Desposing+of+Fashion

__ **Society tells me to be, therefore I am.** __ Vayda Menmuir N8907722 Tutor: Dr Jey Rodger Tutorial Time: 11:00am-12:00pm

(figure 1: "I shop, therefore I am" By Barbara Kruger, 1987)

__**The Artefact **__ The artefact which was chosen to depict this topic was an artwork done by the famous Barbara Kruger. This piece of art is similar to her other pieces, plain, bold yet eye-catching. The white and red writing on a background of a black and white picture is signature of Kruger, and is not easily mistaken for other artists. The back ground being a picture is a hand made to look as though it is holding the poster with the words on it. She is a very bold artist wisely choosing wording and pictures. She tends to use phrases and pictures from popular culture and the media to grasp the attention of her audience.

__**The public health issue **__ The main topic that is created by this public health issue is the “categorisation of genders and age groups too mould to a specific brand of clothing, which fits specific body types, genders and people specifically- This creates a negative attitude and decreases confidence of some individuals who do not “fit” what the brand is trying to achieve and they are felt as though they are outsiders because they are not what society thinks is the “norm”. As a consequence, this has a forever evolving butterfly effect, negatively impacting on individual’s self-esteem and confidence. As they are unable to wear the clothing society thinks is “normal”, they are forced to wear brands and different types of clothing. Because of this they are placed into a box which is already labelled with what society thinks they are, just because of what they wear. As a result of this, the public health issue of that is visible here is a wide range of eating disorders, specifically anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and obesity. Focussing more specifically on anorexia, “Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. People with anorexia nervosa attempt to maintain a weight that's far below normal for their age and height. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise excessively.” (Mayo Clinic Staff (2013)).

__**Literature Review **__ According to the Wall Street Journal (1997), “31% of girls and 22% of boys said they have changed something about their appearance to be more like a TV character.” With this in mind, think about the first time you looked up to your childhood hero and wanted to be just like them. Buying their merchandise, changing your hairstyle or cutting up your clothes, are just some examples of how categorization of age groups and gender roles take place from an early age.  With these figures it’s not surprising that many young boys and girls feel the pressures to fit into society by trying to fit into a box that society has built and is culturally known as the “norm”. Furthermore it is emphasised throughout society which roles each gender is meant to play, how they are supposed to act, talk and even what is acceptable for them to wear.  Proving this point further is the fact that fashion brands shove in the faces of their audience what they think people should be wearing, by showing stick thin models and muscly men in the “latest” fashion trends. A highlighting effect is taking place when the brand is using model after model and they all look the same. This creates a wall around the brand which provides a small gate which only allows people who fit the “standard” that the brand tries to keep to.  With two season years being a thing of the past and fast fashion quickly taking over, companies are pressured to keep up by mass producing and coming up with new styles in the matter of just weeks. Leader of fast fashion Spanish based retailer ZARA is able to maintain the competitive edge by a production model located close to home and keeping a tight geographical grip on the company.  Although companies benefit financially from fast fashion as there is new stock coming in all the time so markdowns and stock-ups are always available.  With ever changing fashion trends, we are forced to keep up with these trends and continue to by the newest clothes so we are able to “fit in” and be accepted by society. Though there is a very large fast fashion movement not all brand are choosing to take part. Some of these brands are the high end fashion labels and this has caused friction between them and fast fashion enterprises. “It isn’t always a bad thing” explains G, Roberts (2012). Roberts also goes on to say that labelling people by what they wear, what they do and how they think and that this process is a necessity “for society to keep on churning as it has for more than 2,000 years”.  The grouping of people and the labelling of these groups are said to help sort out the chaos of the world and is sort of a “cultural code” which is different in all societies. This is misleading as it takes a couple of over-exaggerated labelling to help “earn” a group their name. An extreme example that is used by Roberts is that all feminists are declared “man hating lesbians” as a representation of feminism this description is poorly and inaccurately mistaken.  Labelling can be used as a positive or negative description of people to separate people into “them” and “us”. This is said to help validate individuals when they are comparing themselves to others as they can disassociate and distance themselves with groups they do not want to be associated with. It is also said that labels help people understand the current movements that are present in society.

