WHY DO FASHIONS CHANGE OVER TIME?

Do you pick out the clothes you wear to school each day? When you’re deciding what to wear, what do you think about? What things are important to you?

Who decided that blue jeans and t-shirts are “cool” for kids to wear today? Who designs the clothes you see for sale in stores? All of these questions revolve around the world of fashion.

Fashion refers to the styles of dress that are currently popular. Fashion goes beyond just clothes, though. It can extend to shoes, jewellery and even how you style your hair. For many people, fashion is a high priority. It’s important to some people to wear only the latest fashions and styles. For others, though, keeping up with the trends isn’t that important. And keeping up is certainly something you have to do if fashion is important to you. The one thing that stays the same with fashion is this: it always changes!

Why do fashions change? The answer is probably as simple as the fact that people change. Over time, the new replaces the old. People are influenced greatly by popular culture, including athletes, musicians, movie stars, politicians, royalty, as well as popular films, television shows, books and music. We also are influenced by the fashion industry’s advertising.

The stars of popular culture don’t remain stars by doing the same things over and over again. Instead, they’re always searching for a new angle to maintain their popularity. Often these new angles come in the form of new clothing or hairstyles.

When people see these new styles, they often want to imitate their favourite stars. To do so, they seek out the latest fashions — clothes, shoes, jewellery and the like — to make themselves look like the people they want to imitate. In this way, fashions evolve and constantly change over time.

Don’t forget that it’s always OK to develop your own sense of style that is unique and separate from what the fashion world dictates! Stay true to yourself and let your personality — not your clothes — speak for who you are!