As we walk through the mall, we do not typically look at window displays and think of them as media. Window display house mannequins, products from the store and artistic elements all coordinate to form a theme that the marketing expert or stylist has chosen. This is one of the jobs that I have been considering for myself in the future, so it is interesting to delve into the deeper meaning being shown to customers. I consider this artistic expression a nontraditional form of media, because although we are not constantly surrounded by it, like Instagram or Facebook, it is portraying an “ideal image”. Companies convince us that we can achieve this image by buying the exact clothes presented on the mannequins.
To relate this back to Instagram, we often see images on there that make us feel inadequate, because we can never achieve that same look with clothing as that famous style blogger or be as skinny and fit as that model. The mannequins in store fronts can often make us feel the same way. In the mall today, even with the body positive hashtag being prevalent, we still see most of the storefront models bodies boasting a size 0, 2 or 4 at most. This clothing size, while being achieved by some, is still very unattainable by most people today. These mannequins being used also usually have very unrealistic proportions along with the skinniness. They are created with the proportions of the models on the runway, with legs that go on forever and lanky arms.
Another unrealistic expectation of these storefronts is the clothing. Yes, you can go into the store and buy the exact outfit that the mannequin is wearing, but unless you are shaped in the exact same way that model is then the clothing will never look the same way. The products the store is selling could also be extremely expensive and you might only be able to afford only a piece of the whole outfit. This could make you feel inadequate again, because the store is showing you an image that they feel is the perfect with the full put –together outfit of their clothing. If you cannot afford the outfit, but you love that brand and want to look like the image they are showing, then you feel insecure when you cannot complete the look.
These window displays with all the different types of images they portray, whether they are trendy, technology related or punk, all distort our ideas of how we should look whether we realize it or not. This ties back to the idea of understanding ourselves and our society. Consumer spending on apparel has significantly increased in the past five years, because everyone is trying to keep up with the latest trends. Fast fashion means that styles are constantly changing, so to stay on trend, consumers need to keep purchasing. This affects our society, because everyone is always trying to outdo each other by buying more or buying the best. Connecting this back to understanding ourselves, I feel that people who are insecure in their looks just want to blend in with the crowd. By seeing mannequins in the window wearing their already put together looks with trendy items, insecure shoppers might gravitate towards those looks, because it involves no guesswork or possible fashion mistakes on their part. In today’s world people just want to be a part of the big mass, referring to what is “acceptable” in today’s society, instead of separating ourselves from the pack. If we look a certain way and dress a certain way then we can make sure we blend in with the pack, whether it be the pack of society in general or the pack of the brand and the image companies are trying to create.
This media matters, because even though window displays are not traditional, like Facebook or Instagram, they are still a part of our everyday lives. They still evoke an emotion, whether we think about their effect on us after our passing glance or not. Since I am considering this as a future career, I will definitely need to take the mind of the consumer into my styling process. I will also need to consider society as a whole and how traditionally we now view the world as a group we are just trying to fit into. Window displays are just another media platform that provide us with an “ideal image”. The question is just whether we can or want to live up to the ideals companies set forth.