CAN FASHION BE DEADLY?

Should we wear what is fashionable whatever the cost of it in the end? Have you ever thought that fashion can be dangerous? Throughout history, both most men and most women, but especially women, have been trying to follow the trends of their time to look attractive without questioning its consequences. There are many examples of unhealthy or even deadly trends in the history of fashion.

Corsets have been considered one of the unhealthiest of all trends. Women have been using them to have a slim waist. Especially at that time they failed to consider the hazardous effects of them on their health. Corsets restricted their breathing, so they used to faint. The worst is the damage caused to their inner organs of course.

Men also have suffered from fashion. In the 19th century, it was fashionable for men to wear stiff high collar. When they wear it, it cut off the blood flow to the carotid artery. In 1888, the New York Times reported on a man called John Cruetzi who had been found dead in the park, “the Coroner thought that the man had been drinking, had seated himself on a bench and fell asleep. His head dropped over on his chest and then his stiff collar stopped the windpipe” and in this case, the blood flow was also restricted, “causing death to ensue from asphyxiaand apoplexy.”

One of the most important parts of fashion industry has been shoes, without doubt. High-heel shoes, which have always been trendy from ancient times to our time, can also lead to injuries and even death because of losing balance. Chopines, for example, were a primitive form of high heels. Today, high-heel shoes are still debatable. It’s no wonder that these days we are reading articles about Kristen Stewart taking off her shoes on the red carpet during Cannes Film Festival to ptotest the strick dress code. She was follwed by British actress Emily Blunt saying, “Everyone should wear flats, to be honest. We shouldn’t be wearing high heels anyway. That’s my point of view.”

It is clear that debates about fashion will continue. However, I strongly belive that looking atractive is not more important than our health so let’s give it a second thought when we are trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends.