Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Lubaba Abbas Kazmi
Brittany Dickinson
Fashion and Culture
Why Fashion Matters by Frances Corner
Page 20
Corsets to Crinolines, Botox to Dieting.
During the past few decades, both the beauty and diet industries flooded women’s magazines, advertisements etc. with glorified thinness ideals, the ‘slim thick’ women and dramatically emphasized their importance, making many readers feel a sense of dissatisfaction with their bodies.
As social media continues to play a crucial role in our lives, it increases a person’s exposure to body shaming and promotes body obsessions, comparisons, and competition, all of which has slowly and gradually been passed down through generation, eventually normalizing the abuse. Our appearance is so closely observed by others that over time we internalize that perspective
While reading the passage I could not stop myself from thinking about the women in the Elizabethan and how they were forced to wear corsets that suffocated them and even today the Royal Family of England has rules and regulations that the women of the family have to follow while dressing up for a public appearance.
This passage also mentions that the twenty-first-century has brought empowering dresses such as sportwear, leggings etc. I could personally relate to this because I feel that I’m not as body confident as I should be. I hesitate before wearing sportswear in public that would reveal my flaws.
I often question why women have to wear heels for the extra inches. Are they a tool of empowerment or a tool representing sexism? I envy men who attend weddings and parties in flat footwear while I have to confide to the social norms and wear a pair of high heels to elevate my look.
