJOY fashion? A powerful form of self-expression? The singular way in which you CAN express yourself, without even SPEAKING?

I guess I'm really just SICK of many aspects surrounding the fashion industry - both how it portrays people/beauty/fashion and, at the same time, how people portray IT. I was reading the comments on Fashionista regarding Vogue's September issue to feature a BLACK actress, Halle Barre. Despite the racial change - in which many people applauded as a refreshment from the generic blond/ "all american" actresses - people still indicated their need for CHANGE. The need for things to move forward. To refresh. To REVOLUTIONIZE.

Why DON'T we see more regular people on the covers of magazines? In runway shows? In magazine editorials? Sure, we're trying to maintain this image of "beauty" but, is that to say you and I - regular people - AREN'T beautiful? Isn't everyone beautiful? Fat, skinny, black, white? In some shape or form?

In a way, blogging is a step in this direction. To me, one of the most appealing things about blogs is that they are REAL people; real style, real clothes, real sizes, shapes, ethnicity. The phenomenon that blogging has created is INCREDIBLE. Real people! Why can't we see more real people in magazines? Why not some elderly rocking editorials more or some "fat" people on magazine covers once in awhile?

And why are we always labelling things in fashion? "Hot" "not" "in" "out." One thing that I find ironic is that, in general, we have the fashion industry mocking conformity - ha-ha, those kids in those hideous hollister mall assembles. Yet, at the same time, I can't help but to think that the fashion industry, too, looks like a sea of conformity. So much of what we see in magazines - the styling, the people, the labels - are THE SAME. (The model off duty rant is a whole other post...). Is it too scary to make the jump? Is sticking to what we know the safe bet?

I can't predict the future but maybe - just maybe - WE can be part of the generation that gives the fashion industry the push it needs. We don't have to reject the ideas that formulate the fashion industry in the first place - the vision, the dream... it should all stay, it needs to stay - but, while creating this dream, why not embrace the WORLD? Everything and everybody in it is so damn beautiful and can, surely, still create this beautiful vision and escape that is embodied in fashion. But instead of manipulating minds and gaining labels of arrogance and stupidity and creating this aura of exclusiveness, let's SHARE the love. Don't tell people what to wear. Don't tell people what's hot, what's not. For god's sake, stop taking every damn thing so seriously. Can we please just have some FUN with fashion?! OPEN people to new ideas! To embracing fashion, not rejecting it as arrogant! To recognize the ART behind it. The PASSION behind it. It's not stupid - it's pure LOVE for the subject that creates these kinds of things. But, while doing so, just inject some fun and lighten up.

I write all this and I dream all this because I love it so much. But, MAN, it drives me crazy sometimes.

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Pheeeew! Enough from me. If you read all that, well, I give you a gold star because you're a winner. (That was weird.) But honestly, virtual high five, now? You're a trooper. Please, I'd LOVE to hear all your thoughts. So, without further ado...
YOUR THOUGHTS ON ANY OF THIS?
Do you think the fashion industry is supposed to be a vision? Or should it be more attainable? Would you like to see more "real" people in magazines and on the runway? Or do you like the luxury and glamor presented? Do you think the industry conforms too much? Or do you think we criticize it too much? What does fashion give YOU?

Feel free to write a post in response or anything of that manner because I'd genuinely LOVE to hear your thoughts.