I thought more about that skirt exhibit I went to last year. I remembered feeling after the exhibit having a short-term obsession with skirts. I never wear skirts and all of a sudden I wanted to wear them. What made me feel this way?
One of my favorite things to do in New York City is just walk around. I could walk for hours looking at the many different people in New York going about their way. But most of all, I love to watch people in New York shop.
There’s a certain drive and energy that comes with New York people. It’s hard to describe. They have an unexplainable style about them—it’s hard to find that anywhere else in the world. What makes New Yorkers so “New York”? Does it come from fashion? Why is it that every time I leave New York I feel like I am missing something?
Fashion is no doubt an essential component of New York City. Sure, I love clothes, but I am far from being a “fashionista”. I don’t plan on what I’m going to wear in advance. I hardly buy anything unless I think I really need it and if it’s on sale. And I am definitely not willing to sacrifice comfort for fashion. Yet, there are hundreds of women my age in New York who would blow a month’s salary on a pair of shoes without a pinch of regret. What kind of pleasure do they get with these shoes? Why do they “have” to have them? And though society would say that these women were making “bad financial decisions”--why am I jealous of them?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the term “guilty pleasure”. I think everyone has guilty pleasures, whether they want to admit it or not. It could be a bad reality television show, greasy pizza, a person that you shouldn’t be with, or something as ordinary as shoes. It’s something you know you shouldn’t have, but you desperately want it. You would, in fact, do anything to have it.
When I started to think about fashion I almost immediately started to think about the word “guilt”. I felt guilty for liking and thinking about fashion. In fact, fashion is my secret guilty pleasure. I feel guilty when I buy something that seems too luxurious, but at the same time, I feel like I cannot live without that purse, those jeans, those shoes, or whatever it happens to be at the time of want.
The following are questions that I first thought of when thinking about fashion:
How did fashion evolve?
Who started it?
Who were the first designers?
Are designers “artists”?
How do designers make clothes “fashionable”?
Does fashion have to be expensive?
Later, I thought more about the people in New York:
What is it about fashion that can make a person obsess?
Is fashion worth obsessing?
Now, I would like to know the opinions of others. I have always wanted to ask these questions to people:
What is your favorite piece of clothing (it can be an accessory, article of clothing, shoes, etc)?
Why is it your favorite? What makes it special? What would you do if you lost it?
Right now I feel pretty confident about my topic. I still don’t have a clear focus, but I think once I start “webbing” I can tie some of my questions together. I’m really excited to learn more about this.
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3 comments:
I love your topic!!! I have often asked myself the same questions about New York. I think that maybe fashion is a big aspect because the city is so concrete with the colors black and gray (with the exception of the beautiful Central Park). They need fashion to brighten everything up. I understand what you mean when you feel like you're "missing something" when leaving New York. When I drive or fly away from the city, I'm always a little melancholy. I feel a little depressed that I didn't get to live there. But I guess I can think of each small vacation as living there for a few days. I think New York belongs to everyone!
I'm starting to see some interesting Social Studies (cultural) standards that you could connect with this inquiry. Fashion, though, would work well with Art standard "8.11.1 Identify a wide variety of professions related to art such as: fashion designers,advertisers, web designers, interior designers/decorators, landscape designers, architects." from Indiana Academic Standards.
That Art standard does work well! I think it's important for students to understand the realm of careers out there. I find when talking to young people that they think that the only way they can be "successful" in society's eyes is to be a doctor or a lawyer. It's disappointing to hear that when there's so many successful careers out there that tie into creativity!
Mandy
I just wanted to thank you for taking such an interest in my blog. Though your blog is about every woman's favorite thing, fashion. I love to clothes. They are my number one weakness. At our library we recently bought an encyclopedia about fasion and how it has evolved. I love going through it and looking at the pictures. I hope you have a good time with your project.
Mandy Mawhorter
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