Fashion is one of the most exciting ways for people to express their individuality and character. It’s a great way of showing other people what you are made of. Today, fashion is increasingly becoming an important tool for people to pass their message across. With its growing popularity and influence, fashion is quickly taking over the minds of young people who just want to copy everything they see.
Fashion did not start in the 21st century. It began thousands of years ago during the Egyptian civilization. Since then, it has kept changing over the years with different generations taking over. The definition of fashion has evolved over the years. The death of one trend means the birth of a new one.
Fashion is a broad subject that includes clothing, accessories, hairstyle, furniture, footwear, and body piercing to name a few. In short, fashion is anything that we deal with in our daily lives. Therefore, fashion is unavoidable. It plays a critical role in shaping our lives and society.
Human beings have an inborn desire to achieve their potential. And this starts with their appearance. Every child and adult wants to be on his or her best look all the time. And this is why fashion is a crucial part of human communication and interaction. Fashion is usually promoted by TV adverts and celebrities who we look up to.
Young children and teenagers can easily access fashion information today in seconds with no limits. When fashion is exposed to an immature mind, it can result in negative consequences. What are these negative consequences? Keep reading!
1. Wastage of Time and Money
Teenagers are spending a crazy amount of time and money on fashion today. Instead of investing in books, they go for fashion magazines and TV shows. They spend a lot of energy trying to imitate models and celebrities that they see on TV. Instead of working on their assignments and studying, they spend most of their time searching for trendy clothes and accessories on the web and watching TV programs.
Unlike the past, teenagers do not like going out with their parents or relatives to beautiful places over the weekend. They spend their time watching TV shows and doing research related to fashion. Most teenagers visit malls for their outings with friends because they can buy whatever they need and still have fun.
Since the world of fashion is always changing, young people tend to waste money buying things that they’ll only need in the short-term. Financially dependent children usually put pressure on their parents or guardians to buy them trendy things so that their friends and enemies can notice them.
2. Lack of Focus
According to help writing college papers, there was a time when children and teenagers desired of becoming doctors, teachers, engineers and scientists to name a few. Today, the priorities have changed. And they seem to be in love with the glamour that the world has to offer. They have assumed that the fashion world is better than any job out there. People who are not focused on fashion rarely get any attention. One who wears trendy clothes and accessories automatically becomes the center of attention.
3. Adverts and Promotions are Irresistible
It’s extremely difficult to ignore fashion adverts and promotions in our modern world thanks to the rapid advancement of technology. These adverts usually target teenagers because they are the majority in most nations today.
A fashion company that manages to capture the hearts and minds of teenagers will be dominant in the industry. That’s why these companies sign contracts with celebrities that teenagers admire so that people can buy their products. If a product was advertised and endorsed by celebrity X, then people are sure that the product is great.
Teenagers tend to forget that celebrities are paid large amounts of money to endorse products. They rush to purchase the product only for it to be completely replaced with a new trend a few months to come.
4. Fashion Promotes Stealing
Fashion promotes blackmail and stealing among teenagers in the society. Although this might not be the aim of fashion in the first place, it’s one of the disadvantages that come with it. Since fashion companies paint the fashion world glamorous, most teenagers get attracted to what they see. And they will do their best to get whatever they want; even if this means breaking the law.
Teenagers tend to become rebellious and desperate for shiny things. Stealing and blackmail are the result of this desperation. The need to be wanted and appreciated is very strong, especially among the youth.
5. Fashion Affects Health
Health is a critical aspect of life. Without it, there is nothing much we can do. Fashion is all about making people stand out and forming impressions. However, teenagers are likely to go to extremes to avoid being left out. Most teenagers today have drawn tattoos all over their bodies, pierced their bodies and performed plastic surgeries to improve their appearances and impress their friends and enemies.
Young people have started the trend of piercing important body parts such as the tongue, forehead, belly button and lips for the sake of fashion. Many have drawn and written their bodies to avoid being left out. They do all these without clearly understanding the risks they are putting themselves into. And they don’t seem to care. Fashion companies leverage on this unruly nature of teenagers for them to sell their products.
6. Fashion Changes People
People’s upbringing always affects their sense of fashion; how they dress and interact. The way children are raised in urban areas is different from that of children in the slums. This means that they’ll dress differently based on the levels of exposure. And that’s where peer pressure starts. The mind of a teenager is formed based on the things he or she sees in his or her environment.
All of a sudden, the pressure to become like other cool people sets in. Teenagers love being part of the crowd. The fear of being left out is very strong. This fear starts playing out in other important aspects of life. And it might lead to poor physical and mental health in the long run.
7. Focusing on the Short-term
Today, teenagers are paying more attention to fashion blogs and trends than their careers and academics They want to know everything about fashion and some of the most popular trends.
The time and energy that would be invested in family activities or doing school work is wasted. And this ultimately leads to poor grades and a high number of dropouts. Since they prefer spending their time trying to discover the latest trends and strategize how they would get the clothing or accessory instead of reading and focusing on their long-term goals, they end up getting lost as fashion companies reap huge profits.
8. Fashion Leads to Depression
Fashion has the potential of making young people depressed. As they continue using different products in short periods to keep up with the latest trends, the urge to keep up to date grows stronger as the days’ pass. Keep in mind that fashion changes very quickly. This means that it will leave them feeling unsatisfied because they can’t keep up. This will make them anxious and ultimately depressed.
The same applies to young students who are under pressure to find a mate. They not only start feeling inferior to their mates but also start feeling anxious and depressed. Most young girls are doing their best to copy models. They want to improve their looks by appearing skinny. Therefore, they start changing what they eat. They also try out a wide variety of products on their hair and skin to look like the women they see on fashion magazines and TV shows.
Using all these products within a short period can lead to acne breakout and other dangerous allergic reactions. Since fashion is very dynamic, the majority of young girls can’t keep up. They start comparing themselves to the models they look up to. And this leads to low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
Fashion puts a huge amount of pressure on young minds. It makes them grow faster than their age and prevents them from achieving their goals. Fashion makes people do what they wouldn’t think of doing for the sake of seeking approval.
9. It Makes Them Materialistic
Today, the pressure to make a first good impression is at its peak. Everyone is doing his or her best to impress everyone they meet. People don’t judge you based on your character but what you possess. Everyone in school wants to befriend the rich kid. And this mentality continues to adulthood. Fashion is all about what you own.
The more things you own, the more powerful you’ll become. Therefore, you should not be surprised when young people do all they can to keep up with the trend. However, you should keep in mind that fashion is not permanent. It changes from time to time. Therefore, young people cannot rely on it to create a long-lasting impression. In the long run, people will forget what you wore and the things you have.
Young people should focus on building their character and developing essential life skills. These are the things that will guarantee a rich life in the long run. It’s easier reading a fashion magazine than reading a book. It’s easier watching TV shows than attending class. But, short-term pain leads to long-term pleasure.
Conclusion
The rapid advancement of technology has made it easy for young people to see whatever they want. The glamorous life of celebrities has made most teenagers lose sight of their long-term goals.
It’s your duty as a parent to protect your child from these influences. Let your child know that he or she can never keep up with fashion. Finally, encourage your children to spend more time outdoors than watching TV shows and reading magazines.
About Author: Susan Saurel is a full-time digital marketer and writer at custom essay papers. Susan lives in Houston, Texas, but she spends most of her spare time traveling around the globe and meeting new people and cultures. As a passionate marketer, Susan is eager to share the professional experience with her readers.
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