What is fashion? It is not something concerned solely about looking good or presentable – it is a means of expression. Right from your taste, artistic skills and personality to your culture, background and nationality, it denotes various things – not just about you alone but also about the environment you are a part of. It often says who you are without you having to utter a word.
As glorious as it might sound, this innate nature of fashion has also made it a means for promoting various stereotypes revolving around gender, race, body or skin type, occupation and/or nationality.
This is probably the reason why empirical powers and conservative societies have used it as a tool for imposition of authority, curbing of rights and discrimination.
Also Read: Victorian Era Fashion: Then And Now
Despite fashion having varied connotations, its primary root lies in the enhancement of beauty – something which has been of great importance to human beings not only in modern societies but throughout history, across all cultures and civilizations.
Despite beauty being entirely subjective, society since ages has been confining it to certain standards that people have to force-fit themselves into.
Discriminatory as it is, the worst part of it comes when people start hating themselves and doing injustice to their own bodies under the pressure to look beautiful – almost punishing themselves for not looking ‘beautiful’ enough.
The video below talks about 5 such traditional fashion trends that will show you how people can be willing to kill their bodies to be called ‘beautiful’.
Are these fashion trends or medieval torture devices? You might ask.
Unbelievable and shocking as they are, what is more shocking is how such deadly fashion trends exist even today, from people literally breaking their own bones just to get taller, to people taking plastic surgery to the extremes just to get ‘that perfect body’ (the latter being a part and parcel of the glamor industry).
They have been so normalized that they almost go unnoticed. New generation, same old problems. Old wine, new bottle.
Sources: History Of Yesterday, BBC Culture + more
Image Source: Google Images
Connect with the blogger: @ParomaDey
This post is tagged under fashion, fashion trends, history, victorian era, victorian era fashion, corsets, hobble skirt, father collars, neck rings, Myanmar, Kayan, foot binding, China
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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