Better Lives lectures (blog post 1)
From listening and watching the Better Lives lectures, it has given me a deeper understanding of learning about the more psychological sides of Fashion. Basing the topic of sustainability and actions from people, it is not all about the clothes or money that the stereotypical impression fashion has.
From the ‘POWER and CULTURE’ lectures, I have learned about power in consumerism and culture and the impact we have as a society. Whenever we buy our clothes, we do not process where our money goes and if it is for a better cause or not. By doing so we are subconsciously supporting these brands and new upcoming trends because of how many times a certain product is being purchased. Fast fashion has no value nor production and is lacking creativity skills. Even though we all say we want equality all around the world and have less exploitation for the people that make fast-fashion clothing. Many of us do not think through how little our actions such as purchasing from a fast-fashion brand can cause. Therefore, not practicing what we preach and continue doing so. With that being said class and wealth come into the topic, not a lot of people are able to afford an expensive yet sustainable piece of clothing. So, many of us end up frequently buying fast fashion for a cheaper price for the benefit of ourselves.
With the power of social media and influencers; we are pressurized to keep up with the latest trends and society’s idea of beauty. I have found the ‘Well-Being’ lecture to be very interesting. It talked about how one’s satisfaction is never enough and consuming or wanting more seems to be the solution to a temporary fix in many of our mindsets. Also, how happy we are currently with our state in life along with personal acceptance. I personally believe having a strong willpower and what you believe is right or wrong has a big effect on our way of thinking. For example, who you follow on social media changes perspectives and are then easily influenced. The numbers of these accounts being followed are important too as one is constantly browsing a wide range of different content which can create social pressure. It is good to take a step back once in a while from social media to realize we do not need other people’s validation for our own happiness as well as impressing others.
Advertising also gives a sense of unrealistic expectations and I have realized how many fashion brands do not think about their intentions when they include diversity and just do it for positive responses from their audience. This also goes for fashion designers/brands that lack creativity and empathy while they could potentially be producing something controversial yet still think it is acceptable to display it to the public. I think to produce something well, brands should be more empathetic such as active listening or doing interviews with the right people to get better knowledge about a subject they want to execute well.
In conclusion, these lectures have influenced my thinking in many different and interesting ways about what fashion truly is, how problematic it can be and how we could improve it as a society.