“Oh, okay… you think this has nothing to do with you?”
In one of the most iconic scenes of The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) dismantles the illusion that fashion is trivial. What appears to be a simple blue sweater, as she explains, is actually the final link in a long chain of cultural, economic and political decisions.
Fashion, as it turns out, is never just about clothes
We don’t even realize, but behind the automatic mode in which we choose our clothes, there is a search for the message we want to convey. Dressing isn’t just random fabric covering our bodies. It is a reflection of values.
It is crucial that we state this, in order to level up the logic. Clothing is not only a form of self expression, it also is a revelation of how society is “feeling”. Or, better saying, how the world imposes its morals upon us and how we want to be perceived.
Fashion is a political instrument
To make this easier to be understood, let’s take the 1926 theory Hemline Index, coined by George Taylor. The economist realized that the current length of skirts was correlated with economic conditions.
During economic downturns (recession) society tends to adopt a more traditional posture, acting cautious and conservative. This is translated into fashion through longer hemlines, which gives out a stronger sensation of protection and seriousness in times of doubt.
On the other hand, the hemline tends to get shorter when the economy is growing. A sense of progression is spread, which leads people to pick more experimental and freeing outfits.
For example, during the 1920s in the United States, women started wearing shorter dresses, as there was large financial growth. People were optimistic and more carefree. However, in 1929, America was ravaged by The Great Depression. Quickly the skirt’s length grew, in a clear response to the pessimistic mode in which people were perceiving life.
Nowadays, with fast fashion and globalization, it is harder to identify if this theory still applies. But what we can take from it is that we gravitate toward certain styles to reflect our mood or the status of the world.
Let’s look at the digital universe as a clear mirror of this. From 2020 and on, some curious trends have appeared. Clean Girl Aesthetic, Trad Wife, Old Money, Quiet Luxury. What may seem innocent, is a canalization of a change in the social mindset.
What all of these movements have in common is the prevalence of a more traditional lifestyle, a replacement of women’s place back to the household majorityly, an expensive way to live and, most of all, conformity.
It may appear to be an innocent aesthetic transformation, but it is a visual translation on how the world is communicating. The political climate has changed worldwide with the emergence of right-wing politics and the resurgence of conservative movements.
Due to economic instability, a global pandemic and emerging wars all over the globe, conservative movements rose up in places such as Brazil, Italy and the USA.
A will to return to traditional values and fiercely resist to progressive agendas has resulted in far right governments and voters each time more aligned with subjects that reinforce strict beauty standards, such as the exclusion of body diversity in the fashion world, movements against immigrants, hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community and renewed resistance to gender equality.
The growing influence of political forces promoting these ideas led many people to seek some sort of security. In times of uncertainty, people search for the safety of the known.
And tell me, is there anything more certain than tradition?
People are longing for stability, and so, they translate their wishes into how they dress. This way, it is visible to the world what its society is hoping for.
Clearly, politics, social values and cultural changes mold what we wear. We are entirely shaped by our environment.
A clear portrait is Dr. Dawnn Karen’s example, as a fashion psychologist and author: back in the 1940s, women were tired of having their bodies policed and being forced out of the workforce. In 1947, Dior debuted its new look in Paris: the swiping skirts.
While some women didn’t think twice before buying them, others purchased instead poster boards for protests. In the United States a movement had sparked: “The Little Below the Knee Club”, made up of women who wanted a choice in their wardrobe.
Women were already disempowered within their homes and within society at large, so the one thing they could have power over was what they wore. “It’s a rebellion, but what’s behind that rebellion is a need to have control. What’s behind that control is a need for safety.”, she says.
It is strategic to make it seem harmless, but fashion communicates vital information about a person’s role, status, and cultural affiliation. It is a subtle way of showing agreement with society’s beliefs or to throw open disagreement, by not dressing the way you’re told to.
Fashion is a cultural expression and a powerful instrument of political expression. It is the Zeitgeist, a visual manifestation of each time’s spirit.
Valerie Steele, a fashion historian, claims that fashion works as a barometer of social change. She reconstructs the meaning and complexity of “dressing up”, as it reflects cultural shifts, gender, and economic dynamics. A way to understand our society is by looking at what its people are wearing.
Fashion has never been merely about aesthetics. It is a mirror of collective anxieties, desires and power structures. If we want to understand the direction society is moving toward, one of the simplest places to look might be our closets.
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The article above was edited by Rafaela Navarro
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