The
term fashion usually applies to a prevailing mode of expression,
but quite often applies to a personal mode of expression
that may or may not adhere to prevailing ideals. Inherent
in the term is the idea that the mode will change more
quickly than the culture as a whole. The terms "fashionable"
and "unfashionable" are employed to describe
whether someone or something fits in with the current
popular mode of expression. The term "fashion"
is frequently used in a positive sense, as a synonym for
glamour and style. In this sense, fashions are a sort
of communal art, through which a culture examines its
notions of beauty and goodness. The term "fashion"
is also sometimes used in a negative sense, as a synonym
for fads, trends, and materialism.
Fashions
are social psychology phenomena common to many fields
of human activity and thinking. The rises and falls of
fashions have been especially documented and examined
in the following fields:
Architecture,
interior design, and landscape design
Arts and crafts
Body type, clothing or costume, cosmetics, grooming, and
personal adornment
Cuisine
Dance and music
Forms of address, slang, and other forms of speech
Economics and spending choices, as studied in behavioral
finance
Entertainment, games, hobbies, sports, and other pastimes
Etiquette
Management, management styles and ways of organizing
Politics and media, especially the topics of conversation
encouraged by the media
Philosophy and spirituality (One might argue that religion
is prone to fashions, although official religions tend
to change so slowly that the term cultural shift is perhaps
more appropriate than "fashion")
Technology, such as the choice of programming techniques
Of these fields, costume especially has become so linked
in the public eye with the term "fashion". The
more general term "costume" has been relegated
by many to only mean fancy dress or masquerade wear, while
the term "fashion" means clothing generally,
and the study of it. This linguistic switch is due to
the so-called fashion plates which were produced during
the Industrial Revolution, showing novel ways to use new
textiles. For a broad cross-cultural look at clothing
and its place in society, refer to the entries for clothing
and costume.
