Blog2: Themes Reflection
Sustainability, diversity and social responsibility, the three main themes this unit comprises, are also the up-to-date buzz words. The fashion industry, especially, speaks a lot about them. These words are even being used by many large brands as a marketing tool. Unfortunately, in my understanding, not much people are taking enough actions on them. What is even more outrageous is that some brands use them as a marketing tool. There is no doubt that some of the commercial actions of these brands help spread the awareness of these issues, but something like a rashly produced advertisement just do no good.
Advertisement, a medium we touches almost anywhere and anytime, forces us to eat in all kinds of informations whether they are appropriate or not, whether we are conscious or not. Take the diversity aspect of the key themes for instance, I have seen brands casting asian woman for no reason, but to show that they care about diversity. It not only showed how poorly the brand did research before shooting, but also perhaps can cause a mistake of cultural appropriation. I feel like these deliberately templates people set up sometimes emphasises how you treat them differently. I remembered attending a panel discussion last year, where one of the the lecturer who is a black women, also shared her experience and feeling about it. Instead of feeling included, the feeling of exclusion and isolated is even stronger in this case. I think, as a creative direction student, it is important for me to make sure that whatever I am planning to do does not deliver a false or improper message.
As mentioned in the lectures, diversity should not be only about race, but also includes age, gender, disables… etc.. It is also about the equality among all human beings. I determine that this will be a guideline I check on myself time after time from now on, and will carry it on later to my Contemporary Portrait Photography personal project. I look forward to see myself creating in-depth contents in the area of media practice, and engaging in an inclusive space that allows people of all kinds. The unit has started to build up a crucial mind set on what I should do in order to take actions in respond to the issues in the fashion industry.
People often communicate their identity or personality through fashion. As a student who is part of the fashion industry, I feel the urgency and the duty to take moves to change. The themes introduced in the lecture have helped me frame my mind on how I can use my voice to give a positive impact on others. With all the little steps and changes, we can hopefully manage to make the industry we all in a better one!