__**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Cultural and social analysis **__ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">When looking at the media and seeing all the advertisements that fill our TV screens, radio stations, billboards and magazines you will start to notice a general trend. The majority of people featured in these advertisements are youthful, fit and “good looking” people. With this the main thing that young people are looking up to, the only thing they can think is that this is who and what they have to look like, and if they are unable to do so they will not be accepted by society. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> A project was undertaken by L, Holly and H, Wardhaugh where they gathered models of all ages, shapes and ethnic backgrounds, this idea was attempting to give women themselves the chance to redefine and broaden the confines of the “definition” of ‘normal’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘desirable’ S, Williams (2000). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Although this was an excellent way to address the public health issue of body types within advertising and the media, the fact that this issue even had to be addressed and to this extent proves further that there is a close minded way in which the media and advertising and using model is used. .additionally eating disorders are just one of the issues that can stem from having low self-esteem and low confidence. Eating disorders such as obesity, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are a major public health concern in today’s society (Derrene and Beresin, 2006). <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">The social groups and cultural groups that are the most affected are the groups labelled negatively, the excluded and the outcasts. These social and cultural groups are thought to not fit in “mainstream”. This can derive from a reason such as popular clothing brands not fitting them so they are unable to wear them and therefore fit into popular trends. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Lastly another public health issue that derives around attaching labels and categorising people is low self-esteem and low confidence within individuals. This is an issue that seems to have not prevailed. A never ending spiral effect sends their self-esteem and confidence tumbling down and with no way of returning as they feel like social outcasts they are left there

__**<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Artefact Analysis and Personal Learning Reflection **__ <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">There are many themes that could be explored when analysing Krugers artwork, ultimately the main point that I have been exploring throughout this assignment is the categorization of genders and age groups and how they are being moulded and being made to fit into boxes that society has made for specific groups. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Although this artwork is 30 years old, the theme and the message that is present through the artwork is extremely relevant in today’s society, and with no slowing down of and the labelling and categorization of different groups in society, it will forever be relevant. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">To me personally this artwork represents the same points that I have been exploring throughout this assignment, additionally it has also made me stop and think about different people and how their journey has affected them and how they have turned out the way that they are.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Rosenbaum, R (2012) Barbara Kruger's Artwork Speaks Truth to Power. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Barbara-Krugers-Artwork-Speaks-Truth-to-Power-160281585.html
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Reference list **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Anonymous. PR Newswire (2009). Boomer Women Defying Stereotypes. doi 1012344695.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Williams, S (2000). Destroying a Stereotype. doi 1012344695.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Dai and Zhang (2010). Research on the Brand Marketing Strategy of Chinese Clothing Enterprises. doi 821636310

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Roberts (2012). Labels aren't always a bad thing: prof; Categorizing people helps sort out 'chaos' of society. doi: 1031148392. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kaos and Ismail (2011) YOUNG AND STRESSED OUT More teens suffer from mental illness as high expectations weigh them down. doi 923627445.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chamberlain, T (2006) The Problems with Stereotyping Generations. doi 359424035

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kliuchko, O.I (2011) Gender Stereotyping in Studying Pressing Social Problems. doi 1061-1428/2011

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Priess, H.A., Lindberg, S.M., Hyde, J.S. (2009) Adolescent Gender-Role Identity and Mental Health: Gender Intensification Revisited. doi 0009-3920/2009/8005-0016

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Wall Street Journal (1997) Advertising: TV Gender Stereotypes. doi 398653331

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">PR Newswire (2012) Demanding for Cutting Edge Trends Speeds Fast Fashion Firms. doi 1030257454

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">J, L Derenne and E,V Beresin (2006) Body Image, Media and Eating Disorders. doi 10429670

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">K, Harrison and J Cantor (1997) The Relationship Between Media Consumption and Eating Disorders. doi 0027-9916/97

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">J, Polivy and C, P Herman (2002) Causes of Eating Disorders. doi 205797518

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">N, Graham (2010) Eating Disorders: The Ethics of Media Reporting. doi 1168105230354

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Mayo Clinic Staff (2013) Anorexia nervosa Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorexia/DS00606