Tayla Oakes

Due to the current situation affecting the world, it has also affected our university work. During the better lives’ unit for our group work, to communicate we have now had to associate with calling through media platforms. The way we battled this as a group, we have called everyday and kept on top of our work and made sure each of us had a task and was completing the work. The project itself has been challenging and convivial, I got to meet new people and make friends, as well as new contacts for future projects if I need to collaborate. I think our group worked proficiently as we did not have any disagreements, and all got on according to plan. The whole unit itself is advancing your own skills through these blog posts and as well as having to carry out your own group work at the same time meanwhile keeping on top of the online lectures. Personally, I’ve found this better lives unit delectable and would enjoy doing something similar to this in the future. This is a massive learning curve and increasing in reflecting on my own work as well as the work I do in group work. Everything you do or anything suggestions or any research is all an input, whether that’s background research or knowledge you already know. The whole project within itself has made me have different perspectives and outlooks whether that is to be more welcoming to group work or wanting to look more into depth on my research and expanding my knowledge and learning. As well as maintaining the end outcome always and making sure everything always links. Especially sometimes if you struggle with starting points, better lives has really improved my outlook for future work, because I can use the themes to help me with my research and build up evidence. During these devastating times, better lives linked to our work as well as relating to the current situation because in my group work, we chose a charity based on men’s’ mental health as these battling times I am sure people are suffering drastically. Therefore, better lives open your mind and way of thinking in depth and making sure everything has a purpose or meaning. I really learnt a lot and enjoyed this unit thoroughly and will always take into consideration what I learnt and reflect this is any other projects or carry this into the next lot of group work I have to do.

The better lives themes will make me change how I do my work, because I will consider all aspects whether that is, power, perspectives, nature and society. As well as always referring to sustainability, diversity, and social responsibility. However already having focused on sustainability on one of my previous units, the better lives has challenged me to perceive other values and ways of the work of sustainability. This also gives me more research to do and branch off to new ideas or possibly have more evidence for my work. I feel as if it makes you become more aware as well, and consider other things, whether that is other individuals work or group work. All themes that I have explored during the lectures has made me learn more deeper into each theme and a way to approach them in my future work. Some I would of never thought about even including, for example democracy, however I will now be including that as well when I do my work, I think another thing I can definitely look more into doing is collaboration, because I always just stick to myself, only because I feel as if its easier. However, from collaborations you could certainly have a better outcome or learn a lot more from it, whether that’s the way someone works or the way they think or their ideas, which can then reflect onto your own work. You may also come out with something stronger as well as you would have two people working together instead of one, although I feel as if sometimes it can be hard because the different opinions or views and then having to negotiate, but it’s definitely something I will look more into for my future work, it’s also a great way to meet new people. For my future work it’s given me better ideas to build up more research into different areas of work whether that is society or being able to mention power of the affects it has or various topics to choose instead of just a generic topic, meanwhile pushing for sustainable ways reflecting on society and culture which will make my work stronger and going out of my comfort zone pushing myself to do better. Better lives unit is also testing me, due to the groups we are put in and how we can create our presentation based on the brand we receive. From my point of view, I want to excel in group work and become more familiar with it, and adapting new skills and perspectives, which I can then carry out in my future work and throughout this project.

I decided to write about the very first lecture, ‘POWER’ which inspired me massively and made me brainstorm into depth of fashion effects within different society levels and job roles which relate to power. For example, fashion within uniforms such as military power and business, there’s an inflexible attire which has always remained interchangeable. A quote which was also in the lecture that represented the power an individual feels when wearing a uniform ‘….also an industry, a system, an apparatus of visual judgement, a conglomerate of capitalist powers that affects our togetherness.’ Von Busch & Cuba 2014. I had never looked at fashion in that way until this lecture, it made me think how clothing can give an individual such power, for example a person who works in the army, if the public saw them in the street they would be in fear, but if the person wasn’t wearing that uniform then they wouldn’t be scared. However, rightly so as this quote also said in the lecture ‘idealistically power should lie in the origins of creativity. Right now, power in fashion boils down to economic power.’ Vestoj, Issue 4. I feel as if society has lost the mindset of being your own person and lost it to the power of hierarchy of the working world or roles instead of just wearing what you want and feeling empowered in your own outfit. Which is why I’ve chosen to highlight that second quote because creativity in fashion is now blind sited by the working world which revolves around money and media. A lot of people also believe you need money to have the power of fashion, and the media is a massive influence of this because it’s just showing your most expensive possessions or believing the need to show off. This then creates the peer pressure and gives into the power of the rich thinking that’s what you need to be like, or you need to be powerful. I never thought too deeply into this and the effect it has on others until now, on how a piece of clothing can give you so much power, whether that is through the power of media or power of money. This has made me realise, that everyone will feel some sort of pressure to a certain degree, those who possibly don’t have a job in business or services e.g. police or military or a job that requires a uniform that gives you a position of people knowing who you are or how important you are. For some it may feel belittling, or those who don’t have as much money and can’t afford such finer items, they could possibly be comparing themselves to those who are living a wealthier life.