Blog Post 1-Lecture Reflection
During the first two weeks of the Better Lives unit, I was able to stream and attend lectures from which I gained a broader knowledge of information regarding topics within the themes of Diversity, Sustainability and Social Responsibility. After streaming most of the lectures online, the major thing that stood out for me was that fashion has an extensive impact throughout each sector and stage of the fashion world and industry. I enjoyed all of the lectures and following them I felt that I had learnt something new as there were some aspects and topics I was not aware of or had considered previously.
The lecture that left the biggest impression on me was the lecture by Jekaterina Rogaten on Well-Being. She touched upon that we are all talking about well being and how everyone has their own unique definition on what well being means to them. I could resonate with this a lot as I think everyone has their own personal experience within well being whether it is positive or negative and that everyone’s journey is very different
When Jekaterina discussed Positive Psychology she asked us do we need other people or things to make us feel happy or if we felt that only ourselves can make us happy. For me, I have experienced both of these feelings at different times of my life. It was highlighted that within fashion you are constantly working collaboratively in a tough environment so that you need to have a good supportive network to contribute to your well being. Working within the Fashion Industry before I started University, I can say that this is an area that could definitely be improved on immensely in order that a working environment can positively contribute to an individuals’s well being leading to a more constructive working life.
Throughout the lecture, I was introduced to various theories of well being. The Hedonic (subjective) and Eudaimoinc (psychological). The Hedonic theory proposes that our positive emotions need to continuously override our negative emotions and although it is normal to have both positive and negative emotions, we continue to consume more things than what we actually need to fulfil our happiness. With the industry exploiting and profiting from this, we are led to believe that the more we consume the happier we will be. This appears to be an extremely poor and unsustainable approach to the planet. Brands need to be more sustainable towards this approach.
The connection made between an individuals’s relationship with fashion and Maslow’s original Hierarchy of Needs (1954) was particularly interesting and something I can relate to. Further to this concern for the well being of all of those involved in each step of the fashion industry can only serve to promote the themes of Diversity, Sustainability and Social Responsibility which are the aims of Better Lives.
This particular lecture has improved my knowledge for the better in regard to fashion industry and on how to be more aware sustainably and mentally. I will think and consider more before I consume products knowing that the ‘happiness’ effect is extremely harmful to the environment and that there are many other ways of fulfilling my happiness without consuming products that are unsustainable for the environment. It has also helped me understand that having supportive people to work with collaboratively contributes to my wellbeing.